![Photo of Rep. Steve Cohen [D-TN9]](/static/legislator-photos/412236-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2018 Report Card for Cohen.
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Cohen 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 Cohen has sponsored and cosponsored from Jan 6, 2015 to Apr 18, 2019. See full analysis methodology.
Ratings from Advocacy Organizations
Committee Membership
Steve Cohen sits on the following committees:
-
House Committee on the Judiciary
- Chair, Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
- Member, Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet
- Member, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security
-
House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
- Member, Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight
- Member, Subcommittee on Research and Technology
- House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Enacted Legislation
Cohen was the primary sponsor of 7 bills that were enacted:
- H.R. 767 (115th): SOAR to Health and Wellness Act of 2018
- H.R. 5349 (115th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1325 Autumn Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, as the “Judge Russell B. Sugarmon Post Office Building”.
- H.R. 4246 (114th): National Guard and Reservist Debt Relief Extension Act of 2015
- H.R. 2192 (112th): National Guard and Reservist Debt Relief Extension Act of 2011
- H.R. 2765 (111th): Securing the Protection of our Enduring and Established Constitutional Heritage Act
- H.R. 2587 (110th): A Bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 555 South 3rd Street Lobby in Memphis, Tennessee, as the “Kenneth T. Whalum, ...
- H.R. 753 (110th): To redesignate the Federal building located at 167 North Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee, as the “Clifford Davis and Odell Horton Federal Building”.
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
Cohen sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:
Crime and Law Enforcement (27%) Transportation and Public Works (20%) Government Operations and Politics (15%) Finance and Financial Sector (12%) Health (9%) Taxation (9%) Education (4%) Armed Forces and National Security (4%)
Recent Bills
Some of Cohen’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- H.R. 1914: DUI Reporting Act of 2019
- H.R. 1725: Digital Goods and Services Tax Fairness Act of 2019
- H.R. 1511: Stop Underrides Act
- H.R. 1400: Horse Transportation Safety Act of 2019
- H.R. 885: Private Student Loan Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2019
- H.R. 118: Streamlined and Improved Methods at Polling Locations and Early (SIMPLE) Voting Act of ...
- H.R. 120: Police CAMERA Act of 2019
Voting Record
Key Votes
| Cohen’s Vote | Vote Description |
|---|---|
| Yea |
S. 2322: CURD Act
Dec 20, 2018. Failed 230/162.
|
| 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. 5247: Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn, and Matthew Bellina Right to Try Act of 2018
Mar 21, 2018. Passed 267/149.
H.R. 5247 authorizes the use of eligible investigational drugs by patients who have been diagnosed with certain illnesses, who have exhausted the approved treatment options and are not eligible to participate in a clinical trial. The bill defines an eligible patient as those with “a ... |
| Yea |
H.R. 195: Extension of Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018
Jan 22, 2018. Passed 266/150.
This bill became the vehicle for passage of continuing appropriations which re-opened the federal government after a three-day shut-down. The bill: * extended funding for government programs at levels similar to existing funding through Feb. 8, 2018 * extended the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ... |
| 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. 4414 (113th): Expatriate Health Coverage Clarification Act of 2014
Apr 9, 2014. Failed 257/159.
|
| Yea |
H.R. 2362 (112th): Indian Tribal Trade and Investment Demonstration Project Act of 2011
Jul 23, 2012. Failed 222/160.
|
| 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 ... |
| Nay |
H.R. 1830 (110th): To extend the authorities of the Andean Trade Preference Act until February 29, 2008.
Jun 27, 2007. Passed 365/59.
|
Missed Votes
From Jan 2007 to Apr 2019, Cohen missed 219 of 9,043 roll call votes, which is 2.4%. 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
- GPO Member Guide for the photo
- GovInfo.gov, for sponsored bills
