McGovern is the representative for Massachusetts’s 2nd congressional district (view map) and is a Democrat. He has served since Jan 3, 2013. McGovern is next up for reelection in 2018.
He was previously the representative for Massachusetts’s 3rd congressional district as a Democrat from 1997 to 2012.
![Photo of Rep. James “Jim” McGovern [D-MA2]](/data/photos/400263-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2017 Report Card for McGovern.
Ideology–Leadership Chart
McGovern 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 McGovern has sponsored and cosponsored. See full analysis methodology.
Ratings from Advocacy Organizations
Committee Membership
James “Jim” McGovern sits on the following committees:
-
House Committee on Agriculture
- Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Nutrition
- Member, Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research
-
House Committee on Rules
- Member, Subcommittee on Rules and Organization of the House
Enacted Legislation
McGovern was the primary sponsor of 8 bills that were enacted. The most recent include:
- H.R. 4405 (112th): Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012
- H.R. 4017 (111th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 43 Maple Avenue in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, as the “Ann Marie Blute Post Office”.
- H.R. 2478 (111th): Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009
- H.R. 6874 (110th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 156 Taunton Avenue in Seekonk, Massachusetts, as the “Lance Corporal Eric Paul Valdepenas Post Office ...
- H.R. 4152 (109th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 320 High Street in Clinton, Massachusetts, as the “Raymond J. Salmon Post Office”.
- H.R. 5333 (107th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4 East Central Street in Worcester, Massachusetts, as the “Joseph D. Early Post Office Building”.
- H.R. 559 (107th): To designate the United States courthouse located at 1 Courthouse Way in Boston, Massachusetts, as the “John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse”.
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
McGovern sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:
International Affairs (39%) Armed Forces and National Security (32%) Agriculture and Food (7%) Transportation and Public Works (7%) Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues (7%) Health (7%)
Recent Bills
Some of McGovern’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- H.Res. 743: Expressing support for the human rights and religious freedom of the Tibetan people ...
- H.Con.Res. 91: Expressing the sense of Congress that public health professionals should be commended for ...
- H.R. 3738: Healthy Breakfasts Help Kids Learn Act of 2017
- H.R. 3241: To require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to consider greenhouse gas emissions related ...
- H.R. 3105: Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act
- H.R. 2925: To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide coverage for ...
- H.R. 2754: Atomic Veterans Service Medal Act
Voting Record
Key Votes
| McGovern’s Vote | Vote Description |
|---|---|
| No |
S. 612: A bill to designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 1300 Victoria Street in Laredo, Texas, as the “George P. Kazen Federal Building ...
Dec 8, 2016. Passed 360/61.
|
| Aye |
H.Res. 937: Providing for consideration of the conference report to accompany the bill (S. 2943) to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2017 for military activities of the Department ...
Dec 1, 2016. Passed 277/139.
|
| No |
H.R. 3038: Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2015, Part II
Jul 15, 2015. Passed 312/119.
|
| No |
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. ... |
| Nay |
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 ... |
| Nay |
H.R. 83 (113th): Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015
Dec 11, 2014. Passed 219/206.
This bill became the vehicle for passage of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 [pdf], which was approved by the House on December 11, 2014 and by the Senate on December 13, 2014. The bill was originally introduced on January 3, 2013 by ... |
| No |
H.J.Res. 124 (113th): Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015
Sep 17, 2014. Passed 319/108.
|
| Nay |
H.R. 1765 (113th): Reducing Flight Delays Act of 2013
Apr 26, 2013. Passed 361/41.
|
| 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 1997 to Apr 2018, McGovern missed 226 of 14,362 roll call votes, which is 1.6%. This is on par with the median of 2.3% among the lifetime records of representatives 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
- GPO.gov/FDSys, for sponsored bills
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