Emerson was the representative for Missouri’s 8th congressional district and was a Republican. She served from 1997 to 2013.
![Photo of Rep. Jo Ann Emerson [R-MO8, 1997-2013]](/data/photos/400121-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Emerson is shown as a purple triangle ▲ in our ideology-leadership chart below. Each dot was a member of the House of Representatives in 2013 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 Emerson sponsored and cosponsored. See full analysis methodology.
Enacted Legislation
Emerson was the primary sponsor of 6 bills that were enacted:
- H.R. 2434 (112th): Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2012
- H.R. 342 (110th): To designate the United States courthouse located at 555 Independence Street in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, as the “Rush Hudson Limbaugh, Sr. United States Courthouse”.
- H.R. 5401 (109th): Lewis and Clark Commemorative Coin Correction Act
- H.R. 4037 (108th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 475 Kell Farm Drive in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, as the “Richard G. Wilson Processing and ...
- H.R. 3433 (108th): To transfer federal lands between the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior.
- H.R. 2474 (108th): To authorize the Congressional Hunger Center to award Bill Emerson and Mickey Leland Hunger Fellowships for fiscal years 2003 and 2004.
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
Emerson sponsored bills primarily in these issue areas:
Government Operations and Politics (32%) Economics and Public Finance (18%) Health (18%) Taxation (11%) International Affairs (7%) Crime and Law Enforcement (7%) Social Welfare (7%)
Recent Bills
Some of Emerson’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- H.R. 314 (113th): Inspector General Improvement Act of 2013
- H.J.Res. 18 (113th): Proposing an amendment to the Constitution to provide for a balanced budget ...
- H.J.Res. 19 (113th): Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States giving Congress ...
- H.R. 315 (113th): Synthetic Cathinones Control Act of 2013
- H.R. 313 (113th): Government Spending Accountability Act of 2013
- H.R. 6723 (112th): Inspector General Improvement Act of 2012
- H.R. 6312 (112th): Synthetic Cathinones Control Act of 2012
Voting Record
Key Votes
| Emerson’s Vote | Vote Description |
|---|---|
| No |
H.J.Res. 117 (112th): Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013
Sep 13, 2012. Passed 329/91.
|
| Aye |
H.R. 6233 (112th): Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2012
Aug 2, 2012. Passed 223/197.
|
| Nay |
H.R. 5972 (112th): Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013
Jun 29, 2012. Passed 261/163.
|
| Aye |
S. 365 (112th): Budget Control Act of 2011
Aug 1, 2011. Passed 269/161.
The Budget Control Act of 2011 (Pub.L. 112–25, S. 365, 125 Stat. 240, enacted August 2, 2011) is a federal statute in the United States that was signed into law by President Barack Obama on August 2, 2011. The Act brought conclusion to the United ... |
| 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 |
S. 3729 (111th): National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010
Sep 29, 2010. Passed 304/118.
|
| Aye |
H.R. 1752 (111th): To provide that the usual day for paying salaries in or under the House of Representatives may ...
Jul 30, 2009. Failed 282/144.
|
| Aye |
H.R. 7321 (110th): Auto Industry Financing and Restructuring Act
Dec 10, 2008. Passed 237/170.
|
| Yea |
H.R. 6707 (110th): Taking Responsible Action for Community Safety Act
Sep 27, 2008. Failed 243/175.
|
| Yea |
H.R. 1830 (110th): To extend the authorities of the Andean Trade Preference Act until February 29, 2008.
Jun 27, 2007. Passed 365/59.
|
Missed Votes
From Jan 1997 to Jan 2013, Emerson missed 370 of 10,994 roll call votes, which is 3.4%. This is worse than the median of 2.5% among the lifetime records of representatives serving in Jan 2013. 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
- Congressional Pictorial Directory for the photo
- GPO.gov/FDSys, for sponsored bills
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