Menendez is the senior senator from New Jersey and is a Democrat. He has served since Jan 18, 2006. Menendez is next up for reelection in 2024 and serves until Jan 3, 2025. He is 69 years old.
He was previously the representative for New Jersey’s 13th congressional district as a Democrat from 1993 to 2006.
Misconduct/alleged misconduct
The Senator is under investigation for unspecified corruption by the Department of Justice.
| Oct. 26, 2022 | U.S. Department of Justice initiated an investigation |
Menendez was investigated for unspecified misconduct in 2012. The Senate investigation was halted during his investigation and trial for corruption and bribery which resulted in a mistrial. In April 2018, the Senate Select Committee on Ethics admonished Senator Menendez for violating Senate rules and ordered him to repay any remaining outstanding value of impermissable gifts.
| Nov. 16, 2017 | Senate Select Committee on Ethics reopened its investigation after Menendez's corruption and bribery case ended in a mistrial |
| Apr. 26, 2018 | Senate Select Committee on Ethics admonished Senator Menendez for violating Senate rules and ordered him to repay any remaining outstanding value of impermissable gifts |
![Photo of Sen. Robert “Bob” Menendez [D-NJ]](/static/legislator-photos/400272-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2022 Report Card for Menendez.
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Menendez is shown as a purple triangle ▲ in our ideology-leadership chart below. Each dot is a member of the Senate positioned according to our ideology score (left to right) and our leadership score (leaders are toward the top).
The chart is based on the bills Menendez has sponsored and cosponsored from Jan 3, 2019 to Mar 30, 2023. See full analysis methodology.
Committee Membership
Robert “Bob” Menendez sits on the following committees:
Enacted Legislation
Menendez was the primary sponsor of 39 bills that were enacted. The most recent include:
- S. 4653 (117th): Department of State Authorization Act of 2022
- S. 812 (117th): A bill to direct the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to regain observer status for Taiwan in the World Health Organization, and for other purposes.
- S. 3290 (117th): National MEP Supply Chain Database Act of 2022
- S. 3591 (117th): United States-Ecuador Partnership Act of 2022
- S. 2340 (117th): Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act of 2021
- S. 1064 (117th): RENACER Act
- S. 1041 (117th): RENACER Act
Does 39 not sound like a lot? Very few bills are ever enacted — most legislators sponsor only a handful that are signed into law. But there are other legislative activities that we don’t track that are also important, including offering amendments, committee work and oversight of the other branches, and constituent services.
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
Menendez sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:
International Affairs (62%) Health (13%)
Recently Introduced Bills
Menendez recently introduced the following legislation:
- S. 1090: A bill to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to update the payment …
- S.Res. 142: A resolution expressing concern about environmental crimes and attacks on the human rights …
- S.Res. 140: A resolution commemorating 200 years of official relations between the United States of …
- S.Res. 157: A resolution commemorating the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday …
- S.Res. 151: A resolution recognizing March 31, 2023, as “Cesar Chavez Day” in honor of …
- S. 1025: A bill to enhance the consideration of human rights in arms exports.
- S. 962: A bill to protect individuals who face reprisals for defending human rights and …
View All » | View Cosponsors »
Most legislation has no activity after being introduced.
Voting Record
Key Votes
Missed Votes
From Jan 2006 to Mar 2023, Menendez missed 184 of 5,621 roll call votes, which is 3.3%. This is worse than the median of 2.3% among the lifetime records of senators currently serving. The chart below reports missed votes over time.
We don’t track why legislators miss votes, but it’s often due to medical absenses, major life events, and running for higher office.
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
