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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 9, 2012 | IA | SF 2284 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 24) |
| April 5, 2012 | LA | HB 976 | Amends School Voucher Program | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (60 - 43) |
| April 5, 2012 | LA | HB 974 | Amends Teacher Tenure Policy | 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 974 | Amends Teacher Tenure Policy | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 16) |
| April 4, 2012 | LA | HB 976 | Amends School Voucher Program | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 15) |
| 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 28, 2012 | AK | SB 9 | Extends Cumpulsory School Attendance | Bill Passed - Senate (13 - 7) |
| March 28, 2012 | IL | HB 5290 | Requires Schools to Establish Bullying Policies | Bill Passed - House (61 - 49) |
| 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 | LA | HB 974 | Amends Teacher Tenure Policy | Bill Passed - House (64 - 40) |
| March 22, 2012 | LA | HB 976 | Amends School Voucher Program | Bill Passed - House (62 - 43) |
| March 19, 2012 | GA | HR 1162 | Authorizes the State to Approve Charter Schools | Amendment Adopted - Senate (40 - 16) |
| March 19, 2012 | ID | H 426 | Establishes a Program for High School Students to Obtain an Associate's Degree | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 7) |
| March 19, 2012 | TN | HB 368 | Scientific Theories in the Classroom | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 8) |
| March 15, 2012 | ID | H 481 | Repeals Limit on Charter Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 12) |
| March 15, 2012 | OK | HB 1551 | Authorizes the Instruction of Various Scientific Theories | Bill Passed - House (56 - 12) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/09 | SF 2284 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 24) |
| 4/05 | HB 976 | Amends School Voucher Program | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (60 - 43) |
| 4/05 | HB 974 | Amends Teacher Tenure Policy | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (60 - 43) |
| 4/05 | HB 373 | Raises the Dropout Age for Public School Students | Bill Passed - House (88 - 49) |
| 4/04 | HB 974 | Amends Teacher Tenure Policy | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 16) |
| 4/04 | HB 976 | Amends School Voucher Program | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 15) |
| 4/02 | HF 2083 | Requires State Reserve Funds to be Used to Reduce School Debt | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (35 - 28) |
| 4/02 | HF 2083 | Requires State Reserve Funds to be Used to Reduce School Debt | Conference Report Adopted - House (75 - 56) |
| 3/29 | HB 797 | Establishes a State Charter School Commission | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (117 - 55) |
| 3/29 | SB 410 | Requires Numerical School Ratings Based on Student Performance | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (38 - 16) |
| 3/29 | SB 410 | Requires Numerical School Ratings Based on Student Performance | Bill Passed - House (94 - 67) |
| 3/29 | H 4894 | Authorizes Income Tax Credit for Tuition Payments | Bill Passed - House (62 - 38) |
| 3/28 | SB 9 | Extends Cumpulsory School Attendance | Bill Passed - Senate (13 - 7) |
| 3/28 | HB 5290 | Requires Schools to Establish Bullying Policies | Bill Passed - House (61 - 49) |
| 3/27 | HB 969 | Establishes Tax Deductions for Donating to Scholarship Programs | Bill Passed - House (66 - 37) |
| 3/26 | HB 368 | Scientific Theories in the Classroom | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (72 - 23) |
| 3/26 | HB 797 | Establishes a State Charter School Commission | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 14) |
| 3/23 | H 426 | Establishes a Program for High School Students to Obtain an Associate's Degree | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (59 - 6) |
| 3/23 | HB 974 | Amends Teacher Tenure Policy | Bill Passed - House (64 - 40) |
| 3/22 | HB 976 | Amends School Voucher Program | Bill Passed - House (62 - 43) |
| 3/19 | HR 1162 | Authorizes the State to Approve Charter Schools | Amendment Adopted - Senate (40 - 16) |
| 3/19 | H 426 | Establishes a Program for High School Students to Obtain an Associate's Degree | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 7) |
| 3/19 | HB 368 | Scientific Theories in the Classroom | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 8) |
| 3/15 | H 481 | Repeals Limit on Charter Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 12) |
| 3/15 | HB 1551 | Authorizes the Instruction of Various Scientific Theories | Bill Passed - House (56 - 12) |