![Photo of Rep. Bill Foster [D-IL11]](/data/photos/412257-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2017 Report Card for Foster.
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Foster is shown as a purple triangle ▲ in our ideology-leadership chart below. Each dot is a member of the House of Representatives positioned according to our liberal–conservative ideology score (left to right) and our leadership score (leaders are toward the top).
The chart is based on the bills Foster has sponsored and cosponsored. See full analysis methodology.
Ratings from Advocacy Organizations
Committee Membership
Bill Foster sits on the following committees:
-
House Committee on Financial Services
- Member, Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Securities, and Investment
- Member, Subcommittee on Monetary Policy and Trade
- Member, Subcommittee on Terrorism and Illicit Finance
- House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
Enacted Legislation
Foster was the primary sponsor of 2 bills that were enacted:
- H.R. 4960 (114th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 525 N Broadway in Aurora, Illinois, as the “Kenneth M. Christy Post Office Building”.
- H.R. 5278 (111th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 405 West Second Street in Dixon, Illinois, as the “President Ronald W. Reagan Post Office ...
We consider a bill enacted if one of the following is true: a) it is enacted itself, b) it has a companion bill in the other chamber (as identified by Congress) which was enacted, or c) if at least about half of its provisions were incorporated into bills that were enacted (as determined by an automated text analysis, applicable beginning with bills in the 110th Congress).
Bills Sponsored
Issue Areas
Foster sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:
Health (20%) Science, Technology, Communications (18%) Education (17%) Armed Forces and National Security (12%) Immigration (10%) Taxation (10%) Finance and Financial Sector (8%) International Affairs (5%)
Recent Bills
Some of Foster’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- H.R. 6501: WISE Government Act
- H.R. 5936: National Security Accountability Act
- H.R. 5789: To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicaid ...
- H.Res. 849: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Office of Technology ...
- H.Res. 828: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in support of science diplomacy, ...
- H.Res. 782: Expressing support for designation of March 14, 2018, as “National Pi Day”.
- H.R. 5119: P3 Act
Voting Record
Key Votes
| Foster’s Vote | Vote Description |
|---|---|
| Nay |
H.R. 5698: Protect and Serve Act of 2018
May 16, 2018. Passed 382/35.
A bill that recently passed the House with large bipartisan support would change the way our country punishes anybody who kills or attempts to kill a law enforcement or police officer. #### Context 128 law enforcement officers were killed in 2017. And 2018 is on ... |
| Yea |
H.R. 620: ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017
Feb 15, 2018. Passed 225/192.
A bill which just passed the House would update the law for disabled Americans for modern times, say Republicans. Democrats say it would set disabled Americans’ civil rights back decades. #### Context The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, more commonly called the ADA, was ... |
| Yea |
H.R. 1735: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016
Oct 1, 2015. Passed 270/156.
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 is a comprehensive defense spending bill. At almost 1,000 pages long it will direct funding for procurement, research, and operation of defense technology, establish military policy, and address other matters pertaining to national defense. It has ... |
| No |
H.R. 2146: Defending Public Safety Employees’ Retirement Act
Jun 18, 2015. Passed 218/208.
This vote made H.R. 2146 the vehicle for passage of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal currently being negotiated. H.R. 2146 was originally introduced as a bill to address issues with retirement funds of federal law enforcement officers and firefighters. ... |
| Yea |
H.R. 2048: Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act of 2015
May 13, 2015. Passed 338/88.
The USA Freedom Act (H.R. 2048, Pub.L. 114–23) is a U.S. law enacted on June 2, 2015 that restored in modified form several provisions of the Patriot Act, which had expired the day before. The act imposes some new limits on the bulk collection of ... |
| Yea |
H.R. 83 (113th): Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015
Dec 11, 2014. Passed 219/206.
This bill became the vehicle for passage of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 [pdf], which was approved by the House on December 11, 2014 and by the Senate on December 13, 2014. The bill was originally introduced on January 3, 2013 by ... |
| Aye |
H.J.Res. 124 (113th): Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015
Sep 17, 2014. Passed 319/108.
|
| Yea |
H.R. 3393 (113th): Student and Family Tax Simplification Act
Jul 24, 2014. Passed 227/187.
|
| No |
H.R. 3309 (113th): Innovation Act
Dec 5, 2013. Passed 325/91.
|
| Nay |
H.Con.Res. 308 (111th): Providing for a conditional adjournment of the House of Representatives.
Jul 29, 2010. Passed 231/189.
|
Missed Votes
From Mar 2008 to Jul 2018, Foster missed 49 of 5,848 roll call votes, which is 0.8%. This is better than the median of 2.4% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving. The chart below reports missed votes over time.
Primary Sources
The information on this page is originally sourced from a variety of materials, including:
- @unitedstates/congress-legislators, a community project gathering congressional information
- The House and Senate websites, for committee membership and voting records
- GPO Member Guide for the photo
- GPO.gov/FDSys, for sponsored bills
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