Luke Skywalker
Super Moderator
{vb:raw ozzmodz_postquote}:
Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., is among the lawmakers who have missed the most votes in the House.(Photo: J. Scott Applewhite, AP)
WASHINGTON —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Sen. Marco Rubio took some lumps in the presidential race from his Floridian foil Jeb Bush for missing about a third of his votes this year, but he’s not alone in failing to show up in Washington.
Plenty of members of Congress<span style="color: Red;">*</span>have missed a tenth or more of eligible floor votes since 2007, according to a new tool created by the non-profit journalism outfit ProPublica.
Those who missed votes have an opportunity to submit a “personal explanation” to the Congressional Record, explaining how they would have voted and why — but those entries are often forgotten or left vague with descriptions like “inadvertently detained.” ProPublica highlights the best of the bunch in their new app.
Travel headaches and family emergencies are common causes for no-shows, but most reps find a way, like New Jersey Republican Leonard Lance, who missed just two of his 5,031 eligible votes.
“I believe that those who have elected me to Congress have elected me to vote — it’s a primary responsibility,” Lance said, acknowledging geography and easy train schedules help him maintain a stellar track record.
Here’s a roundup of others in the House of Representatives who missed significant time:
1. Bobby Rush, D -<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Ill. —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>22%
Rush missed 1,549 of 6,906 eligible votes. He missed hundreds of votes during a five-month span in 2008 while he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous salivary gland tumor. <span style="color: Red;">*</span>Rush did not respond to questions about his voting record.
2. Luis Gutiérrez, D - Ill.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>15%
Gutierrez missed 1,044 of 6,902 eligible votes. Almost all of Gutierrez’s time away from Washington is attributed to work on immigration reform, his spokesman Doug Rivlin said.Gutierrez also travels several times a year to Puerto Rico where his mother and other family live.
“There are a lot of requests for his time and he typically has immigrant- and Latino-related events most weeks and/or weekends, both inside and outside his district,” Rivlin said. “Because he cannot be in two places at the same time, important events outside Washington force him to miss votes.”
3.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Rubén Hinojosa, D -<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Texas<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>13%
Hinojosa missed 874 of 6,906 eligible votes. Hinojosa missed several votes in early 2015 recovering from knee surgery. His staff did not respond to questions about his time away from Washington.
4.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Don Young, R -<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Alaska<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>12%
Young missed 828 of 6,906 eligible votes. Young attribute several missed votes in February to the flu (despite having taken a flu shot, he notes).
“Like most members of Congress, Rep. Young has missed votes,” spokesman Matthew Shuckerow said. “It is not something he likes to do, but there are instances where he is meeting with constituents who have traveled thousands of miles to meet with him and others when he himself is traveling to and from the state to attend important meetings or events.”
5.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Alma Adams, D - N.C.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>12%
Adams missed 73 of 629 eligible votes. Elected in 2014, Adams missed a handful of votes due to the sickness and death of her mother in June.
“Anyone who has lost a parent or a loved one knows much time and energy goes into laying them to rest. A person also deserves to grieve in their own right,” said spokeswoman Shadawn Reddick-Smith. “Congresswoman Adams returned to DC for votes on June 10, just a day and half after her mother’s funeral, a total of just four missed voting days.”
6.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Charles Rangel, D - N.Y.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>11%
Rangel missed 787 of 6,906 eligible votes. He missed several votes in 2012 recovering from a spinal infection. Despite that, spokeswoman Hannah Kim called Rangel, “a reliable voter with one of the higher percentages in the house” dating back to his first votes in 1971.
“Those votes were missed largely due to rare circumstances, such as the recent historic trip to Africa with President Obama and hospitalization in early 2012, which apparently brought his percentage down,” Kim said.
7.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Jackie Speier, D - Calif. —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>11%
Speier missed 605 of 5,542 eligible votes. She says she attended most important votes and missed significant time due to sick parents and mother-in-law and time out with the flu.
“I’d say most people in Washington take voting seriously, but sometimes life happens and nobody begrudges you time with family when they’re dying or if you have a family member graduating high school,” Speier told USA TODAY. “The culture in Congress is one that you don’t go home even for a close friends’ funeral, but I’m of a different belief and wasn’t going to miss my dearest friend’s funeral.”
Speier fractured her kneecap in a fall last Tuesday and traveled to Washington the same day to be there for votes.
8.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Jaime Herrera Beutler, R - Wash.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>11%
Herrera Beutler missed 370 of 3,379 eligible votes. She missed dozens of votes in 2013 after the birth of her daughter, Abigail.
The “miracle baby” was born with Potter’s syndrome, a usually fatal diagnosis that required significant medical care.
“During that time, Jaime still made it to DC for critical votes that held a significant interest to her constituents,” said spokeswoman Amy Pennington, adding that few constituents use the Congressional Record for accounting of missed votes but use a website, media statements, emails and calls to communicate with interested parties.
9.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Ken Buck, R - Colo.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>10%
Buck missed 59 of 581 eligible votes. He missed several votes in September while home recovering from back surgery, and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>for a trip to Kansas for the pinning ceremony of his son’s promotion in the U.S. Army.
“As for logging a reason in the Congressional Record, I think as one of the most conservative members of Congress, Rep. Buck’s position on issues is pretty clear,” said spokesman Kyle Huwa. “Also, constituents are encouraged to reach out to his office if they have questions about how he would have voted.”
10.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Trent Kelly, R -<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Miss.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>10%
Kelly missed 26 of 271 eligible votes. Kelly’s missed votes in June were due to military service with the Mississippi Army National Guard.
“I had a prior commitment to this nation and to 1,400 soldiers,” Kelly said through a spokeswoman. “I discussed with leadership that I made that commitment prior to being elected and honored that commitment to this nation and to those soldiers.”
Follow @npenzenstadler on Twitter.
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed