Tester is the senior senator from Montana and is a Democrat. He has served since Jan 4, 2007. Tester is next up for reelection in 2018.
![Photo of Sen. Jon Tester [D-MT]](/data/photos/412244-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2017 Report Card for Tester.
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Tester 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 Tester has sponsored and cosponsored. See full analysis methodology.
Ratings from Advocacy Organizations
Committee Membership
Jon Tester sits on the following committees:
- Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs
-
Senate Committee on Appropriations
- Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Department of Homeland Security
- Member, Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
- Member, Subcommittee on Department of Defense
- Member, Subcommittee on Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
- Member, Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
- Member, Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
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Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
- Member, Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection
- Member, Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment
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Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Member, Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
- Member, Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet
- Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
Enacted Legislation
Tester was the primary sponsor of 14 bills that were enacted. The most recent include:
- S. 501: East Rosebud Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
- S. 544: A bill to amend the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to modify the termination date for the Veterans Choice Program, and for other purposes.
- S. 719 (114th): A bill to rename the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Great Falls, Montana, the Captain John E. Moran and Captain William Wylie Galt Armed Forces Reserve Center.
- S. 1580 (114th): Competitive Service Act of 2015
- S. 1125 (114th): Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act of 2015
- S. 1591 (114th): Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act of 2015
- S. 1691 (113th): Border Patrol Agent Pay Reform Act of 2014
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
Tester sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:
Armed Forces and National Security (34%) Government Operations and Politics (18%) Native Americans (17%) Education (11%) Public Lands and Natural Resources (8%) Health (7%) Taxation (5%)
Recent Bills
Some of Tester’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- S. 3285: Improving Rural Access to Power Act of 2018
- S. 3284: Spotlight Act
- S. 3269: Department of Veterans Affairs Tribal Advisory Committee Act of 2018
- S. 3180: Stop Taxing Our Potential Act of 2018
- S. 3136: Hello Girls’ Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2018
- S. 3104: Expanded SUTA Act of 2018
- S.Res. 504: A resolution designating May 11, 2018, as Military Spouse Appreciation Day.
Voting Record
Key Votes
| Tester’s Vote | Vote Description |
|---|---|
| Nay |
S. 139: FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017
Jan 18, 2018. Motion Agreed to 65/34.
This bill became the vehicle for passage of the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017. The bill would extend so-called "section 702" government surveillance under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The bill was originally introduced and passed the Senate in 2017 as the Rapid DNA ... |
| Yea |
H.R. 5325: Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2017
Sep 28, 2016. Bill Passed 72/26.
|
| Nay |
S. 2328: National Sea Grant College Program Amendments Act of 2015
Jun 29, 2016. Motion Agreed to 68/30.
The Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) —designated as Pub.L. 114–187 and originally as H.R. 5278— is a federal law enacted by the United States Congress that establishes an oversight board, a process for restructuring debt, and expedited procedures for approving critical ... |
| Yea |
H.R. 22: Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act
Dec 3, 2015. Conference Report Agreed to 83/16.
H.R 22, formerly the Hire More Heroes Act, has become the Senate’s vehicle for passage of the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act or DRIVE Act (S. 1647). The DRIVE Act is a major bipartisan transportation bill that would authorize funding ... |
| Nay |
S. 754: Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015
Oct 27, 2015. Bill Passed 74/21.
After years of delay and false starts, Congress may finally be on the verge of passing a bill to address Internet data breaches and cybersecurity. The Senate is once again debating the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (S. 754), or CISA, and it appears to have ... |
| Yea |
H.J.Res. 124 (113th): Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015
Sep 18, 2014. Joint Resolution Passed 78/22.
|
| Nay |
H.R. 3080 (112th): United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
Oct 12, 2011. Bill Passed 83/15.
|
| Nay |
H.R. 514 (112th): FISA Sunsets Extension Act of 2011
Feb 15, 2011. Bill Passed 86/12.
|
| Yea |
H.R. 4853 (111th): Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010
Dec 15, 2010. Motion Agreed to 81/19.
The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (Pub.L. 111–312, H.R. 4853, 124 Stat. 3296, enacted December 17, 2010), also known as the 2010 Tax Relief Act, was passed by the United States Congress on December 16, 2010, and signed into ... |
| Nay |
H.R. 1424 (110th): Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007
Oct 1, 2008. Bill Passed 74/25.
This bill became the vehicle for passage of economic stimulus relief during the 2008 financial crisis as well as other unrelated provisions. It was the Senate's October 2008 plan, and it became law. The bill contains sections for: * Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 ... |
Missed Votes
From Jan 2007 to Aug 2018, Tester missed 29 of 3,508 roll call votes, which is 0.8%. This is better than 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
- GPO.gov/FDSys, for sponsored bills
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