Edolphus “Ed” Towns, former Representative for New York's 10th Congressional District

Towns was the representative for New York’s 10^th congressional district and was a Democrat. He served from 1993 to 2012.

He was previously the representative for New York’s 11^th congressional district as a Democrat from 1983 to 1992.

Photo of Rep. Edolphus “Ed” Towns [D-NY10, 1993-2012]

Analysis

Ideology–Leadership Chart

Towns is shown as a purple triangle ▲ in our ideology-leadership chart below. Each dot was a member of the House of Representatives in 2013 positioned according to our ideology score (left to right) and our leadership score (leaders are toward the top).

The chart is based on the bills Towns sponsored and cosponsored from Jan 4, 2007 to Jan 1, 2013. See full analysis methodology.

Enacted Legislation

Towns was the primary sponsor of 10 bills that were enacted. The most recent include:

View All »

Does 10 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 110^th Congress).

Bills Sponsored

Issue Areas

Towns sponsored bills primarily in these issue areas:

Government Operations and Politics (26%) Health (20%) Economics and Public Finance (14%) Social Welfare (11%) Education (10%) Commerce (8%) Families (7%) Science, Technology, Communications (5%)

Recent Bills

Some of Towns’s most recently sponsored bills include...

View All » | View Cosponsors »

Voting Record

Key Votes

Towns voted Yea

H.R. 6190 (112th): Asthma Inhalers Relief Act of 2012

Failed 229/182 on Dec 12, 2012.

Towns voted No

H.R. 6233 (112th): Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2012

Passed 223/197 on Aug 2, 2012.

Towns voted Yea

H.R. 2362 (112th): Indian Tribal Trade and Investment Demonstration Project Act of 2011

Failed 222/160 on Jul 23, 2012.

Towns voted Aye

H.R. 3523 (112th): Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act

Passed 248/168 on Apr 26, 2012.

Towns voted Aye

H.R. 2117 (112th): Protecting Academic Freedom in Higher Education Act

Passed 303/114 on Feb 28, 2012.

Towns voted Aye

H.R. 1249 (112th): Leahy-Smith America Invents Act

Passed 304/117 on Jun 23, 2011.

The Leahy–Smith America Invents Act (AIA) is a United States federal statute that was passed by Congress and was signed into law by President Barack ...

Towns voted Nay

H.R. 1363 (112th): Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Amendments, 2011

Passed 348/70 on Apr 9, 2011.

Towns voted No

H.Res. 72 (112th): Directing certain standing committees to inventory and review existing, pending, and proposed regulations and orders from agencies ...

Passed 391/28 on Feb 11, 2011.

Towns voted Nay

H.Res. 22 (112th): Reducing the amount authorized for salaries and expenses of Member, committee, and leadership offices in 2011 and ...

Passed 408/13 on Jan 6, 2011.

Towns voted Yea

S. 3729 (111th): National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010

Passed 304/118 on Sep 29, 2010.

Towns voted Nay

H.R. 5146 (111th): To provide that Members of Congress shall not receive a cost of living adjustment in pay during ...

Passed 402/15 on Apr 27, 2010.

Towns voted Yea

H.R. 1830 (110th): To extend the authorities of the Andean Trade Preference Act until February 29, 2008.

Passed 365/59 on Jun 27, 2007.

Missed Votes

From Jan 1983 to Jan 2013, Towns missed 2,025 of 18,002 roll call votes, which is 11.2%. This is much worse than the median of 2.6% among the lifetime records of representatives serving in Jan 2013. 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.

Show the numbers...

Time Period	Votes Eligible	Missed Votes	Percent	Percentile
1983 Jan-Mar	43	8	18.6%	91^st
1983 Apr-Jun	182	19	10.4%	74^th
1983 Jul-Sep	130	9	6.9%	67^th
1983 Oct-Nov	143	8	5.6%	54^th
1984 Jan-Mar	53	15	28.3%	91^st
1984 Apr-Jun	223	36	16.1%	87^th
1984 Jul-Sep	96	43	44.8%	98^th
1984 Oct-Oct	36	1	2.8%	30^th
1985 Jan-Mar	36	10	27.8%	94^th
1985 Apr-Jun	154	28	18.2%	96^th
1985 Jul-Sep	101	8	7.9%	66^th
1985 Oct-Dec	148	23	15.5%	94^th
1986 Jan-Mar	61	8	13.1%	81^st
1986 Apr-Jun	128	10	7.8%	81^st
1986 Jul-Sep	202	25	12.4%	87^th
1986 Oct-Oct	60	7	11.7%	81^st
1987 Jan-Mar	39	4	10.3%	78^th
1987 Apr-Jun	187	34	18.2%	95^th
1987 Jul-Sep	95	21	22.1%	98^th
1987 Oct-Dec	167	33	19.8%	96^th
1988 Feb-Mar	49	8	16.3%	88^th
1988 Apr-Jun	161	23	14.3%	93^rd
1988 Jul-Sep	152	44	28.9%	96^th
1988 Oct-Oct	89	12	13.5%	89^th
1989 Jan-Mar	14	2	14.3%	81^st
1989 Apr-Jun	105	14	13.3%	97^th
1989 Jul-Sep	128	9	7.0%	85^th
1989 Oct-Nov	121	24	19.8%	95^th
1990 Jan-Mar	60	2	3.3%	59^th
1990 Apr-Jun	150	7	4.7%	62^nd
1990 Jul-Sep	183	16	8.7%	89^th
1990 Oct-Oct	143	25	17.5%	97^th
1991 Jan-Mar	62	2	3.2%	55^th
1991 Apr-Jun	139	16	11.5%	95^th
1991 Jul-Sep	81	12	14.8%	89^th
1991 Oct-Nov	162	32	19.8%	97^th
1992 Jan-Mar	66	3	4.5%	55^th
1992 Apr-Jun	185	15	8.1%	82^nd
1992 Jul-Sep	196	82	41.8%	96^th
1992 Oct-Oct	41	11	26.8%	96^th
1993 Jan-Mar	127	6	4.7%	71^st
1993 Apr-Jun	190	25	13.2%	90^th
1993 Jul-Sep	164	31	18.9%	98^th
1993 Oct-Nov	134	12	9.0%	92^nd
1994 Jan-Mar	95	13	13.7%	95^th
1994 Apr-Jun	219	51	23.3%	99^th
1994 Jul-Sep	142	19	13.4%	91^st
1994 Oct-Nov	51	1	2.0%	47^th
1995 Jan-Mar	279	16	5.7%	88^th
1995 Apr-Jun	189	16	8.5%	88^th
1995 Jul-Sep	232	34	14.7%	98^th
1995 Oct-Dec	185	20	10.8%	93^rd
1996 Jan-Mar	110	3	2.7%	53^rd
1996 Apr-Jun	182	23	12.6%	97^th
1996 Jul-Sep	163	19	11.7%	98^th
1997 Jan-Mar	71	9	12.7%	96^th
1997 Apr-Jun	174	23	13.2%	97^th
1997 Jul-Sep	232	22	9.5%	96^th
1997 Oct-Nov	163	8	4.9%	76^th
1998 Jan-Mar	89	4	4.5%	68^th
1998 Apr-Jun	185	23	12.4%	95^th
1998 Jul-Sep	199	68	34.2%	99^th
1998 Oct-Dec	74	3	4.1%	67^th
1999 Jan-Mar	77	6	7.8%	87^th
1999 Apr-Jun	184	15	8.2%	90^th
1999 Jul-Sep	204	34	16.7%	98^th
1999 Oct-Nov	146	16	11.0%	92^nd
2000 Jan-Mar	95	2	2.1%	36^th
2000 Apr-Jun	277	24	8.7%	88^th
2000 Jul-Sep	130	10	7.7%	85^th
2000 Oct-Dec	101	12	11.9%	74^th
2001 Jan-Mar	75	8	10.7%	93^rd
2001 Apr-Jun	135	7	5.2%	79^th
2001 Jul-Sep	149	22	14.8%	97^th
2001 Oct-Dec	153	12	7.8%	90^th
2002 Jan-Mar	79	2	2.5%	54^th
2002 Apr-Jun	203	18	8.9%	91^st
2002 Jul-Sep	141	26	18.4%	96^th
2002 Oct-Nov	61	9	14.8%	92^nd
2003 Jan-Mar	94	15	16.0%	96^th
2003 Apr-Jun	239	18	7.5%	88^th
2003 Jul-Sep	193	24	12.4%	93^rd
2003 Oct-Dec	151	10	6.6%	73^rd
2004 Jan-Mar	104	2	1.9%	30^th
2004 Apr-Jun	221	10	4.5%	68^th
2004 Jul-Sep	161	21	13.0%	90^th
2004 Oct-Dec	58	43	74.1%	100^th
2005 Jan-Mar	90	13	14.4%	96^th
2005 Apr-Jun	272	18	6.6%	83^rd
2005 Jul-Sep	146	23	15.8%	97^th
2005 Oct-Dec	163	26	16.0%	95^th
2006 Jan-Mar	81	0	0.0%	0^th
2006 Apr-Jun	276	3	1.1%	27^th
2006 Jul-Sep	159	17	10.7%	95^th
2006 Nov-Dec	27	0	0.0%	0^th
2007 Jan-Mar	213	8	3.8%	75^th
2007 Apr-Jun	393	13	3.3%	72^nd
2007 Jul-Sep	317	19	6.0%	86^th
2007 Oct-Dec	263	18	6.8%	79^th
2008 Jan-Mar	149	36	24.2%	97^th
2008 Apr-Jun	321	5	1.6%	30^th
2008 Jul-Sep	205	21	10.2%	89^th
2008 Oct-Dec	15	0	0.0%	0^th
2009 Jan-Mar	174	3	1.7%	43^rd
2009 Apr-Jun	303	13	4.3%	74^th
2009 Jul-Sep	268	14	5.2%	86^th
2009 Oct-Dec	246	17	6.9%	82^nd
2010 Jan-Mar	195	16	8.2%	84^th
2010 Apr-Jun	219	26	11.9%	93^rd
2010 Jul-Sep	151	12	7.9%	88^th
2010 Nov-Dec	99	5	5.1%	61^st
2011 Jan-Mar	212	5	2.4%	72^nd
2011 Apr-Jun	281	13	4.6%	83^rd
2011 Jul-Sep	247	31	12.6%	96^th
2011 Oct-Dec	208	7	3.4%	63^rd
2012 Jan-Mar	151	18	11.9%	91^st
2012 Apr-Jun	299	46	15.4%	94^th
2012 Jul-Sep	152	31	20.4%	96^th
2012 Nov-Dec	51	24	47.1%	97^th
2013 Jan-Jan	5	0	0.0%	0^th

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
United States Congressional Roll Call Voting Records, 1789-1990 by Howard L. Rosenthal and Keith T. Poole.
Martis’s “The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress”, via Keith Poole’s roll call votes data set, for political party affiliation for Members of Congress from 1789 through about year 2000
Congressional Pictorial Directory for the photo
GovInfo.gov, for sponsored bills

Rep. Edolphus “Ed” Towns

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Analysis

Ideology–Leadership Chart

Enacted Legislation

Bills Sponsored

Issue Areas

Recent Bills

Voting Record

Key Votes

Towns voted Yea

Towns voted No

Towns voted Yea

Towns voted Aye

Towns voted Aye

Towns voted Aye

Towns voted Nay

Towns voted No

Towns voted Nay

Towns voted Yea

Towns voted Nay

Towns voted Yea

Missed Votes

Primary Sources