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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 6, 2018 | PA | HB 564 | Requires Civics Test for High School Students | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (167 - 27) |
| June 6, 2018 | NC | HB 514 | Authorizes Municipalities to Form Charter Schools | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (64 - 53) |
| June 4, 2018 | NC | HB 514 | Authorizes Municipalities to Form Charter Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 18) |
| May 30, 2018 | IL | SB 2892 | Requires Increase in Teacher Salaries | Bill Passed - House (65 - 47) |
| May 29, 2018 | CA | AB 2160 | Defines Playground Aides as Classified Employees | Bill Passed - House (51 - 26) |
| May 24, 2018 | MI | SB 874 | Increases Penalties for Failing to Report Child Abuse or Neglect | Bill Passed - House (107 - 2) |
| May 24, 2018 | MI | HB 6043 | Requires School Districts to Report Inappropriate Conduct within 60 Days | Bill Passed - House (88 - 21) |
| May 23, 2018 | IL | SB 2428 | Requires Schools Provide Lunch to All Students | Bill Passed - House (66 - 44) |
| May 17, 2018 | IL | SB 2892 | Requires Increase in Teacher Salaries | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 16) |
| May 17, 2018 | RI | H 7419 | Prohibits Advertising of Unhealthy Food and Beverages in Schools | Bill Passed - House (58 - 10) |
| May 16, 2018 | OH | SB 246 | Limits Out-of-School Suspensions and Expulsions For Students in Kindergarten to Third Grade | (32 - 0) |
| May 9, 2018 | CT | HB 5170 | Authorizes Schools to Search Student Cell Phones | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 0) |
| May 9, 2018 | CO | SB 18-272 | Establishes School Grants for Suicide-Prevention Training | Bill Passed - House (53 - 12) |
| May 7, 2018 | CO | SB 18-272 | Establishes School Grants for Suicide-Prevention Training | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 8) |
| May 2, 2018 | IL | SB 3249 | Requires LGBT History in Public Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 18) |
| May 2, 2018 | NY | A 10475 | Prohibits State Test Scores from Teacher Evaluations | Bill Passed - House (133 - 1) |
| May 2, 2018 | RI | S 2350 | Prohibits Advertising Unhealthy Food in Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 1) |
| April 25, 2018 | RI | S 2353 | Requires Educators to Report Sexual Abuse | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 0) |
| April 17, 2018 | CO | SB 18-083 | Establishes Educational Tax Credit System | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 17) |
| April 14, 2018 | AK | HB 287 | Appropriates Funds for Education | Bill Passed - Senate (15 - 4) |
| April 14, 2018 | AK | HB 339 | Appropriates Funds for Education | Bill Passed - House (22 - 18) |
| April 12, 2018 | NJ | A 764 | Requires Panic Alarms in Public Schools | Bill Passed - House (66 - 6) |
| April 11, 2018 | OH | HB 318 | Requires New Training Guidelines for School Resource Officers | Bill Passed - House (92 - 2) |
| April 11, 2018 | OH | SB 82 | Requires Schools to Contact Parents for Unexcused Absences | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 0) |
| April 11, 2018 | OH | HB 360 | Requires Additional Anti-Bullying Policies in Public Schools | Bill Passed - House (69 - 27) |