Key Votes

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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:

  1. The vote should be helpful in portraying how a member stands on a particular issue
  2. The vote should be clear for any person to understand
  3. The vote has received media attention
  4. The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin
  5. Occasionally, if a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the Voter's Research Hotline, the vote will be added

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.


results per page:
Date State Bill No. Title Outcome
Sept. 8, 2021 CA SJR 1 Establishes Resolution Urging Student Debt Cancellation Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 9)
Sept. 2, 2021 CA AB 1550 Establishes New Rules Regarding Higher Education Labor Relations Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 11)
June 25, 2021 PA SB 381 Authorizes College Athletes to Profit Off Their Name, Image, and Likeness Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (40 - 10)
June 16, 2021 OH SB 126 Expands Criminal Penalties for Hazing and Implements Education and Prevention Procedures Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 0)
June 9, 2021 ME LD 1640 Expands Protections for Campus Free Speech "Ought Not to Pass" Report Adopted - Senate (22 - 11)
June 3, 2021 OR SB 5 Requires Compensating College Athletes for the Use of their Likeness Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 6)
June 1, 2021 CA SB 523 Requires University Health Plans to Include Coverage of Over-the-counter Birth Control and Contraceptives Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 5)
May 20, 2021 OR HB 2542 Requires Oregon Public Colleges to Publicize Information on Student Fees Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 1)
May 19, 2021 MI HB 4407 Appropriates Funding for K-12 School Aid and Higher Education Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 16)
May 19, 2021 MI HB 4400 Appropriations Funds for Fiscal Year 2022, Including Provisions for Higher Education Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 16)
May 12, 2021 MO HB 297 Repeals the Cap on Tuition Increases for Universities and Colleges Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 9)
April 27, 2021 DE SB 12 Expands the Student Excellence Equals Degree Scholarship Program Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 4)
April 26, 2021 ND SB 2030 Appropriates Funds for Higher Education on Condition Schools Do Not Sponsor, Promote, or Partner with Pro-Choice Organizations Conference Report Adopted - Senate (35 - 11)
April 26, 2021 ID H 377 Prohibits Teaching the Topic Known as "Critical Race Theory" Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 8)
April 22, 2021 IN SB 414 Requires Universities to Survey Students About the Climate for Free Speech on Campus Conference Report Adopted - Senate (42 - 7)
April 22, 2021 TX SB 1385 Authorized College Athletes to be Paid for the Use of their Likeness Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 2)
April 19, 2021 NC HB 243 Authorizes the University of North Carolina System to Cut Salaries and Layoff Employees Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 18)
April 8, 2021 FL SB 86 Establishes a Higher Education Scholarship for Students Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 18)
April 8, 2021 SC S 685 Authorizes College Athletes to be Paid for the Use of their Likeness Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 21)
April 7, 2021 FL HB 233 Requires Florida's Public Universities to Conduct Assessments on Intellectual Freedom Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 15)
March 17, 2021 ID S 1179 Appropriates Funds for the Higher Education Budget Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 6)
March 16, 2021 KY HB 563 Establishes a 25 Million Dollar Scholarship through Tax Credits for Private Schools Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 15)
March 8, 2021 WA SB 5194 Requires Community and Technical Colleges Establish a Faculty Diversity Program Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 19)
Feb. 22, 2021 CA SB 132 Requires the University of California to Place all Construction Funds Into an Account With the State Controller Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 8)
Feb. 16, 2021 ID S 1045 Expands the Advanced Opportunities Program to Nonpublic School Students Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 6)
Feb. 15, 2021 AZ SB 1452 Expands Empowerment Scholarship Accounts for Public and Private Schools Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 14)
Feb. 2, 2021 NY A 2574 Establishes the State University of New York as an Automatic Voter Registration Location Bill Passed - Senate (43 - 20)
Feb. 1, 2021 VA SB 1387 Expands Financial Aid for Undocumented Immigrants Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 18)
Date No. Title Outcome
9/08 SJR 1 Establishes Resolution Urging Student Debt Cancellation Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 9)
9/02 AB 1550 Establishes New Rules Regarding Higher Education Labor Relations Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 11)
6/25 SB 381 Authorizes College Athletes to Profit Off Their Name, Image, and Likeness Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (40 - 10)
6/16 SB 126 Expands Criminal Penalties for Hazing and Implements Education and Prevention Procedures Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 0)
6/09 LD 1640 Expands Protections for Campus Free Speech "Ought Not to Pass" Report Adopted - Senate (22 - 11)
6/03 SB 5 Requires Compensating College Athletes for the Use of their Likeness Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 6)
6/01 SB 523 Requires University Health Plans to Include Coverage of Over-the-counter Birth Control and Contraceptives Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 5)
5/20 HB 2542 Requires Oregon Public Colleges to Publicize Information on Student Fees Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 1)
5/19 HB 4407 Appropriates Funding for K-12 School Aid and Higher Education Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 16)
5/19 HB 4400 Appropriations Funds for Fiscal Year 2022, Including Provisions for Higher Education Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 16)
5/12 HB 297 Repeals the Cap on Tuition Increases for Universities and Colleges Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 9)
4/27 SB 12 Expands the Student Excellence Equals Degree Scholarship Program Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 4)
4/26 SB 2030 Appropriates Funds for Higher Education on Condition Schools Do Not Sponsor, Promote, or Partner with Pro-Choice Organizations Conference Report Adopted - Senate (35 - 11)
4/26 H 377 Prohibits Teaching the Topic Known as "Critical Race Theory" Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 8)
4/22 SB 414 Requires Universities to Survey Students About the Climate for Free Speech on Campus Conference Report Adopted - Senate (42 - 7)
4/22 SB 1385 Authorized College Athletes to be Paid for the Use of their Likeness Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 2)
4/19 HB 243 Authorizes the University of North Carolina System to Cut Salaries and Layoff Employees Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 18)
4/08 SB 86 Establishes a Higher Education Scholarship for Students Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 18)
4/08 S 685 Authorizes College Athletes to be Paid for the Use of their Likeness Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 21)
4/07 HB 233 Requires Florida's Public Universities to Conduct Assessments on Intellectual Freedom Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 15)
3/17 S 1179 Appropriates Funds for the Higher Education Budget Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 6)
3/16 HB 563 Establishes a 25 Million Dollar Scholarship through Tax Credits for Private Schools Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 15)
3/08 SB 5194 Requires Community and Technical Colleges Establish a Faculty Diversity Program Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 19)
2/22 SB 132 Requires the University of California to Place all Construction Funds Into an Account With the State Controller Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 8)
2/16 S 1045 Expands the Advanced Opportunities Program to Nonpublic School Students Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 6)
2/15 SB 1452 Expands Empowerment Scholarship Accounts for Public and Private Schools Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 14)
2/02 A 2574 Establishes the State University of New York as an Automatic Voter Registration Location Bill Passed - Senate (43 - 20)
2/01 SB 1387 Expands Financial Aid for Undocumented Immigrants Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 18)

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