![Photo of Rep. Cheri Bustos [D-IL17]](/static/legislator-photos/412537-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2018 Report Card for Bustos.
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Bustos 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 Bustos has sponsored and cosponsored from Jan 6, 2015 to Oct 18, 2019. See full analysis methodology.
Ratings from Advocacy Organizations
Committee Membership
Cheri Bustos sits on the following committees:
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House Committee on Agriculture
- Member, Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture
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House Committee on Appropriations
- Member, Subcommittee on Defense
- Member, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
- Member, Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
Enacted Legislation
Bustos was the primary sponsor of 8 bills that were enacted. The most recent include:
- H.R. 5737 (115th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 108 West D Street in Alpha, Illinois, as the “Captain Joshua E. Steele Post Office”.
- H.R. 2673 (115th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 514 Broadway Street in Pekin, Illinois, as the “Lance Corporal Jordan S. Bastean Post Office”.
- H.R. 5688: Navigation Workers Protection Act of 2018
- H.R. 2672 (115th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 520 Carter Street in Fairview, Illinois, as the “Sgt. Douglas J. Riney Post Office”.
- H.R. 4046: Department of Defense Check Before You Rent Act
- H.R. 4047 (115th): Saving Federal Dollars Through Better Use of Government Purchase and Travel Cards Act of 2017
- H.R. 3566: Addiction Recovery for Rural Communities Act
Does 8 not sound like a lot? Very few bills are ever enacted — most legislators sponsor only a handful that are signed into law. But there are other legislative activities that we don’t track that are also important, including offering amendments, committee work and oversight of the other branches, and constituent services.
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
Bustos sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:
Government Operations and Politics (27%) Armed Forces and National Security (22%) Agriculture and Food (11%) Social Welfare (11%) Law (8%) Health (8%) Education (8%) Finance and Financial Sector (5%)
Recent Bills
Some of Bustos’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- H.R. 4714: To prioritize funding for an expanded and sustained national investment in agriculture research.
- H.R. 4555: Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program Act of 2019
- H.R. 4004: Social Determinants Accelerator Act of 2019
- H.Res. 378: Honoring the accomplishments and legacy of Arthur “Art” Simon.
- H.R. 2543: Stopping Improper Payments to Deceased People Act
- H.R. 2227: Gold Star Spouses and Spouses of Injured Servicemembers Leasing Relief Expansion Act of ...
- H.R. 2056: To recognize and honor the service of individuals who served in the United ...
Voting Record
Key Votes
Missed Votes
From Jan 2013 to Oct 2019, Bustos missed 43 of 4,309 roll call votes, which is 1.0%. This is better than the median of 2.1% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving. The chart below reports missed votes over time.
We don’t track why legislators miss votes, but it’s often due to medical absenses and major life events.
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
