![Photo of Rep. Brenda Lawrence [D-MI14]](/data/photos/412638-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2016 Report Card for Lawrence.
Sponsorship Analysis
Our unique analysis of the bills Lawrence has sponsored and cosponsored provides insight into her position in the House of Representatives.
Each dot in the chart below is a member of the House of Representatives. The dots are positioned horizontally according to our progressive—conservative ideology score and vertically according to our leadership score (leaders toward the top). Lawrence is shown as a purple triangle. (analysis methodology)
Committee Membership
Brenda Lawrence sits on the following committees:
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House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
- Member, Subcommittee on Government Operations
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House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
- Member, Subcommittee on Aviation
- Member, Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
- Member, Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
Enacted Legislation
Lawrence was the primary sponsor of 2 bills that were enacted:
- H.R. 5028 (114th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 10721 E Jefferson Ave in Detroit, Michigan, as the “Mary E. McCoy Post Office Building”.
- H.R. 1900 (114th): National Sea Grant College Program Amendments Act of 2015
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 about one third or more 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
Lawrence sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:
Education (30%) Taxation (22%) Armed Forces and National Security (19%) Health (7%) Families (7%) Environmental Protection (7%) Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues (7%)
Recent Bills
Some of Lawrence’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- H.Res. 457: Honoring the 169th anniversary of the first women’s rights convention held in the ...
- H.R. 1909: Environmental Health Workforce Act of 2017
- H.Res. 179: To uphold the protections of the freedom of the press.
- H.R. 1069: Timely Mental Health for Foster Youth Act
- H.R. 729: Tobacco Excise Tax and Parity Act of 2017
- H.R. 413: Early Pell Promise Act
- H.R. 416: Raising Accountability to Improve School Excellence Act
Voting Record
Key Votes
| Lawrence’s Vote | Vote Description |
|---|---|
| Nay |
H.R. 5325: Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2017
Sep 28, 2016. Passed 342/85.
|
| Aye |
H.R. 1599: Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015
Jul 23, 2015. Passed 275/150.
This bill was enacted as S. 764. The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015 would require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate the distribution and labeling related to bioengineered foods (often referred to as genetically modified foods or GMOs). It would ... |
| 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 ... |
| Nay |
H.Res. 162: Calling on the President to provide Ukraine with military assistance to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Mar 23, 2015. Passed 348/48.
|
Missed Votes
From Jan 2015 to Jul 2017, Lawrence missed 40 of 1,738 roll call votes, which is 2.3%. This is on par with the median of 2.2% 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:
- Congress-Legislators, a community project collecting election information
- The House and Senate websites, for committee membership and voting records
- GPO Member Guide for the photo
- GPO.gov/FDSys, for sponsored bills