Blog 5: Ideology and Voting

DW-NOMINATE Scores:

The DW-Nominate score is a multi-dimensional scaling method to analyze data that can then be used to predict the voting and roll-call behaviour of legislators.  For Senator Pryor, his most recent score is -0.205.  His past rankings were, in chronological order:

-0.22, -0.234 -0.249, and -0.264.  This indicates that Senator Pryor is getting lightly less liberal with each scoring season in the Senate.  This makes a lot of sense to me, as he is a Democrat in a traditionally conservative state and, if he is acting a true combination of delegate and trustee, than his voting record would depict a shift toward being more moderate, as that is safer ground, especially considering his chances of being reelected.

Party Vote/ Crossing Party Lines on Any Issues:

To first speak in generalities, govtrack.us, as well as Senator Pryor himself, depict Pryor as a centrist Democrat who prides himself, rather robustly, about being more than willing to work across party lines and pass legislation that helps his constituents in Arkansas.  According to the chart provided by govtrack.us, it shows that what Pryor preaches is also what he practices. 

He falls in the center of Democrats and Republicans on his voting record, leaning toward the Democrat side of things without abandoning his commitment to working across the aisle.  There are a few Democrats who are even more centrist than he, at least it would seem so from the chart, but Pryor certainly holds his own and commits to the issues that will matter for Arkansas, regardless of party affiliation – it would seem.   I am curious if what Pryor does will really be best for Arkansas, or if he hopes his constituents can’t see the forest for the trees and will instead vote across party lines to make himself look better without careful deliberation of the issues at hand.  To the uniformed or apathetic voter, they might see Pryor reaching across the aisle as beneficial and will decide to reelect him based on that merit alone, regardless of the issues he is actually supporting or trying to shoot down.

To speak with more specificity now, the extremely helpful Congress section of the Washington Post reports Pryor as voting with his party 82% of the time for the last 92 votes that were taken.  In the 112^th Congress, Pryor voted with his party 89% of the time out of the 484 votes taken.

On key votes, it would seem that Senator Pryor generally knows how to pick winning pieces of legislation and vote for those.  He voted; as did most Democrats and not most Republicans, for Middle-class tax relief, to extend the payroll tax holiday and unemployment benefits, and for the blocking birth-control exemption. 

With regard to issues that Republicans generally favored and Democrats do not, Pryor voted to repeal the ethanol subsidy, against the Keystone pipeline amendment (the second time this was voted upon, and as of March 14^th, Mark Pryor is officially approving the Keystone Pipeline according to a press release issued), and the amendment to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978.

An odd thing I came across while looking at Pryor’s voting records on key issues is that he voted against the DREAM Act, against the Democrat majority, which would have created a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.  As an officer in my high school’s Diversity Club, a friend to many undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as young children, I remember fighting for the DREAM Act alongside my Diversity Club members.  Given Pryor’s record, I thought he would be more sympathetic to the plight of these undocumented immigrants, but alas he was not.  As I mentioned before, he tends to vote yes on bills that end up passing – this must be a sixth sense of his – and the DREAM Act was rejected, which might explain Pryor’s lack of support.

ADA and Interest Group Scores:

            According to Compare Arkansas Senators Liberal Ratings, his Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) score is 70%.  Electoral-vote.com says that if a voter aligns themselves with more progressive ideals, a good senator would have a higher percentage.  Likewise, if a voter identifies as a conservative, a good senator to represent them would have a lower percentage score.

            Senator Pryor is the most progressive in his NARAL (National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League) history, earning a score of 100%.  From there, the NAACP ranks in second place with 93%, and the CDF (Children’s Defense Fund) with 90%.

            He is most conservative concerning the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), earning a score of 45%.

Committee Service:

Based on the information on gov.track.us, Senator Pryor serves on a total of 6 committees, and is a member on all 6 (not serving as a chair or ranking member of nay of them).  His committee involvement is as follows:

-       Appropriations

o   This committee has jurisdiction over all discretionary spending legislation in the Senate

o   The appropriations committee has a total of 30 members, 16 Democrats and 14 Republicans, which makes it the largest committee in the U.S. Senate, and arguably, one of the most important.

-       Commerce, Science, and Transportation

o   According to commerce.senate.gov, this committee has jurisdiction over all matters related to subjects such as the Coast Guard, costal zone management, interstate commerce, marine fisheries, standards and measurement, and sports, to name a few.

o   It has 24 members, 13 Democrats and 11 Republicans.

o   A fun fact about this committee is that, at least according to the webpage devoted to committee involvement on Senator Pryor’s website, it seems to the be committee of which Pryor is most proud to be a part, as it has the most information devoted to his work on this committee of any of the 6 on which he resides.  The information states, “He has used these committees in the past to overhaul product safety laws, promote broadband expansion, strengthen small business start-up and assistance programs, advance content filtering technology, improve fuel economy standards and curb identity theft. He plans to build on these initiatives and create new opportunities for economic growth.”

§  This reminded me of Mayhew’s statement that congress members are single-minded seekers of reelection, as it certainly seems true in Pryor’s case here.  He utilizes his work on the committee to show why the citizens of Arkansas are better off with him than without, and how his decisions are positively impacting them and the rest of the country.

-       Ethics

o   Ethics.senate.gov says that this committee’s jurisdiction is derived from the Constitution, and has authority granted under law and Senate rules.  Whenever the Ethics Committee received a complaint, from virtually any source, that suggests a Senator or staffer might have violated the rules that lie within the committee’s jurisdiction, the committee then initiates a preliminary investigation into the accusation.  At the end of that initial inquiry period, they then determine whether there is substantial evidence to conclude if a violation occurred.

o   This is a very small, selective committee with 3 members from each side of the aisle.  The Ethics committee staff as a collective whole, however, is non-partisan.

-       Small Business and Entrepreneurship

o   The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee deals with all proposed legislation, messages, petitions, memorials, and all other matters that relate to the Small Business Administration

o   It is also responsible for studying and surveying all problems of American small business enterprises.

o   This committee has 18 members, 10 Democrats and 8 Republicans

-       Rules and Administration

o   Rules.senate.gov lists their purpose and jurisdiction, and it would seem they are responsible for a great deal, including everything from the assignment of office space, corrupt practices (this point was a bit vague, but I assumed they mean working to discourage such practices), presidential succession, and the art and pictures placed in the Senate Office Buildings and the Capitol.

o   Furthermore, this committee is responsible for developing, implementing, and updating strategic planning processes for the function and technical infrastructure support of the Senate.

o    This committee has 18 members, 9 Democrats, 8 Republicans, and 1 Independent

-       Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

o   The homepage for this committee says that it is the Senate’s primary oversight committee over “government operations generally and the Department of Homeland Security in particular.”  It studies the efficiency and effectiveness of all agencies and departments of the federal government, evaluates the effectiveness of laws passed, and studies the intergovernmental relationships present throughout the United States.

o   Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has 16 members, 9 Democrats and 7 Republicans.

o   A fun fact about this committee is that it was previously titled the Governmental Affairs Committee.  After the Homeland Security Act passed in 2002, however, the title was changed to reflect this committee’s complete jurisdiction over everything related to Homeland Security, as well as myriad of other varying responsibilities such as the census, nuclear export policy, and the Postal Service.

§  It seems odd to me that this one committee would be responsible for so much, but especially that it is responsible for such a wide array of issues.  I was curious to see how much this committee is actually able to accomplish, given its relatively small size and its broad jurisdiction.  I looked on their legislation page, and what I found surprised me.  This committee seems to go through spurts in which they are extremely active.  In November of 2012, three pieces of legislation were put forth, and in September of 2012, 4 issues were put forth, including a bill that is called the Government Customer Service Improvement Act.  In January and December, however, this committee introduced only piece of legislation per month, and there was only one bill introduced between December and March of 2011 – 2012.  It’s strange to me that a committee in charge of so much either doesn’t have more members or splits itself up, as it would seem that they have a hard time passing through legislation, although I’m sure the view is better from the cheap seats and they might really be accomplishing more than meets the eye.

Subcommittee Service:

Senator Pryor serves on 16 subcommittees, serving as a member on 14 of the, and as its chairman for the following two:

-          - Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies

-         -  Communications, Technology, and the Internet

Current issues before the committee relevant to MC:

            The most current and relevant issue regarding Mark Pryor occurred this Thursday, March 21^st, 2013 and concerns his membership on the Senate Appropriations Committee.  As presented on the website for recent news in Appropriations, the House today approved H.R. 933, entitled the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013.  In essence, this bill provides funding needed to keep government up and running until the end of the 2013 fiscal year on September 30^th, as the current funding expires on March 17^th of this year.

            Additionally, this bill provides full-year funding for five Appropriation bills: Defense, Military Construction/Veteran Affairs, Homeland Security, Commerce, and Justice/Science/Agriculture.  This funding will ideally go to support what is considered critical law enforcement and national security efforts, protect U.S. borders and food supplies, and make investments in the country’s agricultural and economic infrastructure.

            Another recent occurrence in the senatorial career of Mark Pryor happened on last Thursday, March 14^th, 2013.  Chairwoman Mary Landrieu, a Democrat from Louisiana, held a roundtable titled “Helping Small Businesses Weather Economic Challenges and Disasters: A Review of Legislative Proposals on Access to Capital and Disaster Recovery.”  Senator Pryor is one of five senators to introduce a bill concerning no-cost disaster reform, a bill that was met well by senators on both sides of the aisle.  The roundtable meeting was held to discuss the bill, and other initiatives like it, in further detail.

1. Travel

            In his most recent travel news, Senator Pryor traveled to El Dorado, Arkansas on January 15^th of this year to meet with local business and community leaders to discuss job creation.  Pryor’s travel record indicates that this is a frequent occurrence for him, and he makes a point to visit towns, businesses, schools, etc. throughout his state and stay in touch and connected with his constituents.  I think it’s a very positive thing the senator does, as it gets him both out of DC as well as out of his hometown of Little Rock and meets with constituents from all across his state, even in what I’m sure is the magical land of El Dorado.

2. Press Releases Issued

            On pryor.senate.gov, it says Senator Pryor’s most recent press release was on February 28^th, 2013, and there were actually a total of 3 press releases from his office that day: “Pryor Hosts Virtual Story Time at Rockefeller Elementary School In Honor of Read Across Day America Day” (I think having the word “day” in their twice was an accident, but I’m not sure), “Statement by Senator Mark Pryor on Sequestration,” and “Statement by Senator Mark Pryor on Club for Growth Ad.”

             I found the last title of these three to be the most interesting, simply because it seems vague and perhaps misleading, so I looked into it further, and I found that this press release contained a great deal of drama currently happening in Arkansas.  It would appear that the Club for Growth ran an ad in Arkansas that says Senator Pryor puts the interests of President Obama, the Democratic Party, and special interests above the needs of Arkansas citizens.  Senator Pryor uses this press release as a rebuttal, saying that his voting record clearly shows this is not the case, and that the National Journal frequently ranks him as “one of the most independent voices in the Senate.”  Here is the link to the ad directly – “Only One” Club for Growth Ad.

            This is a bit unrelated, but in my searching for press releases, I found a video clip in which Bill Maher, for his 2008 documentary Religulous interviewed Senator Mark Pryor about his beliefs about evolution.  It’s wonderful and sad all at once … Mark Pryor, “IQ Test.”

           

3. Franking, mailers

            As a member of the senate committee on ethics, Mark Pryor is very involved with franking and mailers and the appropriate use of them in Congress.  He, along with the 3 other senators who make up the ethics committee, wrote out the regulations governing the use of the mailing frank.

While on the topic of mailers and the post office, Senator Pryor also wrote a letter in 2011 to the United States Postal Service after giving them a failing grade for their lack of communication regarding post office’s consolidation and closures – see letter here.

4. Bills sponsored/cosponsored

            According to gov.track.us, the most recent bill Senator Pryor introduced into Congress was on February 25^th, 2013 and it is currently in the first state of the legislative process – being referred to a committee, which also occurred on February 25^th, 2013.  Bill S. 376 is a bill to reauthorize the National Integrated Drought Information System, and for other purposes.  It does not allude to what these “other purposes” might be.  The committees that this bill will go through are the senate commerce, science, and transportation committees.

The prognosis for the bill put forth by gov.track.us says it has a 13% chance of getting past the committee, and a 2% chance of being enacted.  It does make the note, however, that only 12% of bills make it past the committee, and that 2% of proposed bills were enacted between 2011 and 2013, so Pryor’s bill S. 376 has about as good of a chance as becoming enacted as any other proposed bill would. 

This bill has 4 cosponsors, 2 of Pryor’s fellow Democrats: Mark Udall from Colorado, and Tom Udall from New Mexico, and 2 Republicans: Jerry Morgan from Kansas, and our very own John Thune from South Dakota.

As of February 27^th, a summary of what the bill actually entails has yet to be released.

Another recent bill of Senator Pryor’s was S. 3674: Farmers Protection of 2012.  He introduced it on December 12^th, 2012 and 3 Republicans co-sponsored the bill, John Boozman from Arkansas, Thad Cochran from Mississippi, and Roger Wicker, also from Mississippi. 

The title of this bill is a bit misleading, as it is related to farmers but not chiefly about them.  In essence, this bill would amend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (yep, apparently that was a thing) so that no migratory bird game can be taken over land that is not a baited area or an area that contains standing crop.  The bill did not pass after it was referred to the state environment and public works committees, and after reading the summary of the bill I can understand why.  It doesn’t do much in the way of protecting farmers, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act really did not need to be amended in this capacity.

The last bill I would like to discuss that Senator Pryor proposed passed, and has not been amended since it was enacted in 2012.  S. Res. 483 has perhaps one of the longest bill tiles ever: “A resolution commending efforts to promote and enhance public safety on the need for yellow corrugated stainless steel tubing.”  The bill was proposed to do exactly what the title says it would, commend the efforts to promote and enhance public safety through the use of the properly bonded stainless steel tubing as defined in the National Fire Protection Association code.  It went over well in congress, once again according to gov.track.us, and was agreed to in a simple resolution.