![Photo of Rep. Steve Cohen [D-TN9]](/data/photos/412236-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2016 Report Card for Cohen.
Sponsorship Analysis
Our unique analysis of the bills Cohen has sponsored and cosponsored provides insight into his position in the House of Representatives.
Each dot in the chart below is a member of the House of Representatives. The dots are positioned horizontally according to our progressive—conservative ideology score and vertically according to our leadership score (leaders toward the top). Cohen is shown as a purple triangle. (analysis methodology)
Committee Membership
Steve Cohen sits on the following committees:
-
House Committee on the Judiciary
- Ranking Member, Subcommittee on The Constitution and Civil Justice
- Member, Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet
- Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
- House Committee on Ethics
-
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
- Member, Subcommittee on Aviation
- Member, Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
- Member, Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
Enacted Legislation
Cohen was the primary sponsor of 5 bills that were enacted:
- 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 about one third or more 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 (23%) Finance and Financial Sector (17%) Transportation and Public Works (15%) Government Operations and Politics (14%) Taxation (12%) Health (8%) Armed Forces and National Security (6%) Education (6%)
Recent Bills
Some of Cohen’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- H.Res. 456: Objecting to the conduct of the President of the United States.
- H.R. 2920: CARERS Act of 2017
- H.R. 2527: Private Student Loan Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2017
- H.R. 2289: Supermarket Tax Credit for Underserved Areas Act
- H.R. 2230: To direct the Joint Committee on the Library to obtain a statue or ...
- H.Res. 256: Expressing support for the countries of Eastern Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty ...
- H.R. 1870: Police Training and Independent Review Act of 2017
Voting Record
Key Votes
| Cohen’s Vote | Vote Description |
|---|---|
| Aye |
S. 84: A bill to provide for an exception to a limitation against appointment of persons as Secretary of Defense within seven years of relief from active duty ...
Jan 13, 2017. Passed 268/151.
Secretary of Defense James Mattis, appointed on President Trump's first day in office, was a four-star Marine general. Mattis’s recent service upends the traditional separation where the Defense Secretary — the official in charge of the Pentagon and most of the American military — is ... |
| Nay |
S. 2943: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017
Dec 2, 2016. Passed 375/34.
|
| No |
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. ... |
| Yea |
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 ... |
| Yea |
H.R. 622: State and Local Sales Tax Deduction Fairness Act of 2015
Apr 16, 2015. Passed 272/152.
|
| 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 change to the U.S. patent system since 1952, and ... |
| 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 Jul 2017, Cohen missed 204 of 8,072 roll call votes, which is 2.5%. This is on par with the median of 2.2% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving. ProPublica has tracked 89 explanations for these missed votes. The chart below reports missed votes over time.
Primary Sources
The information on this page is originally sourced from a variety of materials, including:
- Congress-Legislators, a community project collecting election information
- The House and Senate websites, for committee membership and voting records
- GPO Member Guide for the photo
- GPO.gov/FDSys, for sponsored bills