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 28, 2019 | IL | HB 2265 | Requires Civics Education | Bill Passed - House (73 - 31) |
| March 28, 2019 | IL | HB 253 | Classifies University Graduate and Research Assistants as "Employees" | Bill Passed - House (72 - 37) |
| May 30, 2018 | IL | SB 2546 | Authorizes Graduate Research Assistant Unions | Bill Passed - House (66 - 49) |
| May 30, 2018 | IL | SB 2892 | Requires Increase in Teacher Salaries | Bill Passed - House (65 - 47) |
| 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 2, 2018 | IL | SB 3249 | Requires LGBT History in Public Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 18) |
| April 19, 2018 | IL | SB 2546 | Authorizes Graduate Research Assistant Unions | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 19) |
| Aug. 28, 2017 | IL | SB 1947 | Establishes School Funding Plan | Bill Passed - House (73 - 34) |
| Aug. 13, 2017 | IL | SB 1 | Specifies School Funding Reallocation | Veto Override Passed - Senate (38 - 19) |
| Aug. 13, 2017 | IL | SB 1 | Specifies School Funding Reallocation | Veto Override Passed - Senate (38 - 19) |
| May 31, 2017 | IL | SB 1 | Specifies School Funding Reallocation | Bill Passed - House (60 - 52) |
| May 31, 2017 | IL | SB 1351 | Establishes Laws Governing Student Loan Servicers | Bill Passed - House (63 - 48) |
| May 17, 2017 | IL | SB 1 | Specifies School Funding Reallocation | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 18) |
| May 10, 2017 | IL | SB 1351 | Establishes Laws Governing Student Loan Servicers | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 15) |
| April 26, 2017 | IL | HB 2977 | Requires Public Schools to Provide Cursive Writing Courses | Bill Passed - House (67 - 48) |
| April 26, 2017 | IL | HB 2977 | Requires Public Schools to Provide Cursive Writing Courses | Bill Passed - House (67 - 48) |
| May 19, 2016 | IL | HB 4167 | Appropriates Funds for Monetary Award Program Grants | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 15) |
| May 17, 2016 | IL | HB 4167 | Appropriates Funds for Monetary Award Program Grants | Bill Passed - House (68 - 45) |
| May 10, 2016 | IL | SB 231 | Appropriates Funds for Education | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 21) |
| March 2, 2016 | IL | SB 2043 | Appropriates Funds for Higher Education | Veto Override Failed - House (69 - 48) |
| March 2, 2016 | IL | SB 2043 | Appropriates Funds for Higher Education | Veto Override Passed - Senate (37 - 17) |
| Jan. 28, 2016 | IL | SB 2043 | Appropriates Funds for Higher Education | Bill Passed - House (67 - 42) |
| July 9, 2015 | IL | HB 3593 | Limits Community College Severance Packages | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (73 - 34) |
| June 23, 2015 | IL | HB 3593 | Limits Community College Severance Packages | Concurrence Vote Failed - House (51 - 44) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/28 | HB 2265 | Requires Civics Education | Bill Passed - House (73 - 31) |
| 3/28 | HB 253 | Classifies University Graduate and Research Assistants as "Employees" | Bill Passed - House (72 - 37) |
| 5/30 | SB 2546 | Authorizes Graduate Research Assistant Unions | Bill Passed - House (66 - 49) |
| 5/30 | SB 2892 | Requires Increase in Teacher Salaries | Bill Passed - House (65 - 47) |
| 5/23 | SB 2428 | Requires Schools Provide Lunch to All Students | Bill Passed - House (66 - 44) |
| 5/17 | SB 2892 | Requires Increase in Teacher Salaries | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 16) |
| 5/02 | SB 3249 | Requires LGBT History in Public Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 18) |
| 4/19 | SB 2546 | Authorizes Graduate Research Assistant Unions | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 19) |
| 8/28 | SB 1947 | Establishes School Funding Plan | Bill Passed - House (73 - 34) |
| 8/13 | SB 1 | Specifies School Funding Reallocation | Veto Override Passed - Senate (38 - 19) |
| 8/13 | SB 1 | Specifies School Funding Reallocation | Veto Override Passed - Senate (38 - 19) |
| 5/31 | SB 1 | Specifies School Funding Reallocation | Bill Passed - House (60 - 52) |
| 5/31 | SB 1351 | Establishes Laws Governing Student Loan Servicers | Bill Passed - House (63 - 48) |
| 5/17 | SB 1 | Specifies School Funding Reallocation | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 18) |
| 5/10 | SB 1351 | Establishes Laws Governing Student Loan Servicers | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 15) |
| 4/26 | HB 2977 | Requires Public Schools to Provide Cursive Writing Courses | Bill Passed - House (67 - 48) |
| 4/26 | HB 2977 | Requires Public Schools to Provide Cursive Writing Courses | Bill Passed - House (67 - 48) |
| 5/19 | HB 4167 | Appropriates Funds for Monetary Award Program Grants | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 15) |
| 5/17 | HB 4167 | Appropriates Funds for Monetary Award Program Grants | Bill Passed - House (68 - 45) |
| 5/10 | SB 231 | Appropriates Funds for Education | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 21) |
| 3/02 | SB 2043 | Appropriates Funds for Higher Education | Veto Override Failed - House (69 - 48) |
| 3/02 | SB 2043 | Appropriates Funds for Higher Education | Veto Override Passed - Senate (37 - 17) |
| 1/28 | SB 2043 | Appropriates Funds for Higher Education | Bill Passed - House (67 - 42) |
| 7/09 | HB 3593 | Limits Community College Severance Packages | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (73 - 34) |
| 6/23 | HB 3593 | Limits Community College Severance Packages | Concurrence Vote Failed - House (51 - 44) |