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Sen. Edward “Ed” Markey

Senator from Massachusetts, Democrat

Markey, a Democrat, is the junior senator from Massachusetts and has served since Jul 16, 2013 (next election in 2020).

He was previously the representative for Massachusetts's 5th congressional district (2013-2013); and the representative for Massachusetts's 7th congressional district (1975-2012).

What you can do

Photo of Sen. Edward “Ed” Markey [D-MA]

Analysis

Legislative Metrics

Read our 2016 Report Card for Markey.

Sponsorship Analysis

Our unique analysis of the bills Markey has sponsored and cosponsored provides insight into his position in the Senate.

Each dot in the chart below is a member of the Senate. The dots are positioned horizontally according to our progressive—conservative ideology score and vertically according to our leadership score (leaders toward the top). Markey is shown as a purple triangle. (analysis methodology)

Ratings from Advocacy Organizations

Human Rights Campaign: 100% Planned Parenthood Action Fund: 100% League of Conservation Voters: 98% American Civil Liberties Union: 94% NIAC Action: A The Club for Growth: 13% Americans for Prosperity: 5% FreedomWorks: 0%

Committee Membership

Edward “Ed” Markey sits on the following committees:

Enacted Legislation

Markey was the primary sponsor of 24 bills that were enacted. The most recent include:

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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

Markey sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:

Energy (22%) Health (20%) Transportation and Public Works (14%) International Affairs (11%) Armed Forces and National Security (8%) Crime and Law Enforcement (8%) Public Lands and Natural Resources (8%) Taxation (8%)

Recent Bills

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

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Voting Record

Key Votes

Markey’s Vote Vote Description
Nay H.R. 5325: Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2017
Sep 28, 2016. Bill Passed 72/26.
Nay S. 2943: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017
Jun 14, 2016. Bill Passed 85/13.
Nay H.R. 2029: Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016
Dec 18, 2015. Motion Agreed to 65/33.
This was the Senate vote on the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, also known as the omnibus spending bill. The bill would fund the federal government for the remainder of fiscal year 2016 (through September 30, ...
Yea H.R. 22: Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act
Dec 3, 2015. Conference Report Agreed to 83/16.
H.R 22, formerly the Hire More Heroes Act, has become the Senate’s vehicle for passage of the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act or DRIVE Act (S. 1647). The DRIVE Act is a major bipartisan transportation bill that would authorize funding ...
Nay H.R. 22: Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act
Jul 30, 2015. Bill Passed 65/34.
This vote turned H.R 22, originally the Hire More Heroes Act, into the Senate’s vehicle for passage of the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act or DRIVE Act (S. 1647), a major bipartisan transportation bill, and the Export-Import Bank Reform and ...
Not Voting H.R. 1947 (113th): Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013
Jun 20, 2013. Failed 195/234.
No H.R. 6233 (112th): Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2012
Aug 2, 2012. Passed 223/197.
No H.R. 1249 (112th): Leahy-Smith America Invents Act
Jun 23, 2011. Passed 304/117.
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 Obama on September 16, 2011. The law represents the most significant change to the U.S. patent system since 1952, and ...
Nay H.R. 1363 (112th): Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Amendments, 2011
Apr 9, 2011. Passed 348/70.
No H.R. 2965 (111th): Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010
Jul 8, 2009. Passed 386/41.
The Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 (H.R. 2965, S. 4023) is a landmark United States federal statute enacted in December 2010 that established a process for ending the Don't ask, don't tell (DADT) policy (10 U.S.C. § 654), thus allowing gays, lesbians, ...

Missed Votes

From Jul 2013 to Oct 2017, Markey missed 21 of 1,232 roll call votes, which is 1.7%. This is on par with the median of 1.4% among the lifetime records of senators currently serving. ProPublica has tracked 10 explanations for these missed votes. The chart below reports missed votes over time.

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Primary Sources

The information on this page is originally sourced from a variety of materials, including:

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