Visclosky is the representative for Indiana’s 1st congressional district (view map) and is a Democrat. He has served since Jan 3, 1985. Visclosky is next up for reelection in 2020.
Alleged misconduct & resolution
In 2009 Visclosky was investigated for soliciting campaign contributions in exchange for legislative outcomes. The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct dismissed the charges.
| Dec. 2, 2009 | House Office of Congressional Ethics recommended the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct further review the allegations |
| Feb. 26, 2010 | House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct dismissed the charges on the OCE's recommendation |
![Photo of Rep. Peter Visclosky [D-IN1]](/data/photos/400417-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Visclosky 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 Visclosky has sponsored and cosponsored from Jan 6, 2015 to Jan 22, 2019. See full analysis methodology.
Ratings from Advocacy Organizations
Enacted Legislation
Visclosky was the primary sponsor of 10 bills that were enacted. The most recent include:
- H.R. 4887 (114th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 23323 Shelby Road in Shelby, Indiana, as the “Richard Allen Cable Post Office”.
- H.R. 6045 (110th): Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2008
- H.R. 5472 (110th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2650 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, as the “Julia M. Carson Post ...
- H.R. 1636 (110th): United States-Poland Parliamentary Youth Exchange Program Act of 2007
- H.R. 2358 (106th): To designate the United States Post Office located at 3813 Main Street in East Chicago, Indiana, as the “Lance Corporal Harold Gomez Post Office”.
- H.R. 1216 (102nd): Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Access and Enhancement Act
- H.R. 470 (102nd): To authorize the Secretary of Transportation to release the restrictions, requirements, and conditions imposed in connection with the conveyance of certain lands to the city of Gary, ...
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
Visclosky sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:
Government Operations and Politics (60%) Public Lands and Natural Resources (40%)
Recent Bills
Some of Visclosky’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- H.R. 684: To retitle Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore as Indiana Dunes National Park, and for ...
- H.R. 1488: Indiana Dunes National Park Act
- H.R. 6291 (114th): Indiana Dunes National Park Act
- H.R. 4887 (114th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at ...
- H.R. 2682 (114th): Fighting for American Jobs Act of 2015
- H.R. 2683 (114th): American Steel First Act of 2015
- H.R. 1899 (113th): Fighting for American Jobs Act of 2013
Voting Record
Key Votes
| Visclosky’s Vote | Vote Description |
|---|---|
| Nay |
H.Res. 1181: Waiving a requirement of clause 6(a) of rule XIII with respect to consideration of certain resolutions reported from the Committee on Rules, and providing for consideration ...
Dec 20, 2018. Passed 350/30.
|
| Yea |
H.R. 6157: Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019 and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2019
Sep 26, 2018. Passed 361/61.
H.R. 6157 provides $674.6 billion in total discretionary budget authority for the Department of Defense for fiscal year (FY) 2019. The bill provides $606.5 billion for the Department of Defense base budget, which is an increase of $17.1 billion above FY18 levels, and $68.1 billion ... |
| Aye |
H.R. 2851: SITSA Act
Jun 15, 2018. Passed 239/142.
More than 20,000 Americans died from synthetic drug overdoses in 2016. That represents 31 percent of all drug overdose deaths, a surging percentage in recent years — more than double the number from 2015. A bill called the Stop the Importation and Trafficking of Synthetic ... |
| Nay |
H.R. 5698: Protect and Serve Act of 2018
May 16, 2018. Passed 382/35.
A bill that recently passed the House with large bipartisan support would change the way our country punishes anybody who kills or attempts to kill a law enforcement or police officer. #### Context 128 law enforcement officers were killed in 2017. And 2018 is on ... |
| 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.
|
| 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 ... |
| Aye |
H.J.Res. 124 (113th): Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015
Sep 17, 2014. Passed 319/108.
|
| 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 legislative change to the U.S. patent system since the ... |
| Nay |
S. 3729 (111th): National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010
Sep 29, 2010. Passed 304/118.
|
Missed Votes
From Jan 1985 to Jan 2019, Visclosky missed 426 of 20,880 roll call votes, which is 2.0%. This is on par with the median of 2.0% 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
- United States Congressional Roll Call Voting Records, 1789-1990 by Howard L. Rosenthal and Keith T. Poole.
- Martis’s “The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress”, via Keith Poole’s roll call votes data set, for political party affiliation for Members of Congress from 1789 through about year 2000
- GPO Member Guide for the photo
- GovInfo.gov, for sponsored bills
