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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 21, 2022 | IA | HF 2416 | Requires Student Athletes to Join Teams Based on Sex Assigned at Birth | Bill Passed - House (55 - 39) |
| May 19, 2021 | IA | HF 847 | Repeals Mask Mandates for Public School Students | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (29 - 17) |
| May 19, 2021 | IA | HF 847 | Repeals Mask Mandates for Public School Students | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (53 - 35) |
| April 28, 2021 | IA | HF 802 | Limits the Types of Diversity Training Schools and Governments May Offer | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 18) |
| April 28, 2021 | IA | HF 813 | Establishes Plan to Create Charter Schools in the State | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 18) |
| March 25, 2021 | IA | HF 847 | Repeals Mask Mandates for Public School Students | Bill Passed - House (62 - 33) |
| March 24, 2021 | IA | HF 813 | Establishes Plan to Create Charter Schools in the State | Bill Passed - House (55 - 40) |
| March 16, 2021 | IA | HF 802 | Limits the Types of Diversity Training Schools and Governments May Offer | Bill Passed - House (59 - 38) |
| Feb. 16, 2021 | IA | HF 415 | Requires Public Schools Recite the Pledge of Allegiance Daily | Bill Passed - House (91 - 3) |
| Feb. 11, 2021 | IA | SF 269 | Appropriates Funds for Schools | Bill Passed - House (56 - 36) |
| Feb. 9, 2021 | IA | SF 269 | Appropriates Funds for Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 17) |
| Feb. 2, 2021 | IA | HF 228 | Prohibits Open Enrollment Rejections Via Diversity Plans | Bill Passed - House (56 - 32) |
| Jan. 28, 2021 | IA | SF 160 | Requires Schools Provide a 100 Percent In-Person Learning Option | Bill Passed - House (59 - 39) |
| Jan. 28, 2021 | IA | SF 160 | Requires Schools Provide a 100 Percent In-Person Learning Option | Bill Passed - House (59 - 39) |
| Jan. 28, 2021 | IA | SF 160 | Requires Schools Provide a 100 Percent In-Person Learning Option | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 18) |
| Jan. 28, 2021 | IA | SF 159 | Authorizes Publicly Funded School Voucher Credits for Students to Attend Private Charter Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 21) |
| Jan. 28, 2021 | IA | SF 159 | Authorizes Publicly Funded School Voucher Credits for Students to Attend Private Charter Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 21) |
| Jan. 28, 2021 | IA | SF 160 | Requires Schools Provide a 100 Percent In-Person Learning Option | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 18) |
| June 13, 2020 | IA | SF 2310 | Establishes Educational Instructional Requirements for Online Learning | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (49 - 0) |
| April 22, 2019 | IA | SF 188 | Authorizes Stun Guns on Campuses | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (38 - 11) |
| April 16, 2019 | IA | SF 188 | Authorizes Stun Guns on Campuses | Bill Passed - House (60 - 37) |
| March 14, 2019 | IA | SF 274 | Amends Free Speech Regulations on College Campuses | Bill Passed - House (52 - 44) |
| March 11, 2019 | IA | SF 274 | Amends Free Speech Regulations on College Campuses | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 11) |
| Feb. 11, 2019 | IA | HF 306 | Increases School Funding by 2 Percent | Bill Passed - House (53 - 47) |
| April 3, 2018 | IA | HF 2467 | Establishes Guidelines for Handling Students' Lunch Debt | Bill Passed - Senate (48 - 0) |
| March 21, 2018 | IA | SF 2117 | Amends Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2018 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (28 - 21) |
| March 21, 2018 | IA | SF 2117 | Amends Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2018 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (28 - 21) |
| March 20, 2018 | IA | SF 2117 | Amends Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2018 | Bill Passed - House (59 - 41) |
| March 20, 2018 | IA | SF 2117 | Amends Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2018 | Bill Passed - House (59 - 41) |
| Feb. 8, 2018 | IA | SF 2117 | Amends Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2018 | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 21) |
| Feb. 8, 2018 | IA | SF 2117 | Amends Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2018 | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 21) |
| Feb. 6, 2017 | IA | SF 166 | Authorizes School Funding Increase of 1.11 Percent | Bill Passed - House (55 - 40) |
| Feb. 6, 2017 | IA | SF 166 | Authorizes School Funding Increase of 1.11 Percent | Bill Passed - House (55 - 40) |
| Feb. 2, 2017 | IA | SF 166 | Authorizes School Funding Increase of 1.11 Percent | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 21) |
| Feb. 2, 2017 | IA | SF 166 | Authorizes School Funding Increase of 1.11 Percent | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 21) |
| April 19, 2016 | IA | SF 2323 | Appropriates Funds for Higher Education | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 23) |
| March 23, 2016 | IA | SF 175 | Increases K-12 Education Budget | Conference Report Adopted - House (55 - 41) |
| March 23, 2016 | IA | SF 174 | Increases K-12 Education Budget | Conference Report Adopted - House (55 - 41) |
| March 25, 2015 | IA | SF 227 | Amends the School Year Start Date | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (28 - 22) |
| April 25, 2014 | IA | SF 2318 | Amends School Harassment and Bullying Policies | Bill Passed - House (68 - 27) |
| April 23, 2014 | IA | SF 2347 | 2014-2015 Higher Education Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (28 - 21) |
| March 18, 2014 | IA | SF 2318 | Amends School Harassment and Bullying Policies | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 19) |
| Feb. 5, 2014 | IA | SF 2079 | Increases School Funding | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 23) |
| April 18, 2013 | IA | HF 604 | 2013-2014 Higher Education Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 22) |
| April 1, 2013 | IA | SF 429 | 2013-14 Community Colleges Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 19) |
| March 26, 2013 | IA | SF 423 | Amends Education Provisions | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 23) |
| Feb. 19, 2013 | IA | HF 215 | Appropriates Education Funding and Establishes New Programs | Bill Passed - House (52 - 44) |
| Feb. 14, 2013 | IA | SF 162 | Establishes the School Budget Growth for Fiscal Year 2014-2015 | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 22) |
| Feb. 14, 2013 | IA | SF 161 | Establishes the School Budget Growth for Fiscal Year 2014-2015 | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 22) |
| Jan. 30, 2013 | IA | SF 52 | Establishes the School Budget Growth for Fiscal Year 2013-2014 | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 23) |