Jackson Lee is the representative for Texas’s 18th congressional district (view map) and is a Democrat. She has served since Jan 4, 1995. Jackson Lee is next up for reelection in 2020.
Alleged misconduct & resolution
In 2015 Lee was investigated for travel funded or organized by one or more entities prohibited from providing congressional travel. The House Committee on Ethics concluded implicated House members did not intentionally accept gifts from prohibited entities.
| May. 8, 2015 | House Office of Congressional Ethics recommended that the Committee on Ethics further review the allegation |
| Jul. 31, 2015 | House Committee on Ethics concluded implicated House members did not intentionally accept gifts from prohibited entities |
![Photo of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee [D-TX18]](/static/legislator-photos/400199-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2018 Report Card for Jackson Lee.
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Jackson Lee 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 Jackson Lee has sponsored and cosponsored from Jan 6, 2015 to Apr 15, 2019. See full analysis methodology.
Ratings from Advocacy Organizations
Committee Membership
Sheila Jackson Lee sits on the following committees:
- House Committee on the Budget
- House Committee on Homeland Security
-
House Committee on the Judiciary
- Member, Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
- Member, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security
- Member, Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship
Enacted Legislation
Jackson Lee was the primary sponsor of 6 bills that were enacted:
- H.R. 710 (114th): To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to prepare a comprehensive security assessment of the transportation security card program, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 78 (113th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4110 Almeda Road in Houston, Texas, as the “George Thomas ‘Mickey’ Leland Post Office Building”.
- H.R. 6510 (111th): To direct the Administrator of General Services to convey a parcel of real property in Houston, Texas, to the Military Museum of Texas, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 6610 (110th): To amend the Federal Rules of Evidence to address the waiver of the attorney-client privilege and the work product doctrine.
- H.R. 6212 (110th): Medicare Efficiency and Development of Improvement of Care and Services Act (MEDICS Act) of 2008
- H.R. 4510 (109th): To direct the Joint Committee on the Library to accept the donation of a bust depicting Sojourner Truth and to display the bust in a suitable location ...
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
Jackson Lee sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:
Crime and Law Enforcement (44%) Emergency Management (16%) International Affairs (12%) Education (7%) Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues (6%) Immigration (6%)
Recent Bills
Some of Jackson Lee’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- H.Res. 265: Commemorating the life and legacy of Sojourner Truth.
- H.R. 1642: Combating the Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products Act
- H.R. 835: Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019
- H.R. 495: FIRST State and Local Law Enforcement Act
- H.R. 494: Tiffany Joslyn Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Reauthorization and Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act ...
- H.R. 434: Emancipation National Historic Trail Act
- H.R. 47: TRUMP Special Counsel Act
Voting Record
Key Votes
| Jackson Lee’s Vote | Vote Description |
|---|---|
| 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 ... |
| Yea |
H.R. 5797: Individuals in Medicaid Deserve Care that is Appropriate and Responsible in its Execution Act
Jun 20, 2018. Passed 261/155.
H.R. 5797 allows state Medicaid programs to remove the Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion for Medicaid beneficiaries aged 21 to 64 with an opioid use disorder for fiscal years 2019 to 2023. By removing the exclusion, Medicaid would pay for up to 30 total ... |
| Yea |
H.R. 4667: Making further supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2018, for disaster assistance for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and calendar year 2017 wildfires, ...
Dec 21, 2017. Passed 251/169.
|
| Yea |
H.R. 3823: Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2017
Sep 25, 2017. Failed 245/171.
The bill reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for six months, provides certain tax benefits for victims of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, reauthorizes certain expiring health programs, and includes provisions to increase the availability of private flood insurance for individuals in flood zones. Federal ... |
| 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 ... |
| Aye |
H.J.Res. 124 (113th): Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015
Sep 17, 2014. Passed 319/108.
|
| Yea |
H.R. 5325 (112th): Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013
Jun 6, 2012. Passed 255/165.
|
| 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 legislative change to the U.S. patent system since the ... |
| No |
H.Res. 1137 (111th): Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 2847) making appropriations for the Departments ...
Mar 4, 2010. Passed 212/209.
|
| Nay |
H.Res. 1031 (110th): Providing for the adoption of the resolution (H. Res. 895) establishing within the House of Representatives an ...
Mar 11, 2008. Passed 229/182.
|
Missed Votes
From Jan 1995 to Apr 2019, Jackson Lee missed 976 of 16,215 roll call votes, which is 6.0%. This is much worse than 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
- GPO Member Guide for the photo
- GovInfo.gov, for sponsored bills
