Harman was the representative for California’s 36th congressional district and was a Democrat. She served from 2001 to 2011.
She was previously the representative for California’s 36th congressional district as a Democrat from 1993 to 1998.
![Photo of Rep. Jane Harman [D-CA36, 2001-2011]](/static/legislator-photos/400166-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Harman is shown as a purple triangle ▲ in our ideology-leadership chart below. Each dot was a member of the House of Representatives in 2010 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 Harman sponsored and cosponsored from Jan 4, 2005 to Dec 21, 2010. See full analysis methodology.
Enacted Legislation
Harman was the primary sponsor of 3 bills that were enacted:
- H.R. 553 (111th): Reducing Over-Classification Act
- H.R. 3633 (111th): To allow the funding for the interoperable emergency communications grant program established under the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 to remain available until …
- H.R. 1708 (110th): To amend title 49, United States Code, to expand passenger facility fee eligibility for noise compatibility projects.
Does 3 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 110th Congress).
Bills Sponsored
Issue Areas
Harman sponsored bills primarily in these issue areas:
Government Operations and Politics (18%) Armed Forces and National Security (17%) Crime and Law Enforcement (16%) Science, Technology, Communications (11%) Law (11%) International Affairs (11%) Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues (10%) Economics and Public Finance (7%)
Recently Introduced Bills
Harman recently introduced the following legislation:
- H.R. 5907 (111th): Next Generation Public Safety Device Act of 2010
- H.Res. 1535 (111th): Honoring the members of the Armed Forces from Los Angeles County and …
- H.R. 5548 (111th): Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act of 2010
- H.R. 5429 (111th): Investor Deposit Yardstick Act
- H.R. 5201 (111th): Outdoor Lighting Efficiency Act
- H.R. 3633 (111th): To allow the funding for the interoperable emergency communications grant program established …
- H.R. 3199 (111th): Emergency Medic Transition Act of 2010
View All » | View Cosponsors »
Most legislation has no activity after being introduced.
Voting Record
Key Votes
Missed Votes
From Jan 1993 to Feb 2011, Harman missed 901 of 10,758 roll call votes, which is 8.4%. This is much worse than the median of 2.6% among the lifetime records of representatives serving in Feb 2011. The chart below reports missed votes over time.
We don’t track why legislators miss votes, but it’s often due to medical absenses, major life events, and running for higher office.
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
- Congressional Pictorial Directory for the photo
- GovInfo.gov, for sponsored bills
