Peters is the junior senator from Michigan and is a Democrat. He has served since Jan 6, 2015. Peters is next up for reelection in 2020.
He was previously the representative for Michigan’s 14th congressional district as a Democrat from 2013 to 2014; and the representative for Michigan’s 9th congressional district as a Democrat from 2009 to 2012.
![Photo of Sen. Gary Peters [D-MI]](/static/legislator-photos/412305-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2018 Report Card for Peters.
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Peters is shown as a purple triangle ▲ in our ideology-leadership chart below. Each dot is a member of the Senate 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 Peters has sponsored and cosponsored from Jan 6, 2015 to Apr 11, 2019. See full analysis methodology.
Ratings from Advocacy Organizations
Committee Membership
Gary Peters sits on the following committees:
- Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
-
Senate Committee on Armed Services
- Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
- Member, Subcommittee on Airland
- Joint Economic Committee
-
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Member, Subcommittee on Aviation and Space
- Member, Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet
- Member, Subcommittee on Science, Oceans, Fisheries, and Weather
- Member, Subcommittee on Transportation and Safety
Enacted Legislation
Peters was the primary sponsor of 7 bills that were enacted:
- S. 3031 (115th): Federal Personal Property Management Act of 2018
- S. 3678 (115th): A bill to amend the Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act of 2016 to provide flexibility with respect to the leaseback of certain Federal real property, and ...
- S. 791: Small Business Innovation Protection Act of 2017
- S. 322: Pet and Women Safety Act of 2017
- S. 3492 (114th): A bill to designate the Traverse City VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Traverse City, Michigan, as the “Colonel Demas T. Craw ...
- S. 565 (114th): Federal Vehicle Repair Cost Savings Act of 2015
- H.R. 5302 (111th): State Small Business Credit Initiative Act of 2010
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
Peters sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:
Armed Forces and National Security (18%) Government Operations and Politics (17%) Transportation and Public Works (15%) Science, Technology, Communications (12%) Education (12%) Commerce (10%) Health (8%) Taxation (8%)
Recent Bills
Some of Peters’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- S.Res. 159: A resolution designating April 24, 2019, as “Meningitis B Awareness Day”.
- S. 1085: Vehicle Innovation Act of 2019
- S. 1004: Securing America’s Ports of Entry Act of 2019
- S. 881: Space Weather Research and Forecasting Act
- S. 808: ALERT Act
- S. 757: Petroleum Coke Transparency and Public Health Protection Act
- S. 760: Support for Veterans in Effective Apprenticeships Act of 2019
Voting Record
Key Votes
| Peters’s Vote | Vote Description |
|---|---|
| Yea |
H.J.Res. 31: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019
Feb 14, 2019. Conference Report Agreed to 83/16.
This bill, in its final form, funded the parts of the federal government whose funding was to lapse on February 15, 2019. On December 22, 2018 the 115th Congress was unable to reach a deal to fund some federal agencies through fiscal year 2019 after ... |
| Yea |
H.R. 1892: Further Extension of Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018; Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2018, the SUSTAIN Care Act of 2018; Family First Prevention Services Act.; Honoring Hometown ...
Feb 9, 2018. Motion Agreed to 71/28.
This bill became the vehicle for passage of funding for the federal government through March 23, 2018, to avert a government shutdown that would have occurred on February 9, 2018 had this bill not been enacted. The bill was introduced as the Honoring Hometown Heroes ... |
| Nay |
On the Nomination PN589: Trevor N. McFadden, of Virginia, to be United States District Judge for the District of Columbia
Oct 30, 2017. Nomination Confirmed 84/10.
|
| Nay |
On the Nomination PN117: William Francis Hagerty IV, of Tennessee, to be Ambassador to Japan
Jul 13, 2017. Nomination Confirmed 86/12.
|
| Nay |
On the Nomination PN52: Terry Branstad, of Iowa, to be Ambassador to the People's Republic of China
May 22, 2017. Nomination Confirmed 82/13.
|
| Nay |
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 ...
Mar 30, 2017. Joint Resolution Passed 51/50.
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 ... |
| Aye |
H.J.Res. 124 (113th): Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015
Sep 17, 2014. Passed 319/108.
|
| Yea |
H.R. 3393 (113th): Student and Family Tax Simplification Act
Jul 24, 2014. Passed 227/187.
|
| Aye |
H.R. 1947 (113th): Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013
Jun 20, 2013. Failed 195/234.
|
| Yea |
H.R. 6190 (112th): Asthma Inhalers Relief Act of 2012
Dec 12, 2012. Failed 229/182.
|
| Aye |
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 legislative change to the U.S. patent system since the ... |
Missed Votes
From Jan 2015 to Apr 2019, Peters missed 12 of 1,178 roll call votes, which is 1.0%. This is on par with the median of 1.4% among the lifetime records of senators 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
