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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
July 16, 2021 | TX | SB 3 | Prohibits Teaching "Critical Race Theory" in Public Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 4) |
May 22, 2021 | TX | HB 3979 | Prohibits the Teaching of "Critical Race Theory" in Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 13) |
April 3, 2019 | TX | SB 17 | Authorizes Protections for Lawyers that Deny Clients Based on Religious Exemptions | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 12) |
April 27, 2017 | TX | HB 89 | Prohibits Contracts with Companies Boycotting Israel | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 5) |
April 4, 2017 | TX | SB 576 | Establishes Reporting Standards for Sexual Assault on College Campuses | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 1) |
March 19, 2013 | TX | SJR 13 | Establishes Term Limits For Certain Elected Officials | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (27 - 4) |
May 23, 2011 | TX | HB 359 | Corporal Punishment in Public Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 2) |
May 9, 2011 | TX | SB 14 | Voter Identification Requirements | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (19 - 12) |
Feb. 23, 2011 | TX | SJR 1 | Urging Congress to Propose a Balanced Budget Amendment | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (24 - 7) |
Jan. 26, 2011 | TX | SB 14 | Voter Identification Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 11) |
May 11, 2009 | TX | HB 1736 | Increasing Wrongful Conviction Compensation | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 4) |
April 15, 2009 | TX | SB 1049 | Increasing Age Restriction on Tobacco Purchases | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 5) |
March 31, 2009 | TX | SB 298 | Authorizing Sobriety Checkpoints | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 11) |
March 11, 2009 | TX | SB 362 | Requiring Proof of Identification to Vote | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 12) |
May 23, 2007 | TX | CSHB 3678 | Religious Expression at Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 3) |
May 1, 2007 | TX | CSSB 966 | Journalist Confidentiality Protection | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 4) |