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 1, 2015 | AK | SB 64 | Amends School Bond Debt Reimbursement | Bill Passed - House (23 - 15) |
Feb. 23, 2015 | AK | HCR 2 | Establishes Alaska School Choice Week | Joint Resolution Passed - House (21 - 14) |
March 18, 2015 | AL | SB 45 | Authorizes Public Charter Schools | Bill Passed - House (58 - 41) |
May 28, 2015 | AL | SB 71 | Increases Cumulative Cap on Tax Credits Available for Scholarship Donations | Bill Passed - House (68 - 26) |
May 7, 2015 | AL | HB 236 | Authorizes Home-Schooled Students to Participate in Public School Sports | Bill Passed - House (52 - 43) |
March 13, 2015 | AR | HB 1377 | Authorizes the Use of Waivers by Public School Districts | Bill Passed - House (58 - 18) |
April 1, 2015 | AZ | SB 1332 | Expands Empowerment Scholarship to Include Native Americans | Bill Passed - House (31 - 28) |
March 9, 2015 | AZ | HB 2246 | Authorizes Parents to Opt-Out of Standardized Tests for Their Children | Bill Passed - House (35 - 24) |
Sept. 1, 2015 | CA | SB 707 | Prohibits Concealed Firearms on School Grounds | Bill Passed - House (54 - 24) |
Sept. 11, 2015 | CA | AB 329 | Requires Age Appropriate Comprehensive Sex Education | Bill Passed - House (51 - 26) |
May 4, 2015 | CO | SB 14 | Authorizes Caregivers to Administer Medical Marijuana Treatments to Certain Students on School Property | Bill Passed - House (51 - 13) |
May 1, 2015 | CO | SB 213 | Limits Immunity for Public Schools in Incidents of School Violence | Bill Passed - House (43 - 21) |
April 15, 2015 | CO | HB 1165 | Requires Approval to Use Native American School Mascots | Bill Passed - House (33 - 32) |
March 27, 2015 | FL | HB 7037 | Appropriates Funds for Charter Schools | Bill Passed - House (75 - 35) |
Feb. 19, 2015 | GA | HB 100 | Amends Minimum Age for Kindergarten Enrollment | Bill Passed - House (110 - 53) |
May 20, 2015 | IL | SB 100 | Establishes Educational Disciplinary Guidelines | Bill Passed - House (73 - 41) |
May 27, 2015 | IL | HB 4151 | 2015-2016 Education Budget | Bill Passed - House (66 - 47) |
April 29, 2015 | IN | HB 1001 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Conference Report Adopted - House (69 - 30) |
Feb. 24, 2015 | IN | HB 1001 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Bill Passed - House (69 - 29) |
March 13, 2015 | KS | SB 7 | Appropriates Funds to the Department of Education | Bill Passed - House (64 - 57) |
April 13, 2015 | MD | HB 70 | 2015-2016 Budget | Conference Report Adopted - House (90 - 49) |
April 13, 2015 | MD | SB 183 | Amends Funding for the Geographic Cost of Education Index | Bill Passed - House (88 - 51) |
June 2, 2015 | MI | HB 4041 | Amends Requirements to Receive Certain Assistance Funds | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (74 - 34) |
May 13, 2015 | MI | SB 139 | Limits Fund-Raising Activities | Bill Passed - House (66 - 43) |
March 26, 2015 | MI | HB 4041 | Requires School Attendance to Receive Assistance Funds | Bill Passed - House (74 - 36) |
April 29, 2015 | MI | HB 4115 | 2015-2016 Education Budget | Bill Passed - House (60 - 50) |
May 17, 2015 | MN | HF 844 | Prohibits Students from Using Facilities Designated for the Opposite Sex | Conference Report Adopted - House (71 - 59) |
March 5, 2015 | MN | HF 2 | Amends Requirements for Teacher Layoffs | Bill Passed - House (70 - 63) |
April 25, 2015 | MN | HF 844 | 2015-2017 Biennium Education Budget | Bill Passed - House (69 - 61) |
April 8, 2015 | MO | HB 63 | Prohibits Superintendents from Serving on Certain School Boards | Veto Override Passed - House (111 - 49) |
March 18, 2015 | MO | HB 63 | Prohibits Superintendents from Serving on Certain School Boards | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (110 - 45) |
March 11, 2015 | MO | HB 187 | Prohibits Undocumented Immigrants from Receiving Student Financial Aid | Bill Passed - House (111 - 41) |
April 2, 2015 | MO | HB 499 | Requires Public Schools to Recite the Pledge of Allegiance in English | Bill Passed - House (118 - 30) |
Feb. 25, 2015 | MO | HB 42 | Amends School Transfer Laws | Bill Passed - House (114 - 43) |
March 10, 2015 | MS | SB 2258 | Authorizes Department of Education to Investigate Cheating Allegations | Bill Passed - House (65 - 53) |
April 13, 2015 | MT | HB 284 | Prohibits Bullying in Public Schools | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (58 - 42) |
April 20, 2015 | MT | SB 410 | Authorizes Tax Credits for Donations to Certain Educational Programs and Student Scholarship Organizations | Bill Passed - House (59 - 41) |
April 21, 2015 | MT | SB 107 | Authorizes New High School Districts | Bill Failed - House (48 - 52) |
Oct. 21, 2015 | National | HR 10 | Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Reauthorization Act | Bill Passed - House (240 - 191) |
July 8, 2015 | National | HR 5 | Student Success Act | Bill Passed - House (218 - 213) |
April 15, 2015 | ND | SB 2151 | Appropriates Funds for Early Childhood Education Grants | Bill Passed - House (50 - 41) |
April 15, 2015 | NH | SB 101 | Prohibits the Requirement of Common Core Standards | Bill Passed - House (202 - 138) |
Feb. 11, 2015 | NM | HB 41 | Requires Third-Graders to Demonstrate Reading Proficiency | Bill Passed - House (38 - 30) |
May 29, 2015 | NV | SB 302 | Establishes Education Savings Account | Bill Passed - House (25 - 17) |
March 5, 2015 | NV | SB 119 | Exempts Schools from Paying Prevailing Wages | Bill Passed - House (23 - 19) |
April 1, 2015 | NV | AB 165 | Establishes the Nevada Educational Choice Scholarship Program | Bill Passed - House (25 - 17) |
April 15, 2015 | NV | AB 121 | Prohibits Disciplining Students for Simulating Firearms | Bill Passed - House (24 - 17) |
April 21, 2015 | NV | AB 375 | Prohibits Students from Using Facilities Designated for the Opposite Sex | Bill Failed - House (20 - 22) |
May 22, 2015 | NV | AB 448 | Authorizes Conversion of a Public School to a Charter School | Bill Passed - House (25 - 17) |
March 31, 2015 | NY | S 2006B | Establishes Annual Teacher Evaluation Program | Bill Passed - House (92 - 55) |
Sept. 30, 2015 | OH | HB 2 | Amends Charter School Regulations | Concurrence Vote Failed - House (34 - 58) |
March 26, 2015 | OH | HB 2 | Amends Charter School Regulations | Bill Passed - House (70 - 25) |
April 2, 2015 | OK | SB 711 | Encourages School Districts to Report Alleged Criminal Actions of Teachers | Bill Passed - House (61 - 29) |
June 15, 2015 | OR | HB 2655 | Authorizes Parents to Excuse Children from Statewide Assessments | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (32 - 28) |
July 2, 2015 | OR | SB 895 | Requires Schools to Report Immunization Rates | Bill Passed - House (39 - 21) |
May 21, 2015 | OR | SB 553 | Limits School Disciplinary Policies | Bill Passed - House (40 - 19) |
March 4, 2015 | PA | HB 530 | Amends Charter School Laws | Bill Passed - House (118 - 78) |
June 23, 2015 | PA | HB 805 | Requires Schools to Use Teacher Performance Evaluations | Bill Passed - House (100 - 91) |
March 3, 2015 | SD | SB 89 | Requires School Safety Plans and Lockdown Drills | Bill Failed - House (30 - 37) |
Feb. 10, 2015 | SD | HB 1195 | Requires a Student's Gender Identity to be Determined by a Birth Certificate | Bill Passed - House (51 - 16) |
July 8, 2015 | WI | SB 21 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Bill Passed - House (52 - 46) |
March 14, 2015 | WV | HB 2005 | Expands Certain Teacher Certification Programs | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (63 - 37) |
March 14, 2015 | WV | SB 286 | Amends Exemption Procedure for Compulsory Immunizations | Bill Passed - House (62 - 36) |
Feb. 10, 2015 | WV | HB 2005 | Expands Certain Teacher Certification Programs | Bill Passed - House (60 - 35) |
Feb. 28, 2015 | WV | HB 2934 | Repeals Common Core Standards | Bill Passed - House (75 - 19) |
Feb. 25, 2015 | WY | HB 23 | Authorizes Adoption of Next Generation Science Standards | Conference Report Adopted - House (43 - 12) |
Feb. 2, 2015 | WY | HB 114 | Authorizes Concealed Carry in Certain Public Buildings | Bill Passed - House (42 - 17) |
Feb. 11, 2015 | WY | HB 144 | Establishes a School Safety Tip Line | Bill Passed - House (31 - 29) |
Feb. 5, 2015 | WY | HB 159 | Repeals Statewide Writing Assessment | Bill Passed - House (53 - 6) |