Vote Smart provides easy access to congressional and state voting records and maintains a collection of key votes grouped by issue. Vote Smart uses the following criteria to select key votes:
Vote Smart provides a summary of the version of the bill text associated with each selected key vote. Our summaries are written by Vote Smart's staff and interns, who adhere to our strict policies and procedures in order to guarantee absolute impartiality and accuracy. They do not necessarily reflect the content of the final version of the bill, but rather the version voted on in that stage. While many procedural votes take place before a full chamber vote, our voting stages reflect the final reading of each chamber vote. Each key vote selection is reviewed by the project's community of advisors, who are political scientists and journalists from all fifty states.
For more information about the legislative process, see here.
| Date | State | Bill No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 2012 | KS | King Amendment | Amends the State Retirement System for New Public Employees | Amendment Rejected - Senate (20 - 20) |
| May 3, 2012 | KS | King Amendment | Amends the State Retirement System for New Public Employees | Amendment Rejected - Senate (20 - 20) |
| May 3, 2012 | MO | HB 1526 | Amends Teacher Dismissal Policies | Bill Passed - House (83 - 76) |
| May 2, 2012 | MI | SB 619 | Cyber Schools | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| May 2, 2012 | NH | HB 1383 | Prohibits In-State Tuition for Non-US Residents | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 5) |
| May 2, 2012 | AL | SB 513 | Authorizes Charter Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
| May 1, 2012 | AL | HB 360 | Requires Schools to Have a Longer Summer Vacation | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (58 - 36) |
| May 1, 2012 | AL | HB 360 | Requires Schools to Have a Longer Summer Vacation | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 10) |
| May 1, 2012 | MI | SB 619 | Cyber Schools | Bill Passed - House (57 - 52) |
| April 30, 2012 | TN | SB 3597 | Prohibits Discrimination Against Religious Student Groups at Public Universities | Bill Passed - House (61 - 22) |
| April 30, 2012 | TN | SB 3597 | Prohibits Discrimination Against Religious Student Groups at Public Universities | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 12) |
| April 27, 2012 | TN | SB 3310 | Requires Abstinence-Centered Sex Education in Schools | Bill Passed - House (68 - 23) |
| April 27, 2012 | National | HR 4628 | Extending Student Loan Interest Rates | Bill Passed - House (215 - 195) |
| April 26, 2012 | TN | HB 2566 | Increases Kindergarten Age Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 10) |
| April 25, 2012 | TN | HB 2566 | Increases Kindergarten Age Requirements | Bill Passed - House (68 - 30) |
| April 19, 2012 | AL | HB 658 | Amends Immigration Regulations | Bill Passed - House (64 - 34) |
| April 19, 2012 | AL | HB 658 | Amends Immigration Regulations | Bill Passed - House (64 - 34) |
| April 16, 2012 | TN | SB 3345 | Limits the Number of Foreign Nationals that May Work in a Charter School | Bill Passed - House (63 - 29) |
| April 16, 2012 | TN | SB 2514 | Amends Eligibility Requirements for the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 10) |
| April 12, 2012 | TN | SB 3345 | Limits the Number of Foreign Nationals that May Work in a Charter School | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 13) |
| April 11, 2012 | WA | SB 5940 | Amends Public School Employees Retirement Benefits | Bill Passed - House (53 - 45) |
| April 11, 2012 | WA | SB 5940 | Amends Public School Employees Retirement Benefits | Bill Passed - House (53 - 45) |
| April 11, 2012 | WA | SB 5940 | Amends Public School Employees Retirement Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 20) |
| April 11, 2012 | WA | SB 5940 | Amends Public School Employees Retirement Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 20) |
| April 10, 2012 | MS | HB 707 | Requires Schools to Have a Longer Summer Vacation | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 21) |
| April 10, 2012 | HI | SB 2115 | Amends Charter School System | Bill Passed - House (40 - 11) |
| April 10, 2012 | CO | SB 68 | Prohibits Food with Trans Fat in Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 17) |
| April 9, 2012 | IA | SF 2284 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 24) |
| April 9, 2012 | CO | SB 15 | College Tuition Rates for Undocumented Immigrants | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 14) |
| April 5, 2012 | LA | HB 974 | Amends Teacher Tenure Policy | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (60 - 43) |
| April 5, 2012 | LA | HB 976 | Amends School Voucher Program | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (60 - 43) |
| April 5, 2012 | MD | HB 373 | Raises the Dropout Age for Public School Students | Bill Passed - House (88 - 49) |
| April 4, 2012 | LA | HB 976 | Amends School Voucher Program | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 15) |
| April 4, 2012 | LA | HB 974 | Amends Teacher Tenure Policy | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 16) |
| April 2, 2012 | MN | HF 2083 | Requires State Reserve Funds to be Used to Reduce School Debt | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (35 - 28) |
| April 2, 2012 | MN | HF 2083 | Requires State Reserve Funds to be Used to Reduce School Debt | Conference Report Adopted - House (75 - 56) |
| March 29, 2012 | GA | HB 797 | Establishes a State Charter School Commission | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (117 - 55) |
| March 29, 2012 | GA | SB 410 | Requires Numerical School Ratings Based on Student Performance | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (38 - 16) |
| March 29, 2012 | GA | SB 410 | Requires Numerical School Ratings Based on Student Performance | Bill Passed - House (94 - 67) |
| March 29, 2012 | SC | H 4894 | Authorizes Income Tax Credit for Tuition Payments | Bill Passed - House (62 - 38) |
| March 29, 2012 | NH | HB 1607 | Establishes a Tax Credit for Businesses that Donate to Certain Scholarship Funds | Bill Passed - House (173 - 127) |
| March 29, 2012 | IL | HB 5531 | Limits Tuition Waivers for State University Employees | Bill Failed - House (26 - 75) |
| March 28, 2012 | IL | HB 5290 | Requires Schools to Establish Bullying Policies | Bill Passed - House (61 - 49) |
| March 28, 2012 | AK | SB 9 | Extends Cumpulsory School Attendance | Bill Passed - Senate (13 - 7) |
| March 27, 2012 | LA | HB 969 | Establishes Tax Deductions for Donating to Scholarship Programs | Bill Passed - House (66 - 37) |
| March 26, 2012 | TN | HB 368 | Scientific Theories in the Classroom | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (72 - 23) |
| March 26, 2012 | GA | HB 797 | Establishes a State Charter School Commission | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 14) |
| March 23, 2012 | ID | H 426 | Establishes a Program for High School Students to Obtain an Associate's Degree | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (59 - 6) |
| March 23, 2012 | ID | H 426 | Establishes a Program for High School Students to Obtain an Associate's Degree | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (59 - 6) |
| March 23, 2012 | LA | HB 974 | Amends Teacher Tenure Policy | Bill Passed - House (64 - 40) |