![Photo of Rep. Brenda Lawrence [D-MI14]](/data/photos/412638-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2017 Report Card for Lawrence.
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Lawrence 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 Lawrence has sponsored and cosponsored. See full analysis methodology.
Ratings from Advocacy Organizations
Committee Membership
Brenda Lawrence sits on the following committees:
-
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 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
Lawrence sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:
Education (24%) Taxation (18%) Armed Forces and National Security (15%) Government Operations and Politics (9%) Health (9%) Families (9%) Environmental Protection (9%) Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues (6%)
Recent Bills
Some of Lawrence’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- H.R. 6951: Get the Lead Out of Schools Act
- H.R. 6681: Aretha Franklin Congressional Gold Medal Act
- H.R. 6284: Better Pay and Lifetime Earnings for Teenage Girls through Adulthood Act
- H.R. 6090: AIR Act of 2018
- H.R. 5565: WE Work Act
- H.R. 4155: Congressional Sexual Harassment Training Act
- H.R. 4105: To amend title XX of the Social Security Act to extend the health ...
Voting Record
Key Votes
| Lawrence’s Vote | Vote Description |
|---|---|
| No |
H.J.Res. 43: Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the final rule submitted by Secretary of Health and Human Services relating ...
Feb 16, 2017. Passed 230/188.
Joe Biden never got the opportunity to break a single 50-50 Senate tie in eight years as vice president. Mike Pence has already broken two. One from last month has since become law: a measure allowing states to withhold federal Planned Parenthood funding. (The other ... |
| Nay |
H.R. 5325: Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2017
Sep 28, 2016. Passed 342/85.
The Continuing Appropriations and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017, and Zika Response and Preparedness Act (H.R. 5325) is an appropriations bill which extended funding at the previous year's levels up to December 9, 2016 (10 weeks). After this, a continuing ... |
| 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 Dec 2018, Lawrence missed 55 of 2,470 roll call votes, which is 2.2%. This is on par with 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
- GovInfo.gov, for sponsored bills
