Petri was the representative for Wisconsin’s 6th congressional district and was a Republican. He served from 1979 to 2014.
Alleged misconduct & resolution
In 2014 Petri was investigated for performing official work on behalf of companies in which he had a financial interest from 2008 to 2013. The House Committee on Ethics recommended no further action. Petri announced in November 2014 he would not seek reelection.
| Jul. 2, 2014 | House Office of Congressional Ethics recommended that the Committee on Ethics further review the allegation |
| Dec. 11, 2014 | House Committee on Ethics recommended no further action |
| November 2014 | Petri announced he would not seek reelection. |
![Photo of Rep. Thomas “Tom” Petri [R-WI6, 1979-2014]](/static/legislator-photos/400318-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2014 Report Card for Petri.
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Petri is shown as a purple triangle ▲ in our ideology-leadership chart below. Each dot was a member of the House of Representatives in 2014 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 Petri sponsored and cosponsored from Jan 6, 2009 to Dec 11, 2014. See full analysis methodology.
Enacted Legislation
Petri was the primary sponsor of 4 bills that were enacted:
- H.R. 4219 (108th): Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2004, Part II
- H.J.Res. 110 (103rd): To authorize the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct appropriate programs and activities to acknowledge the status of the county of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, ...
- H.R. 3835 (98th): A bill to designate the United States Post Office Building in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, as the “William A. Steiger Post Office Building”.
- H.R. 5533 (97th): Training for Jobs Act
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
Petri sponsored bills primarily in these issue areas:
Education (34%) Taxation (20%) Transportation and Public Works (17%) Labor and Employment (11%) Foreign Trade and International Finance (9%) Social Welfare (9%)
Recent Bills
Some of Petri’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- H.R. 5638 (113th): To allow railroad employees to remain on duty as necessary to clear ...
- H.Con.Res. 112 (113th): Providing for a conditional adjournment of the House of Representatives and a ...
- H.R. 4834 (113th): Generating Renewal, Opportunity, and Work with Accelerated Mobility, Efficiency, and Rebuilding of ...
- H.R. 4436 (113th): Investing in Student Success Act of 2014
- H.R. 3586 (113th): Citizen Involvement in Campaigns Act of 2013
- H.R. 3505 (113th): TEACH Act
- H.R. 2470 (113th): Making Work and Marriage Pay Act of 2013
Voting Record
Key Votes
| Petri’s Vote | Vote Description |
|---|---|
| Yea |
H.R. 83 (113th): Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015
Dec 11, 2014. Passed 219/206.
This bill became the vehicle for passage of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 [pdf], which was approved by the House on December 11, 2014 and by the Senate on December 13, 2014. The bill was originally introduced on January 3, 2013 by ... |
| Aye |
H.J.Res. 124 (113th): Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015
Sep 17, 2014. Passed 319/108.
|
| No |
H.J.Res. 117 (112th): Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013
Sep 13, 2012. Passed 329/91.
|
| Nay |
H.R. 3857 (112th): Public Transit Security and Local Law Enforcement Support Act
Sep 12, 2012. Passed 355/62.
|
| No |
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 |
S. 3729 (111th): National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010
Sep 29, 2010. Passed 304/118.
|
| Nay |
H.Res. 915 (111th): Encouraging the Republic of Hungary to respect the rule of law, treat foreign investors fairly, and promote ...
Dec 8, 2009. Passed 333/74.
|
| Nay |
H.Res. 317 (111th): Recognizing the region from Manhattan, Kansas, to Columbia, Missouri, as the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor, and ...
Sep 15, 2009. Passed 312/108.
|
| Nay |
H.R. 2638 (110th): Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009
Sep 24, 2008. Passed 370/58.
|
| Yea |
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 Feb 1979 to Dec 2014, Petri missed 233 of 21,223 roll call votes, which is 1.1%. This is better than the median of 2.5% among the lifetime records of representatives serving in Dec 2014. 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
- United States Congressional Roll Call Voting Records, 1789-1990 by Howard L. Rosenthal and Keith T. Poole.
- Martis’s “The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress”, via Keith Poole’s roll call votes data set, for political party affiliation for Members of Congress from 1789 through about year 2000
- GPO Member Guide for the photo
- GovInfo.gov, for sponsored bills
