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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 7, 2012 | MI | HB 4929 | Prohibits Union Dues Deductions from School Employee Paychecks | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (56 - 54) |
| March 7, 2012 | MI | HB 4929 | Prohibits Union Dues Deductions from School Employee Paychecks | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 18) |
| March 7, 2012 | FL | HB 859 | School Voucher Program | Bill Passed - House (92 - 24) |
| March 7, 2012 | NH | HB 1146 | Requires Students to Stand for the Pledge of Allegiance | Bill Failed - House (155 - 170) |
| March 7, 2012 | GA | SB 312 | Require Development Activities for Certain Public Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 14) |
| March 6, 2012 | UT | HB 363 | Requires Abstinence-Only Sexual Education in Public Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 10) |
| March 6, 2012 | UT | SB 223 | Requires Public School Students to Recite Pledge of Allegiance | Bill Passed - House (48 - 25) |
| March 5, 2012 | GA | SB 410 | Requires Numerical School Ratings Based on Student Performance | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 13) |
| March 5, 2012 | GA | SB 458 | Repeals Certain Public Benefits for Undocumented Immigrants | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 19) |
| March 1, 2012 | FL | SB 98 | Authorizes Student-Led Prayer in School | Bill Passed - House (88 - 27) |
| March 1, 2012 | VT | S 199 | Repeals Philosophical Exemption to Immunization | Motion Agreed - Senate (25 - 4) |
| March 1, 2012 | OR | SB 1594 | Prohibits weapons on school grounds | Bill Failed - Senate (14 - 15) |
| Feb. 29, 2012 | SD | HB 1234 | Eliminates Teacher Tenure | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (36 - 33) |
| Feb. 29, 2012 | SD | HB 1234 | Eliminates Teacher Tenure | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (36 - 33) |
| Feb. 29, 2012 | WA | SB 5895 | Authorizes the Use of Student Test Scores in Teacher Evaluations | Bill Passed - House (82 - 16) |
| Feb. 28, 2012 | National | HR 2117 | Repeals Department of Education Regulations | Bill Passed - House (303 - 114) |
| Feb. 28, 2012 | AZ | SB 1202 | Prohibits Partisan Instruction in Classrooms | Bill Failed - Senate (14 - 16) |
| Feb. 28, 2012 | AZ | SB 1205 | Requires Public School Teachers to Adhere to FCC Regulations | Bill Failed - Senate (14 - 16) |
| Feb. 27, 2012 | MN | HF 1870 | Authorizes School Districts to Dismiss Teachers Based on Performance | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 26) |
| Feb. 27, 2012 | SD | HB 1234 | Eliminates Teacher Tenure | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 12) |
| Feb. 27, 2012 | SD | HB 1234 | Eliminates Teacher Tenure | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 12) |
| Feb. 27, 2012 | AZ | SB 1204 | Authorizes Parents to Vote to Close Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 14) |
| Feb. 27, 2012 | ID | H 481 | Repeals Limit on Charter Schools | Bill Passed - House (49 - 19) |
| Feb. 27, 2012 | WY | SF 57 | Amending Wyoming Accountability in Education Act | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 4) |
| Feb. 24, 2012 | UT | SB 44 | Providing Tuition Assistance for Military Veterans | Bill Failed - Senate (11 - 14) |