Blum was the representative for Iowa’s 1st congressional district as a Republican. He served from 2015 to 2018.
![Photo of Rep. Rod Blum [R-IA1, 2015-2018]](/static/legislator-photos/412627-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2018 Report Card for Blum.
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Blum is shown as a purple triangle ▲ in our ideology-leadership chart below. Each dot was a member of the House of Representatives in 2018 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 Blum sponsored and cosponsored from Jan 3, 2013 to Dec 21, 2018. See full analysis methodology.
Ratings from Advocacy Organizations
Enacted Legislation
Blum was the primary sponsor of 3 bills that were enacted:
- H.R. 1074 (115th): To repeal the Act entitled “An Act to confer jurisdiction on the State of Iowa over offenses committed by or against Indians on the Sac and Fox ...
- H.R. 4043 (115th): Whistleblower Protection Extension Act of 2017
- H.R. 4605 (114th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 615 6th Avenue SE in Cedar Rapids, Iowa as the “Sgt. 1st Class Terryl L. ...
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
Blum sponsored bills primarily in these issue areas:
Government Operations and Politics (31%) Taxation (19%) Health (12%) Native Americans (12%) Commerce (12%) Crime and Law Enforcement (12%)
Recent Bills
Some of Blum’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- H.R. 6980: Breast Cancer Patient Equity Act
- H.R. 6446: White House Conference on Small Business Act of 2018
- H.R. 5144: Contracting Compliance Act
- H.Con.Res. 99: Expressing the sense of Congress on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of ...
- H.R. 4511: No Golden Parachutes for Public Service Act
- H.R. 4512 (115th): Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2017
- H.R. 4510: No Congressional Vehicle Leases Act
Voting Record
Key Votes
| Blum’s Vote | Vote Description |
|---|---|
| Nay |
S. 139: Rapid DNA Act of 2017
Jan 11, 2018. Passed 256/164.
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 ... |
| Aye |
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 ... |
| Aye |
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.
|
| Aye |
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 ... |
Missed Votes
From Jan 2015 to Dec 2018, Blum missed 84 of 2,535 roll call votes, which is 3.3%. This is on par with the median of 2.5% among the lifetime records of representatives serving in Dec 2018. 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
