![Photo of Rep. Henry Cuellar [D-TX28]](/data/photos/400657-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2016 Report Card for Cuellar.
Sponsorship Analysis
Our unique analysis of the bills Cuellar has sponsored and cosponsored provides insight into his position in the House of Representatives.
Each dot in the chart below is a member of the House of Representatives. The dots are positioned horizontally according to our progressive—conservative ideology score and vertically according to our leadership score (leaders toward the top). Cuellar is shown as a purple triangle. (analysis methodology)
Committee Membership
Henry Cuellar sits on the following committees:
-
House Committee on Appropriations
- Member, Subcommittee on Defense
- Member, Subcommittee on Homeland Security
Enacted Legislation
Cuellar was the primary sponsor of 11 bills that were enacted. The most recent include:
- H.R. 875 (114th): Cross-Border Trade Enhancement Act of 2016
- H.R. 5591 (114th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 810 N US Highway 83 in Zapata, Texas, as the “Zapata Veterans Post Office”.
- H.R. 3688 (114th): To provide for the authority for the successors and assigns of the Starr-Camargo Bridge Company to maintain and operate a toll bridge across the Rio Grande near ...
- H.R. 891 (114th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 141 Paloma Drive in Floresville, Texas, as the “Floresville Veterans Post Office Building”.
- H.R. 915 (112th): Jaime Zapata Border Enforcement Security Task Force Act
- H.R. 771 (112th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1081 Elbel Road in Schertz, Texas, as the “Schertz Veterans Post Office”.
- H.R. 770 (112th): Border Enforcement Security Task Force Act of 2011
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
Cuellar sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:
Government Operations and Politics (76%) Foreign Trade and International Finance (12%) International Affairs (12%)
Recent Bills
Some of Cuellar’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- H.R. 1567: United States-Mexico Economic Partnership Act
- H.R. 1208: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 9155 ...
- H.R. 1211: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 400 ...
- H.R. 1207: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 306 ...
- H.R. 1210: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 122 ...
- H.R. 1209: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 901 ...
- H.R. 882: North American Development Bank Improvement and General Capital Increase Authorization Act of 2017
Voting Record
Key Votes
| Cuellar’s Vote | Vote Description |
|---|---|
| Yea |
H.R. 1039: Probation Officer Protection Act of 2017
May 19, 2017. Passed 229/177.
H.R. 1039 amends the federal criminal code to authorize a probation officer to arrest a person, without warrant, if there is probable cause to believe that person forcibly assaulted or obstructed a probation officer while performing their official duties. The bill also would direct the ... |
| Aye |
H.R. 3038: Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2015, Part II
Jul 15, 2015. Passed 312/119.
|
| Aye |
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.Res. 305: Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 1314) to amend the Internal Revenue Code ...
Jun 11, 2015. Passed 217/212.
|
| 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 ... |
| Aye |
H.J.Res. 124 (113th): Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015
Sep 17, 2014. Passed 319/108.
|
| Aye |
H.R. 1947 (113th): Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013
Jun 20, 2013. Failed 195/234.
|
| Aye |
H.R. 6233 (112th): Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2012
Aug 2, 2012. Passed 223/197.
|
| 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 change to the U.S. patent system since 1952, and ... |
| Nay |
H.Res. 317 (111th): Recognizing the region from Manhattan, Kansas, to Columbia, Missouri, as the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor, and ...
Sep 15, 2009. Passed 312/108.
|
Missed Votes
From Jan 2005 to Jun 2017, Cuellar missed 164 of 9,195 roll call votes, which is 1.8%. This is on par with the median of 2.2% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving. ProPublica has tracked 4 explanations for these missed votes. The chart below reports missed votes over time.
Primary Sources
The information on this page is originally sourced from a variety of materials, including:
- Congress-Legislators, a community project collecting election information
- The House and Senate websites, for committee membership and voting records
- GPO Member Guide for the photo
- GPO.gov/FDSys, for sponsored bills