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 2, 2015 | WV | SB 14 | Authorizes Public Charter Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 16) |
| Feb. 28, 2015 | WV | HB 2934 | Repeals Common Core Standards | Bill Passed - House (75 - 19) |
| Feb. 27, 2015 | KY | SB 76 | Prohibits Students from Using Restrooms Designated for the Opposite Sex | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 9) |
| Feb. 26, 2015 | WY | HB 144 | Establishes a School Safety Tip Line | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 13) |
| Feb. 26, 2015 | MT | SB 12 | Authorizes School Funding for 19-Year-Old Students | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 16) |
| Feb. 25, 2015 | WY | HB 23 | Authorizes Adoption of Next Generation Science Standards | Conference Report Adopted - House (43 - 12) |
| Feb. 25, 2015 | MO | HB 42 | Amends School Transfer Laws | Bill Passed - House (114 - 43) |
| Feb. 25, 2015 | KS | SB 56 | Prohibits Exposing Minors to Harmful Materials | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 14) |
| Feb. 25, 2015 | ND | SB 2254 | Amends School District Funding Calculations to Include Early Childhood Education Programs | Bill Failed - Senate (16 - 31) |
| Feb. 25, 2015 | ND | SB 2151 | Appropriates Funds for Early Childhood Education Grants | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 14) |
| Feb. 24, 2015 | WY | HB 159 | Repeals Statewide Writing Assessment | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 14) |
| Feb. 24, 2015 | IN | HB 1001 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Bill Passed - House (69 - 29) |
| Feb. 24, 2015 | SD | SB 189 | Establishes Tax Credit Scholarship Program | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
| Feb. 24, 2015 | MT | SB 107 | Authorizes New High School Districts | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 16) |
| Feb. 23, 2015 | AK | HCR 2 | Establishes Alaska School Choice Week | Joint Resolution Passed - House (21 - 14) |
| Feb. 23, 2015 | AZ | SB 1172 | Prohibits Schools from Releasing Student Information for Political Purposes | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 11) |
| Feb. 19, 2015 | GA | HB 100 | Amends Minimum Age for Kindergarten Enrollment | Bill Passed - House (110 - 53) |
| Feb. 17, 2015 | VA | HB 1626 | Authorizes Home-Schooled Students to Participate in Public School Interscholastic Programs | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 13) |
| Feb. 16, 2015 | NV | SB 119 | Exempts Schools from Paying Prevailing Wages | Bill Passed - Senate (11 - 9) |
| Feb. 12, 2015 | WY | HB 23 | Authorizes Consideration of Next Generation Science Standards | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 3) |
| Feb. 12, 2015 | CO | SB 77 | Extends Parental Rights in Education and Health Care | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 16) |
| Feb. 11, 2015 | WY | HB 144 | Establishes a School Safety Tip Line | Bill Passed - House (31 - 29) |
| Feb. 11, 2015 | NM | HB 41 | Requires Third-Graders to Demonstrate Reading Proficiency | Bill Passed - House (38 - 30) |
| Feb. 11, 2015 | MS | SB 2161 | Establishes College and Career Readiness Standards | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 16) |
| Feb. 11, 2015 | MS | SB 2695 | Establishes Education Scholarship Accounts for Special Needs Students | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 21) |
| Feb. 10, 2015 | WV | HB 2005 | Expands Certain Teacher Certification Programs | Bill Passed - House (60 - 35) |
| Feb. 10, 2015 | SD | HB 1195 | Requires a Student's Gender Identity to be Determined by a Birth Certificate | Bill Passed - House (51 - 16) |
| Feb. 6, 2015 | KY | SB 8 | Establishes Public Charter School Pilot Project | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
| Feb. 5, 2015 | KY | SB 9 | Exempts Certain Construction Projects from Prevailing Wage Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 12) |
| Feb. 5, 2015 | WY | HB 159 | Repeals Statewide Writing Assessment | Bill Passed - House (53 - 6) |
| Feb. 4, 2015 | NC | SB 14 | Transfers Funds to Rules Review Commission for Litigation Expenses | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 11) |
| Feb. 2, 2015 | WY | HB 114 | Authorizes Concealed Carry in Certain Public Buildings | Bill Passed - House (42 - 17) |
| Jan. 15, 2015 | AZ | HB 2064 | Requires Additional Testing for High School Students | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 10) |