Capito is the junior senator from West Virginia and is a Republican. She has served since Jan 6, 2015. Capito is next up for reelection in 2020.
She was previously the representative for West Virginia’s 2nd congressional district as a Republican from 2001 to 2014.
![Photo of Sen. Shelley Capito [R-WV]](/data/photos/400061-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2017 Report Card for Capito.
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Capito is shown as a purple triangle ▲ in our ideology-leadership chart below. Each dot is a member of the Senate 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 Capito has sponsored and cosponsored. See full analysis methodology.
Ratings from Advocacy Organizations
Committee Membership
Shelley Capito sits on the following committees:
-
Senate Committee on Appropriations
- Chair, Subcommittee on Department of Homeland Security
- Member, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
- Member, Subcommittee on Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
- Member, Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies
- Member, Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
- Member, Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
-
Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
- Chair, Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety
- Member, Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife
- Member, Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure
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Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Member, Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
- Member, Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet
- Member, Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance, and Data Security
- Member, Subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness
- Member, Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security
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Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Member, Subcommittee on Energy
- Member, Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining
- Member, Subcommittee on Water and Power
- Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
Enacted Legislation
Capito was the primary sponsor of 3 bills that were enacted:
- S. 2872 (114th): NAS Healthy Babies Act
- H.R. 534 (112th): To designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 217 West King Street, Martinsburg, West Virginia, as the “W. Craig Broadwater Federal Building and United ...
- H.R. 3305 (108th): Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Boundary Revision Act of 2003
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
Capito sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:
Health (31%) Environmental Protection (24%) Taxation (14%) Finance and Financial Sector (12%) Sports and Recreation (6%) Energy (6%) Emergency Management (4%) Public Lands and Natural Resources (4%)
Recent Bills
Some of Capito’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- S. 3109: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2019
- S. 3009: Regulatory Certainty Act of 2018
- S. 2928: Colorectal Cancer Detection Act of 2018
- S. 2842: Opioid Addiction Recovery Fraud Prevention Act of 2018
- S. 2677: Electricity Reliability and Fuel Security Act
- S. 2610: Preventing Overdoses While in Emergency Departments Act of 2018
- S. 2523: Colorectal Cancer Detection Act of 2018
Voting Record
Key Votes
| Capito’s Vote | Vote Description |
|---|---|
| Yea |
H.R. 5325: Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2017
Sep 28, 2016. Bill Passed 72/26.
|
| Yea |
H.R. 22: Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act
Dec 3, 2015. Conference Report Agreed to 83/16.
H.R 22, formerly the Hire More Heroes Act, has become the Senate’s vehicle for passage of the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act or DRIVE Act (S. 1647). The DRIVE Act is a major bipartisan transportation bill that would authorize funding ... |
| Aye |
H.J.Res. 124 (113th): Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015
Sep 17, 2014. Passed 319/108.
|
| Nay |
H.R. 6190 (112th): Asthma Inhalers Relief Act of 2012
Dec 12, 2012. Failed 229/182.
|
| 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 ... |
| Yea |
H.R. 31 (111th): Lumbee Recognition Act
Jun 3, 2009. Passed 240/179.
|
| Aye |
H.R. 7321 (110th): Auto Industry Financing and Restructuring Act
Dec 10, 2008. Passed 237/170.
|
Missed Votes
From Jan 2015 to Jul 2018, Capito missed 10 of 981 roll call votes, which is 1.0%. This is better than the median of 1.5% among the lifetime records of senators 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
- GPO.gov/FDSys, for sponsored bills
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