Clark is the representative for Massachusetts’s 5th congressional district (view map) and is a Democrat. She has served since Dec 12, 2013. Clark’s current term ends on Jan 3, 2019.
![Photo of Rep. Katherine Clark [D-MA5]](/data/photos/412600-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2017 Report Card for Clark.
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Clark 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 Clark has sponsored and cosponsored. See full analysis methodology.
Ratings from Advocacy Organizations
Committee Membership
Katherine Clark sits on the following committees:
-
House Committee on Appropriations
- Member, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
- Member, Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Enacted Legislation
Clark was the primary sponsor of 4 bills that were enacted:
- H.R. 5102: Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Act of 2018
- H.R. 3528: Every Prescription Conveyed Securely Act
- H.R. 4599 (114th): Reducing Unused Medications Act of 2016
- H.R. 1462 (114th): Protecting Our Infants Act of 2015
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
Clark sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:
Crime and Law Enforcement (37%) Education (31%) Health (26%) Taxation (6%)
Recent Bills
Some of Clark’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- H.R. 6775: Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Act
- H.R. 6503: Haiti and Armenia Reforestation Act of 2018
- H.R. 6278: AVERT Future Gun Violence Act
- H.R. 5102: Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Act of 2018
- H.R. 3740: Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act
- H.R. 3574: Transparency in Taxpayer-Funded Discrimination Act
- H.R. 3528: Every Prescription Conveyed Securely Act
Voting Record
Key Votes
| Clark’s Vote | Vote Description |
|---|---|
| Nay |
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 ... |
| No |
H.J.Res. 43: Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the final rule submitted by Secretary of Health and Human Services relating ...
Feb 16, 2017. Passed 230/188.
Joe Biden never got the opportunity to break a single 50-50 Senate tie in eight years as vice president. Mike Pence has already broken two. One from last month has since become law: a measure allowing states to withhold federal Planned Parenthood funding. (The other ... |
| 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.
|
| 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 ... |
| Nay |
H.R. 4681 (113th): Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015
Dec 10, 2014. Passed 325/100.
|
| No |
H.J.Res. 124 (113th): Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015
Sep 17, 2014. Passed 319/108.
|
| Yea |
S. 1603 (113th): Gun Lake Trust Land Reaffirmation Act
Sep 16, 2014. Passed 359/64.
|
| No |
H.R. 4681 (113th): Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015
May 30, 2014. Passed 345/59.
|
Missed Votes
From Dec 2013 to Nov 2018, Clark missed 68 of 3,022 roll call votes, which is 2.3%. This is on par with the median of 2.4% 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
- GovInfo.gov, for sponsored bills
