![Photo of Rep. Paul Tonko [D-NY20]](/data/photos/412319-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2016 Report Card for Tonko.
Sponsorship Analysis
Our unique analysis of the bills Tonko has sponsored and cosponsored provides insight into his position in the House of Representatives.
Each dot in the chart below is a member of the House of Representatives. The dots are positioned horizontally according to our progressive—conservative ideology score and vertically according to our leadership score (leaders toward the top). Tonko is shown as a purple triangle. (analysis methodology)
Committee Membership
Paul Tonko sits on the following committees:
-
House Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Environment
- Member, Subcommittee on Energy
- Member, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
-
House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
- Member, Subcommittee on Energy
Enacted Legislation
Tonko was the primary sponsor of 2 bills that were enacted:
- H.R. 6414 (114th): Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science Act of 2016
- H.R. 4425 (111th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2-116th Street in North Troy, New York, as the “Martin G. ‘Marty’ Mahar Post Office”.
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
Tonko sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:
Energy (23%) Health (17%) Taxation (13%) Armed Forces and National Security (13%) Environmental Protection (10%) Water Resources Development (10%) Education (7%) Government Operations and Politics (7%)
Recent Bills
Some of Tonko’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- H.R. 2509: Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2017
- H.R. 1877: To establish a research, development, and technology demonstration program to improve the efficiency ...
- H.R. 1358: Scientific Integrity Act
- H.R. 1071: Assistance, Quality, and Affordability Act of 2017
- H.R. 6524 (114th): Hudson-Mohawk River Basin Act
- H.R. 6414 (114th): Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science Act of 2016
- H.Res. 938 (114th): Recognizing the Weatherization Assistance Program during its 40th anniversary year for its ...
Voting Record
Key Votes
| Tonko’s Vote | Vote Description |
|---|---|
| No |
H.Res. 546: Providing for consideration of the conference report to accompany the bill (H.R. 22) to authorize funds for Federal-aid ...
Dec 3, 2015. Passed 384/40.
|
| 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. ... |
| Yea |
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 ... |
| No |
H.R. 1731: National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act of 2015
Apr 23, 2015. Passed 355/63.
|
| 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.
|
| No |
H.R. 10 (113th): Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act
May 9, 2014. Passed 360/45.
|
| No |
H.R. 2218 (112th): Empowering Parents through Quality Charter Schools Act
Sep 13, 2011. Passed 365/54.
|
| 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 ... |
Missed Votes
From Jan 2009 to Jul 2017, Tonko missed 41 of 6,223 roll call votes, which is 0.7%. This is better than the median of 2.2% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving. ProPublica has tracked 10 explanations for these missed votes. The chart below reports missed votes over time.
Primary Sources
The information on this page is originally sourced from a variety of materials, including:
- Congress-Legislators, a community project collecting election 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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