inequality report card 2012 - institute for policy studies

7/28/2019 Inequality Report Card 2012 - Institute For Policy Studies

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Release date:

October 3, 2012

CO-AUTHORSSarah Anderson

Chuck Collins

Scott Klinger

Sam Pizzigati

RESEARCHER

Brent Soloway

A CongressionalReport Card for the 99%


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About the Authors

Sarah Anderson directs the Global Economy Project at the Institute for Policy Studies andhas co-authored the 19 IPS annual Executive Excess reports on the divide between CEO

and worker pay.Chuck Collins, an Institute for Policy Studies senior scholar, directs the IPS Program onInequality and the Common Good. He is the author of99 to 1: How Wealth Inequality IsWrecking the World and What We Can Do about It(Berrett-Koehler Publishers).

Scott Klinger, an Institute for Policy Studies associate fellow, crafted the first shareholderproposals on executive pay while working as a social investment portfolio manager. He hasalso written extensively on corporate tax avoidance. Scott is a CFA charterholder.

Sam Pizzigati, an IPS associate fellow, is the author of the upcomingThe Rich Dont AlwaysWin: The triumph over plutocracy that created the American middle class(Seven Stories Press). Healso edits Too Much, an online weekly newsletter on excess and inequality and writes a

weekly column distributed by the OtherWords editorial service.

The Institute for Policy Studies (IPS-DC.org) is a community of publicscholars and organizers linking peace, justice, and the environment in the UnitedStates and globally. We work with social movements to promote true democracyand challenge concentrated wealth, corporate influence, and military power.

2012 Institute for Policy Studies

Institute for Policy Studies1112 16th St. NW, Suite 600Washington, DC 20036Tel: 202 234-9382, Fax: 202 387-7915Web:www.ips-dc.org, Twitter: @IPS_DCFind us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/InstituteforPolicyStudiesEmail:[email protected]
http://www.ips-dc.org/http://www.ips-dc.org/http://www.ips-dc.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.ips-dc.org/


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Table of Contents

Key Findings 1

Overview.. 2

About Our Inequality Report Card. 3

The Dishonor Roll: The Most 1% Friendly Members of Congress 4OverallDemocratsBox: Investing in Inequality: Who Funds the Failing 48?

The Honor Roll: The Most 99% Friendly Members of Congress 8

DemocratsRepublicansBox: How the Wealthiest Members of Congress Rate

Appendix 1: Inequality-related actions taken in the 112th Congress ....... 11

Appendix 2: Member of Congress grades and state delegation inequality GPAsin the 212th Congress (2011-2012)......... 17

Appendix 3: State delegation grades compared to state poverty andeconomic inequality (Gini coefficient) rankings. 25

Appendix 4: Methodology and sources ..... 27


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Key Findings

In preparing this inequality report card, we examined 24 legislative actions in the U.S. House

of Representatives and 16 in the U.S. Senate, actions that touched everything from taxes andbudget priorities to education and housing. Among the data highlights:

Republicans dominate the report cards dishonor roll. They make up the entire listof the 48 representatives and 11 senators with an F grade.

Not all Democrats distinguish themselves as champions of greater equality.Seventeen lawmakers who caucus with the Democrats rate only at the C level.

Arkansas had the worst grade point average among the members of theircongressionaldelegation, earning a GPA of only 0.7 out of a possible 4.0.

The most 99% friendly state: Vermont.The Green Mountain states two senatorsand one House member brought home straight As for a 4.0 GPA.

Of the 10 states with the nations most uneven distribution of income, according tojust-releasedCensus data, only oneMassachusettshas senators andrepresentatives with a composite average A level score

None of the 11 senators earning an F grade come from any of the nations fivemost equal states, as rated by the new Census figures. Of the 48 members of theHouse of Representatives with failing grades, only oneRepublican Jason Chaffetzof Utahcomes from one of the nations five most equal states.

The 10wealthiest Democrats in Congress all have generally 99% friendlylegislative records. None have lower than a B for their work the last two years.None of the 10 richest Republicans in Congress, by contrast, rate higher than a C-grade, a rating that marks them as distinctly 1% friendly.

Within each chamber of Congress, Republicans orient themselves much closer to astrong 1% friendly agenda than Democrats orient themselves to a strong 99%friendly agenda.
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Overview

year ago, thousands of Americans concerned about our nations deep andgrowing concentration of income and wealth occupied Wall Street and public

squares in communities all across the nation. In a matter of weeks, America had avivid new framework for discussing and debating how and why the United States hadbecome the most unequal major developed nation on the face of the earth.

One year later, this new framethe 1% and the 99% remains as relevant as ever.Indeed, the Census Bureaureportedearlier this month that Americas top 1 percent ofhouseholds saw their incomes rise about 6 percent in 2011, a year when the vast majority ofthe nations households saw their real incomes shrink.

Our growing economic divide in America did not just happen. No natural disasters orunavoidable dips in the business cycle have created our contemporary top-heavy America.We have become a fundamentally more unequal nation over recent decades largely becausethose who write the economys rules have rigged those rules to ensure that wealth and

income flow to the top, at the expense of everyone else.Congressmore than any other institution in American lifehas responsibility for therules that determine how our economy operates. Our lawmakers define tax and trade policy.They decide who gains and who loses when budget dollars get spent. They approve anddisapprove the regulations that shape every aspect of our marketplaces.

Members of Congress, in other words, have the capacity to make sure that all Americans,not just a privileged few, share in the wealth that we all together create.

How well are current members of Congress exercising their considerable power? We havecompiled this first annual inequality report card to answer that question.

Weve identified a series of telling legislative actions taken over the past two years that relate

to inequality. Some of these actions sought to enhance the life chances of our 99 percent.Others aimed to feather the nest of Americas most affluent 1 percent.

Those members of Congress who serve this 1 percent are failing America. In this reportcard, we have given these most reliable friends of the fortunate a grade of F.

Those members of Congress who have resisted the entreaties of our wealthyand whohave shown themselves consistently sensitive to the well-being of everyone elsehaveearned an A grade in this scorecard.

How many members of Congress are failing? Far too many. Our inequality report card givesan F to 48 lawmakers in the Houseour Failing Forty-Eight and eleven more inthe United States Senate.

But our new report card also finds reason for optimism as well. We draw hope for the futurefrom the many creative ideas for restoring fairness now percolating on Capitol Hill. Thesenew ideasmany highlighted in our inequality scorecardchallenge the political line wehear looping endlessly from apologists for our staggeringly unequal status quo, the often-asserted notion that austerity stands as our only viable option.

This new inequality report card offers Americas voters a new lens for scoping out thehandiwork of the lawmakers who represent us. Our hope: that Americans come to see the
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actions lawmakers take on our economic divide as a critically important indicator of ourfuture well-being.

With a Congress full of lawmakers who rate a solid A grade on issues around thedistribution of income and wealth, we all stand a better chance of winning.

About Our Inequality Report Card

In preparing this inequality report card, weve examined 24 legislative actions in the U.S.House of Representatives and 16 in the U.S. Senate. Weve looked at a range of issues,everything from taxes and budget priorities to support for affordable education andprotecting Americas family homes.

Some bills that we grade lawmakers on in this report cardlike the House and Senatevotes on extending the Bush tax cuts for wealthy Americanswill be familiar to manyvoters. But we also examine legislative initiatives that have gone largely unnoticed, yet stillsignificantly impact our growing economic divide.

One factor complicates the individual lawmaker focus we aim to provide with this newinequality report card. Congress today typically votes in lockstep party blocs. To avoid areport card that simply gives almost all Republicans one grade and almost all Democratsanother, weve graded members of Congress on more than just recorded votes on bills.

We have taken into account legislative actionsthe introduction and co-sponsorship ofbillsthat reflect more individual lawmaker initiative. This broader focus, we believe, canhelp us ascertain both the true champions of a more equitable society and those mostdedicated to the care and feeding of our plutocracy.

We base this report cards letter grades, from A+ to F, on point scores. For eachrecorded vote, we give one point for supporting the 99% and greater economic equalityand take away one point for actions that cheer the 1% and deepen inequality.

For bills introduced but not yet voted upon, we grant a full point to the bills chief sponsorand half-points to legislators who sign on as co-sponsors. We assign positive points, on theseactions, for bills that reduce inequality, negative points for introducing or co-sponsoring billsthat exacerbate inequality. We include only bills that have at least five co-sponsors in theSenate and 20 co-sponsors in the House. (For a more detailed explanation of our gradingsystem, see Appendix 5)

Based on these point totals and resulting grades, our Institute for Policy Studies report cardidentifies the Most 1% Friendly and Most 99% Friendly members of Congress overall,as well as the Most 1% Friendly Republicans and Democrats and the Most 99%Friendly Republicans and Democrats.

To ensure that lawmakers who fail to vote on particular bills do not skew our results, wehave excluded from our final grade tallies any member of Congress who missed more thanone recorded vote on an issue area we cover. This approach led us to exclude two senatorsand 25 representatives from our rankings.


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The Dishonor Roll:The Most 1% Friendly Members of Congress

OVERALL RANKINGS

SENATE

These 11 senators rate an F for their legislative activity over the past two years.

Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) F

Senator John Boozman (R-AR) F

Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) F

Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) F

Senator Michael Enzi (R-WY) F

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) F

Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) F

Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) F

Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE) F

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) F

Senator John Thune (R-SD) F

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

These 48 members of the U.S. House of Representatives rate an F for theirlegislative activity over the past two years.

Rep. Sandy Adams (R-FL-24) F

Rep. Dan Benishek (R-MI-1) F

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-7) F

Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX-8) F

Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL-5) F

Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN-8) F

Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (R-NY-25) F

Rep. John Campbell (R-CA-48) FRep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT-3) F

Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK-4) F

Rep. Michael Conaway (R-TX-11) F

Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR-1) F

Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA-19) F


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Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC-2) F

Rep. John Fleming (R-LA-4) F

Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ-11) F

Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-OH-18) F

Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX-12) FRep. Tim Griffin (R-AR-2) F

Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD-1) F

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO-4) F

Rep. Nan Hayworth (R-NY-19) F

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH-4) F

Rep. James Lankford (R-OK-5) F

Rep. Robert Latta (R-OH-5) F

Rep. Billy Long (R-MO-7) FRep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-WA-5) F

Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC-9) F

Rep. Rich Nugent (R-FL-5) F

Rep. Alan Nunnelee (R-MS-1) F

Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX-22) F

Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-MS-4) F

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN-6) F

Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-PA-16) F

Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS-4) F

Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL-15) F

Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL- 2) F

Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN-1) F

Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN-4) F

Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL-12) F

Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA-1) F

Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA-8) F

Rep. Tim Scott (R-SC-1) F

Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE-2) F

Rep. Scott Tipton (R-CO-3) F

Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR-3) F

Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-KS-3) F

Rep. Todd Young (R-IN-9) F


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THE MOST 1% FRIENDLY DEMOCRATS

SENATE

Within the Senate Democratic Caucus, these 6 senators did the least to narrowAmericas economic divide over the past two years.*

Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) CSenator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT)** C

Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) C

Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR) C

Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) C

Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) C

*Note: In his role as majority leader, Senator Harry Reid has twice voted procedurally on bills. He essentiallyvoted on the opposite side of his actual position to preserve his sides parliamentary right to reconsider a failedbill at a later point. We did not count these procedural votes as support for positions Reid opposes.

**Senator Lieberman, an Independent, caucuses with the Democrats.


Within the House Democratic Caucus, these 11 members did the least to narrowAmericas economic divide over the past two years.

Rep. John Barrow (D-GA-12) C+

Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK-2) C+

Rep. Ben Chandler (D-KY-6) C+

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) C+Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-IN-2)# C+

Rep. Larry Kissell (D-NC-8) C+

Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT-2) C+

Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-NC-7) # C+

Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY-23) C+

Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR-4) C+

Rep. Timothy Walz (D-MN-1) C+

#Representatives Donnelly and McIntyre each missed one recorded vote on the legislative actions on our list.


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Investing in Inequality: Who Funds the Failing 48?

Who are the 48 House lawmakers receiving Fs on their Inequality Report Cards reallyworking for? One place to look for an answer: their campaign bank accounts.

Two corporate giants, ExxonMobil and Koch Industries, have both aggressively funded the

Failing 48. In the current election cycle, ExxonMobil has contributed to 35 of the 48candidateswho earned Fs. Koch Industries invested in 27 of the 48 candidates.

Two other leading contributors to the Failing 48: Goldman Sachs, with contributions to 19of the 48, and technology and defense contractor Honeywell, with eight.

.

Kochs largest investment inthe Failing 48, $89,000, went

to Rep. Mike Pompeo, aRepublican from Kansas.

ExxonMobil made a $10,000investment in Rep. DanBenishek from Michigan, itslargest investment ininequality.

Reps. Nan Hayworth of NewYork and Tim Scott of SouthCarolina were the only two ofour Failing 48 to receivecontributions from all fourleading investors ininequality.

Hayworth, the lead sponsorof a bill to repeal the Dodd-

Frank provision that requirescorporations to disclose theirCEO-median worker payratio, received $17,999 fromHoneywell, that corporationslargest gift.


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The Honor Roll:The Most 99% Friendly Members of Congress

DEMOCRATSSENATE

These five members of the Senate Democratic Caucus did the most to narrowAmericas economic divide over the past two years.

Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) A+

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) A+

Senator Al Franken (D-MN) A+

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT)* A+

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) A+

*Senator Sanders, an Independent, caucuses with the Democrats.


These 14 members of the House Democratic Caucus did the most to narrowAmericas economic divide over the past two years.

Rep. Robert Brady (D-PA-1) A+

Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY-11) A+

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) A+

Rep. John Conyers (D-MI-14) A+

Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH-11) A+

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ-7) A+

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX-30) A+

Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA-4) A+

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH-10) A+

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-9) A+

Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA-7) A+

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-9) A+

Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA-13) A+

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA-6) A+


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REPUBLICANS

SENATE

Within the Senate Republican Caucus, these three senators did the most to narrowAmericas economic divide over the past two years.

Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) C

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) C

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) C


Within the House Republican Caucus, these nine members did the most to narrowAmericas economic divide over the past two years.

Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI-3) C+

Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA-8) C+Rep. Chris Gibson (R-NY-28) C+

Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY-13) C+

Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC-3) C+

Rep. Timothy Johnson (R-IL-15) C+

Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID-1) C+

Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-OH-14) C+

Rep. David McKinley (R-WV-1) C+

The Brady Bunch

Two of the most and least 1% friendlymembers of Congress just happen to beBradys. Pennsylvania's Bob Brady earned agrade of A+ on our inequality report card.Kevin Brady of Texas, on the other hand,received the single worst score among allmembers of the House.

Kevin Brady owes his place on the 1%dishonor roll to his lead sponsorship of a bill torepeal the federal estate tax, a measure thatdramatically shifts taxes from the wealthiest 1 percent to everyone else. The Texan hasalso been a lead sponsor of legislation that would grant a tax holiday to corporations thatuse tax havens to dodge their U.S. taxes.

Kevin Brady Bob Brady


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How the Wealthiest Members of Congress Rate

The annual salary of members of Congress, $174,000, is more than triple Americas medianhousehold income. Lawmaker average net worth, $878,500, runs nearly nine times Americasmedian family wealth, according toa recent studyby the Center for Responsive Politics.

How do the wealthiest members of Congress perform on inequality-related legislation? Welooked at the ten wealthiest lawmakers from each major party.

Member of Congress Wealth Inequality Voting Grade

Ten Wealthiest Democrats

Senator John Kerry $199 million B

Senator Mark Warner $86 million B

Senator Jay Rockefeller $83 million A-

Senator Richard Blumenthal $79 million A

Rep. Jared Polis $72 million B

Senator Frank Lautenberg $57 million A

Senator Dianne Feinstein $42 million A-

Rep. Chellie Pingree $29 million A

Rep. Nancy Pelosi $26 million B

Senator Claire McCaskill $16 million B

Ten Wealthiest Republicans

Rep. Michael McCaul $305 million C-

Rep. Darrell Issa $141 million D

Rep. Jim Renacci $37 million D-

Rep. Vern Buchanan $36 million D

Rep. Diane Black $25 million C-

Rep. Rick Berg $24 million D-

Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen $22 million F

Senator Bob Corker $20 million C-

Senator James Risch $19 million DRep. Gary Miller $17 million D
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Appendix 1: Inequality-related actionstaken in the 112th CongressThis report card is based on the following 40 congressional actions, which stand out ashaving tremendous impact (or potential impact) on economic inequality in America. We lookat bills concerning taxes, federal budget expenditures, jobs and wages, education, health care,and poverty. For each action, we indicate which position supports greater inequality andwhich support reducing inequality in the United States.

Symbols:

vote or co-sponsorship supports greater inequality: INEQUALITY

vote or co-sponsorship supports reduced inequality: INEQUALITY

TAX POLICYBush tax cuts(HR 8, S 3412)

Few issues have had greater impact on thegrowing economic divide than the 2001and 2003 Bush tax cuts. In 2012, theSenate passed legislation that caps taxbreaks at each taxpayers first $250,000 ofincome. The House, meanwhile, passed abill that extends unlimited Bush tax cutsfor all taxpayers.

Senate NO, House YES = INEQUALITY

Buffett Rule(Paying a Fair Share Act, S 2230, HR3903)

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett hasbeen outspoken in opposing tax policiesthat leave him with a lower federal tax ratethan his secretary. The Paying a Fair ShareAct, designed to establish a minimum tax

rate for upper-income Americans, failedto survive a Republican-led filibuster inthe Senate. The bills House version has72 co-sponsors.

Senate NO = INEQUALITY

House co-sponsorship = INEQUALITY

Support for declaring a corporate taxholiday on foreign income(co-sponsorship, Foreign EarningsReinvestment Act, S 1671; Freedom toInvest Act, HR 1834)

These bills would allow corporations thathave used offshore tax havens to avoidtaxes on U.S. profits to return those fundsto the United States and pay little ornothing in taxes. Revenues from U.S.corporate income taxes currently stand at

a 50-year low, even as corporate profitsare peaking at a 50-year high. The Senatebill has 11 co-sponsors, the House bill109.

Co-sponsorship = INEQUALITY

Ending abuse of offshore tax havens(Doggett Amendmentto TransportationBill Conference Report, attaching specialmeasures provision ofStop Tax HavenAbuse Act; co-sponsorship, Stop TaxHaven Abuse Act,S 1346)

Tax haven abuse by wealthy individualsand enormously profitable corporationscosts the U.S. Treasury $150 billion peryear. The Doggett Amendment wouldprovide the U.S. Treasury with specialmeasures to go after banks and other
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financial institutions that aid thesetransactions. The Stop Tax Haven AbuseAct would undertake a range of actions,including the special measures mentionedabove, in closing tax haven loopholes. The

legislation has seven Senate co-sponsors.

NO on Doggett Amend. = INEQUALITY

Co-sponsorship of Stop Tax HavenAbuse Act = INEQUALITY

Eliminating the ability of corporationsto register intellectual property abroadfor the purpose of avoiding U.S. taxes(co-sponsorship, Offshoring Prevention

Act, S 45)This bill would alter the method fordetermining the income of foreigncontrolled corporations by includingimported property income andreduce the ability of U.S. corporations toavoid their taxes. The legislation has eightco-sponsors in the Senate.


Eliminating tax subsidies for oilcompanies(Repeal Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act,S 2204)

This bill would end many of the billion-dollar subsidies for Americas mostprofitable industry.

A NO vote = INEQUALITY

Using small business tax relief as apretext for cutting the tax bills ofAmericas wealthiest

(Small Business Tax Cut Act, HR 9)

This bill purports to cut small businesstaxes. The legislation provides its greatesttax relief to Americas wealthiest families.

A YES vote = INEQUALITY

Permanently eliminating the federalestate tax(co-sponsorship, Death Tax RepealPermanency Act, HR 1259 and S 2242)

The century-old estate tax has historically

helped limit the concentration of wealth inAmerica. Less than 1 percent ofAmericans currently have enough wealthto have an estate tax liability at death.These bills would eliminate the estate taxand relax the related federal gift tax. TheHouse bill has 220 co-sponsors; theSenate version has 37 co-sponsors.


Taxing Wall Street speculation to fundjob creation(Humphrey-Hawkins 21st Century FullEmployment and Training Act, co-sponsorship of HR 4277)

This bill would tax stock and bond tradeson Wall Street to finance a fund to createjobs in affordable housing, energyconservation, infrastructure repair,education, and human services. Thislegislation has 59 co-sponsors.


BUDGET PRIORITIES

Budget legislation that slashes socialprograms that help working families,while cutting taxes for the mostprosperous individuals and mostpowerful corporations (Paul Ryan FY2013 Budget, H Con Res 34, Senate Vote)

The Ryan budget cuts programs thatbenefit the 99 percent to offset bountifultax cuts for the 1 percent. The Ryanbudget passed the House, but wasdefeated in the Senate.



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Budget legislation that invests inAmerica and protects social programsby reducing military spending andraising taxes on the wealthy andspeculative investments

(ThePeoples Budget Amendment to HCon Res 112)

This bill, offered as a substituteamendment to the Ryan budget above,would eliminate tax cuts for the wealthiestAmericans and subsidies and loopholesfor profitable corporations, whilepreserving and extending programs forworking families.

A NO vote = INEQUALITY

Preserving military spending bycutting food stamps and otherprograms serving poor Americans(Sequester Replacement ReconciliationAct, HR 5652)

This bill seeks to change the SequestrationAgreement Congress passed in 2010 toaddress the impasse over the federal debtceiling. Under that agreement, socialprograms and military spending would be

equally cut if Congress failed to agree onspending cuts that meet deficit targetsbefore the end of the current Congress.This bill would eliminate mandatory cutsto defense spending and replace themwith even more draconian cuts to socialprograms, including food stamps.

A YES vote = INEQUALITY.

JOBS/WAGES

Increase the minimum wage andindex future increases to inflation(co-sponsorship, Fair Minimum WageAct, HR 6211, S 3453)

This bill would increase the minimumwage to $9.80 an hour over two years,then index the minimum wage to

inflation. The legislation has 113 Houseco-sponsors and 16 in the Senate.


Fund $50 billion infrastructurerebuilding effort(American Jobs Act, S 1660, co-sponsorship of HR 12)

This bill would create a $50 billion fund toinvest in American infrastructure,strengthen Buy America provisions infederal procurement rules, and establishincentives to encourage lending to smallbusinesses.

A NO vote on the Senate bill =

INEQUALITYCo-sponsorship of the House bill =INEQUALITY

Using job creation as excuse forweakening SECs ability to reduce

fraud(Jumpstart Our Businesses Start-Up Act,HR 3606; Senate vote)

This bill uses the promise of job creation

as a foil for weakening investor protectionagainst fraud. The legislation reduces thepower of the SEC and erodes protectionsprovided by the Dodd-Frank andSarbanes-Oxley reforms.


Protect prevailing community wages(Amendment to Eliminate PrevailingWage Provisions of Davis-Bacon Act,

King Amendment 273to HR 1)Since 1931, the Davis-Bacon Act hasrequired that prevailing community wagesbe paid for public works jobs. Tax dollarsshould not be used to erode wage levels.

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Requiring federally funded waterinfrastructure project to use American-made products(co-sponsorship, Keep American Jobsfrom Going Down the Drain Act, HR

1684)This bill would require that materials usedin federally funded water and sewerprograms originate in the United States.This legislation has 38 cosponsors.


Prevent wage discrimination againstwomen(Paycheck Fairness Act, S 3220; co-

sponsorship of House version, HR 1519)This bill addresses the lingering wagedisparity between men and womenperforming the same jobs. It amendsexisting law to allow workers to freelyshare salary information with one anotherand to prohibit retaliation against workersraising gender-based pay concerns. Thelegislation has 196 co-sponsors in theHouse.

A NO vote on Senate bill =

INEQUALITYCo-sponsorship of House bill =INEQUALITY

Protecting U.S. call center employeesfrom having their jobs shippedoffshore(co-sponsorship, Call Center Worker andConsumer Protection Act, HR 3596)

This bill would require firms moving call

center jobs overseas to notify the U.S.Department of Labor. Companies thathave engaged in moving jobs offshorewould not be eligible for federalgovernment grants or loans for five yearsafter offshoring call center jobs. Thelegislation has 138 co-sponsors.


Reducing the ability of the NationalLabor Relations Board to protectunionized workers(Protecting Jobs from GovernmentInterference Act, HR 2587)

This bill, also known as the Boeing billand the Outsourcers Bill of Rights,would bar the NLRB from intervening inall matters pertaining to plant closings andemployee transfer and relocation. The billundermines workers rights and impedesthe duty of the NLRB to assure thatworkers are treated fairly.


Stripping the National LaborRelations Board of power to protectworkers right to organize(Senate resolution disapprovingofNational Labor Relations Board ruleallowing for expedited union formation,SJ Res 36)

This bill expresses the sense of the Senateabout a new National Labor RelationsRule seeking to update and modernizeunion elections. The United States has the

weakest labor protections of anydeveloped nation.

A YES vote = INEQUALITYRemoving protection of overtime andminimum wage laws for skilledworkers in technology industries(co-sponsorship, Computer ProfessionalsUpdate Act, S 1747)

This bill would grant a blanket exemptionfrom overtime and minimum wagerequirements for skilled workers in techindustry. Many hourly tech workers facedeadlines that necessitate overtime work.This bill would strip them of their right tobe paid time and a half. This bill has eightco-sponsors.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d112:1:./temp/~bdR8gr:@@@X|/home/LegislativeData.php|http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d112:1:./temp/~bdR8gr:@@@X|/home/LegislativeData.php|http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d112:1:./temp/~bdR8gr:@@@X|/home/LegislativeData.php|http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&session=2&vote=00068http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&session=2&vote=00068http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&session=2&vote=00068http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&session=2&vote=00068http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&session=2&vote=00068http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&session=2&vote=00068http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d112:1:./temp/~bdR8gr:@@@X|/home/LegislativeData.php|


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AFFORDABLE EDUCATION

Paying for reductions in student loaninterest rates by cutting health careservices of low-income Americans(Interest Rate Reduction Act, HR 4628)

Supporters of this bill pay for benefits toone group of working Americans withcuts to another vulnerable group, in thiscase low-income Americans who dependon public health programs.

A YES vote = INEQUALITYProtecting financial aid for low- andmoderate-income college studentsfrom cuts to balance federal budget

(co-sponsorship, Senate resolutionexpressing sense of the Senate that PellGrants should not be cut to balance thebudget, S Res 274)

This sense of the Senate resolutionexpresses support for Pell grants, a vitalprogram for low- and moderate-incomecollege students. This bill has 11 co-sponsors.


Blocking accountability of for-profituniversities that trap students intohigh-debt futures without the prospectof a job after graduating(Kline Amendmentto House Budget

Resolution, HR 1)Students at for-profit universities make upthe vast majority of Americans withdelinquent college loans. For-profitschools often saddle students with debtwithout providing many prospects for adecent job after graduation. TheDepartment of Education put forth rulesto limit access to federal college loans forschools with poor job placement recordsand high levels of student loan default.

This amendment would block that rulefrom being implemented.


KEEPING FAMILIESIN THEIR HOMES

Helping families take advantage offederal loan modificationprograms(co-sponsorship, Homeowner AdvocateAct, S 690)

This bill would require the Department ofTreasury to establish a program to helphomeowners take advantage of federalmortgage modifications. This bill has 14co-sponsors.

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2011/roll092.xmlhttp://clerk.house.gov/evs/2011/roll092.xmlhttp://clerk.house.gov/evs/2011/roll092.xmlhttp://clerk.house.gov/evs/2011/roll092.xml


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Protecting tenant rights when a rentedhome gets foreclosed(co-sponsorship of Tenant ForeclosurePrevention Act, HR 3619)

Temporary legislation has kept thousands

of families in their homes who otherwisemight have faced eviction. This bill wouldmake that law permanent. The legislationhas 24 co-sponsors.

Co-sponsorship = INEQUALITYREDUCING POVERTY

Developing a national plan fordropping poverty by half within tenyears

(co-sponsorship, Half in Ten Act, HR3300)

This bill directs the Department of Healthand Human Services to develop a plan forcutting poverty in half within ten years.The legislation has 68 co-sponsors.


Providing funding for and creatingincentives for low income families toinvest in their communities(co-sponsorship, Assets for IndependenceReauthorization Act, HR 1623)

This bill provides funding for assetdevelopment projects in low-incomecommunities. The bill has 40 co-sponsors.


ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE

Universal affordable health carecoverage(co-sponsorship of Expanded andImproved Medicare for All, HR 676)

This bill would establish a single-payernational health insurance programcovering every American, funded in partthrough a small tax on stock and bondtrades. The bill has 76 co-sponsors.


The Politics of Inequality, an OtherWords cartoon by Khalil Bendib. OtherWords.org


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Appendix 2: Member of Congress grades and statedelegation inequality GPAs in the 212th Congress(2011-2012)

Legend: Republicans are listed in italics. For each state, U.S. Senators are listed first, followed byHouse of Representatives members with their district number next to their name. AL = at-largemembers representing the entire state. INC = Incomplete, indicating the legislator missed 2 ormore recorded votes. More details on scoring system can be found in Appendix 5. A table listingeach legislators voting record and their numerical scores can be found at:http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/inequality-report-card/

ALABAMA D GPA 0.9

Sen. Jeff Sessions DSen. Richard Shelby D

Jo Bonner 1 D-

Martha Roby 2 F

Mike Rogers 3 D-

Robert Aderholt 4 D-

Mo Brooks 5 F

Spencer Bachus 6 D-

Terri Sewell 7 B+

ALASKA C+ GPA 2.4

Sen. Mark Begich B+

Sen. Lisa Murkowski C

Don Young AL C

ARIZONA C GPA 2

Sen. Jon Kyl D

Sen. John McCain F

Paul Gosar 1 INC

Trent Franks 2 D+

Ben Quayle 3 INC

Ed Pastor 4 A

David Schweikert 5 C-

Jeff Flake 6 C

Raul Grijalva 7 A+

Ron Barber 8 INC

ARKANSAS D- GPA 0.7

Sen. John Boozman FSen. Mark Pryor C

Rick Crawford 1 F

Tim Griffin 2 F

Steve Womack 3 F

Mike Ross 4 C+

CALIFORNIA B- GPA 2.6

Sen. Barbara Boxer A-

Sen. Dianne Feinstein A-

Mike Thompson 1 B

Wally Herger 2 D-

Daniel Lungren 3 D-

Tom McClintock 4 C

Doris Matsui 5 B+

Lynn Woolsey 6 A+

George Miller 7 A

Nancy Pelosi 8 B

Barbara Lee 9 A+

John Garamendi 10 B

Jerry McNerney 11 B

Jackie Speier 12 B

Pete Stark 13 A+

Anna Eshoo 14 B

Mike Honda 15 A

Zoe Lofgren 16 A-

Sam Farr 17 A

VACANT 18

Jeff Denham 19 F
http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/inequality-report-card/http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/inequality-report-card/http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/inequality-report-card/http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/inequality-report-card/http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/inequality-report-card/http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/inequality-report-card/


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Jim Costa 20 B-

Devin Nunes 21 INC

Kevin McCarthy 22 D

Lois Capps 23 B+

Elton Gallegly 24 D-

Buck McKeon 25 D

David Dreier 26 D-Brad Sherman 27 B

Howard Berman 28 INC

Adam Schiff 29 B+

Henry Waxman 30 A

Xavier Becerra 31 A

Judy Chu 32 A

Karen Bass 33 A

Lucille Roybal-Allard 34 A

Maxine Waters 35 A

Janice Hahn 36 INC

Laura Richardson 37 A

Grace Napolitano 38 INCLinda Snchez 39 A

Ed Royce 40 C-

Jerry Lewis 41 D

Gary Miller 42 D

Joe Baca 43 B

Ken Calvert 44 D-

Mary Bono Mack 45 D

Dana Rohrabacher 46 C

Loretta Sanchez 47 B

John Campbell 48 F

Darrell Issa 49 D

Brian Bilbray 50 C-Bob Filner 51 INC

Duncan Hunter 52 D

Susan Davis 53 B+

COLORADO C+ GPA 2.2

Sen. Michael Bennet C+

Sen. Mark Udall B

Diana DeGette 1 B+

Jared Polis 2 B

ScottTipton 3 F

Cory Gardner 4 C-

Doug Lamborn 5 C-

Mike Coffman 6 C-

Ed Perlmutter 7 B-

CONNECTICUT B+ GPA 3.3

Sen. Richard Blumenthal A

Sen. Joe Lieberman C

John Larson 1 B+

Joe Courtney 2 A-Rosa DeLauro 3 A-

Jim Himes 4 B

Christopher Murphy 5 B+

DELAWARE B GPA 3

Sen. Thomas Carper B

Sen. Chris Coons B

John Carney AL B

FLORIDA C- GPA 1.6

Sen. Bill Nelson B+

Sen. Marco Rubio D

Jeff Miller 1 D+

Steve Southerland 2 D-

Corrine Brown 3 A

Ander Crenshaw 4 D-

Richard Nugent 5 F

Cliff Stearns 6 D-

John Mica 7 DDaniel Webster 8 D

Gus Bilirakis 9 D-

Bill Young 10 D

Kathy Castor 11 B

Dennis Ross 12 F

Vern Buchanan 13 D

Connie Mack 14 C

Bill Posey 15 F

Tom Rooney 16 D-

Frederica Wilson 17 A-

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen 18 C-

Ted Deutch 19 ADebbie WassermanSchultz 20 B

Mario Diaz-Balart 21 C

Allen West 22 D-

Alcee Hastings 23 A

Sandy Adams 24 F

David Rivera 25 C-


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GEORGIA C- GPA 1.8

Sen. Saxby Chambliss F

Sen. Johnny Isakson F

Jack Kingston 1 D

Sanford Bishop 2 B

Lynn Westmoreland 3 D+

Hank Johnson 4 A+

John Lewis 5 A

Tom Price 6 C-

Robert Woodall 7 C

Austin Scott 8 F

Tom Graves 9 D+

Paul Broun 10 C

Phil Gingrey 11 D

John Barrow 12 C+

David Scott 13 B

HAWAII B+ GPA 3.3

Sen. Daniel Akaka B+

Sen. Daniel Inouye B

Colleen Hanabusa 1 B

Mazie Hirono 2 A-

IDAHO D+ GPA 1.3

Sen. Mike Crapo DSen. James Risch D

Raul Labrador 1 C+

Mike Simpson 2 D-

ILLINOIS C+ GPA 2.4

Sen. Dick Durbin A+

Sen. Mark Kirk INC

Bobby Rush 1 A

Jesse Jackson 2 INCDaniel Lipinski 3 B-

Luis Gutierrez 4 A

Mike Quigley 5 B

Peter Roskam 6 C-

Danny Davis 7 A

Joe Walsh 8 C

Jan Schakowsky 9 A+

Robert Dold 10 D+

Adam Kinzinger 11 C-

Jerry Costello 12 B-

Judy Biggert 13 D+

Randy Hultgren 14 D+

Timothy Johnson 15 C+

Donald Manzullo 16 D

Bobby Schilling 17 D+Aaron Schock 18 C-

John Shimkus 19 C-

INDIANA D+ GPA 1.2

Sen. Daniel Coats D

Sen. Richard Lugar D

Peter Visclosky 1 B

Joe Donnelly 2 C+

Marlin Stutzman 3 D

Todd Rokita 4 F

Dan Burton 5 D

Mike Pence 6 F

Andr Carson 7 A

Larry Bucshon 8 F

Todd Young 9 F

IOWA C+ GPA 2.3

Sen. Charles Grassley D

Sen. Tom Harkin A

Bruce Braley 1 B

David Loebsack 2 B-

Leonard Boswell 3 B-

Tom Latham 4 C-

Steve King 5 D-

KANSAS D- GPA 0.8

Sen. Jerry Moran D

Sen. Pat Roberts C-

Tim Huelskamp 1 D+

Lynn Jenkins 2 D

Kevin Yoder 3 F

Mike Pompeo 4 F


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KENTUCKY C- GPA 1.5

Sen. Mitch McConnell D

Sen. Rand Paul D

Ed Whitfield 1 C

Brett Guthrie 2 D-John Yarmuth 3 B

VACANT 4

Harold Rogers 5 D-

Ben Chandler 6 C+

LOUISIANA D+ GPA 1.3

Sen. Mary Landrieu B

Sen. David Vitter D

Steve Scalise 1 F

Cedric Richmond 2 B

Jeffrey Landry 3 INC

John Fleming 4 F

Rodney Alexander 5 C-

William Cassidy 6 D

Charles Boustany 7 D-

MAINE B- GPA 2.8

Sen. Susan Collins C

Sen. Olympia Snowe C

Chellie Pingree 1 A

Michael Michaud 2 B

MARYLAND B GPA 3

Sen. Ben Cardin A-

Sen. Barbara Mikulski A-

Andy Harris 1 F

Dutch Ruppersberger 2 B

John Sarbanes 3 A

Donna Edwards 4 ASteny Hoyer 5 B

Roscoe Bartlett 6 C-

Elijah Cummings 7 A

Chris Van Hollen 8 B

MASSACHUSETTS A- GPA 3.5

Sen. Scott Brown C-

Sen. John Kerry B

John Olver 1 A

Richard Neal 2 A-

James McGovern 3 A

Barney Frank 4 A

Niki Tsongas 5 B+

John Tierney 6 A-

Ed Markey 7 A

Michael Capuano 8 A

Stephen Lynch 9 B+

William Keating 10 B+

MICHIGAN C+ GPA 2.4

Sen. Carl Levin A

Sen. Debbie Stabenow B+

Dan Benishek 1 F

Bill Huizenga 2 C-

Justin Amash 3 C+

Dave Camp 4 D+

Dale Kildee 5 A

Fred Upton 6 D-

Tim Walberg 7 D+

Mike Rogers 8 D-

Gary Peters 9 B

Candice Miller 10 C-

VACANT 11Sander Levin 12 B

Hansen Clarke 13 A

John Conyers 14 A+

John Dingell 15 A

MINNESOTA C+ GPA 2.3

Sen. Al Franken A+

Sen. Amy Klobuchar B

Timothy Walz 1 C+

John Kline 2 D-

Erik Paulsen 3 D

Betty McCollum 4 INC

Keith Ellison 5 A

Michele Bachmann 6 D+

Collin Peterson 7 B-

Chip Cravaack 8 C-


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MISSISSIPPI D GPA 1

Sen. Thad Cochran D

Sen. Roger Wicker D

Alan Nunnelee 1 F

Bennie Thompson 2 B

Gregg Harper 3 D-

Steven Palazzo 4 F

MISSOURI C- GPA 1.8

Sen. Roy Blunt F

Sen. Claire McCaskill B

Lacy Clay 1 A

Todd Akin 2 INC

Russ Carnahan 3 A-

Vicky Hartzler 4 F

Emanuel Cleaver 5 A

Sam Graves 6 D-

Billy Long 7 F

Jo Ann Emerson 8 C-

Blaine Luetkemeyer 9 D-

MONTANA C- GPA 1.5

Sen. Max Baucus A-

Sen. Jon Tester C

Dennis Rehberg AL D+

NEBRASKA D GPA 0.9

Sen. Mike Johanns F

Sen. Ben Nelson C

Jeff Fortenberry 1 C

Lee Terry 2 F

Adrian Smith 3 D-

NEVADA C- GPA 1.8

Sen. Dean Heller F

Sen. Harry Reid B

Shelley Berkley 1 B

Mark Amodei 2 INC

Joe Heck 3 D+

NEW HAMPSHIRE C- GPA 1.8

Sen. Kelly Ayotte D

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen B+

Frank Guinta 1 D

Charles Bass 2 C

NEW JERSEY B- GPA 2.8

Sen. Frank Lautenberg A

Sen. Robert Menendez B+

Robert Andrews 1 A-

Frank LoBiondo 2 C

Jon Runyan 3 C

Chris Smith 4 C

Scott Garrett 5 C-

Frank Pallone 6 A

Leonard Lance 7 C-

Bill Pascrell 8 A

Steven Rothman 9 A-

VACANT 10

Rodney Frelinghuysen 11 F

Rush Holt 12 A

Albio Sires 13 B-

NEW MEXICO B- GPA 2.6

Sen. Jeff Bingaman B

Sen. Tom Udall A-

Martin Heinrich 1 B-

Steve Pearce 2 D-

Ben Lujn 3 B

NEW YORK B- GPA 2.6

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand A

Sen. Chuck Schumer C+

Timothy Bishop 1 B-

Steve Israel 2 B

Pete King 3 C-

Carolyn McCarthy 4 B

Gary Ackerman 5 B

Gregory Meeks 6 INC

Joseph Crowley 7 B-

Jerrold Nadler 8 A


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Robert Turner 9 D

Edolphus Towns 10 INC

Yvette Clarke 11 A+

Nydia Velzquez 12 A-

Michael Grimm 13 C+

Carolyn Maloney 14 B

Charles Rangel 15 INCJse Serrano 16 A

Eliot Engel 17 B

Nita Lowey 18 B

Nan Hayworth 19 F

Chris Gibson 20 C+

Paul Tonko 21 A-

Maurice Hinchey 22 A

Bill Owens 23 C+

Richard Hanna 24 C-

Ann Marie Buerkle 25 F

Kathy Hochul 26 INC

Brian Higgins 27 BLouise Slaughter 28 INC

Tom Reed 29 D-

NORTH CAROLINA C GPA 2.1

Sen. Richard Burr F

Sen. Kay Hagan C

G.K. Butterfield 1 A-

Renee Ellmers 2 F

Walter Jones 3 C+David Price 4 A-

Virginia Foxx 5 C-

Howard Coble 6 C

Mike McIntyre 7 C+

Larry Kissell 8 C+

Sue Myrick 9 F

Patrick McHenry 10 D

Heath Shuler 11 INC

Mel Watt 12 A-

Brad Miller 13 A

NORTH DAKOTA C- GPA 1.8

Sen. Kent Conrad A-

Sen. John Hoeven D

Rick Berg AL D-

OHIO C GPA 1.9

Sen. Sherrod Brown A+

Sen. Rob Portman D

Steve Chabot 1 D-

Jean Schmidt 2 C-

Michael Turner 3 INC

Jim Jordan 4 F

Robert Latta 5 F

Bill Johnson 6 D+

Steve Austria 7 D-

John Boehner 8 INC

Marcy Kaptur 9 A

Dennis Kucinich 10 A+

Marcia Fudge 11 A+

Pat Tiberi 12 C-

Betty Sutton 13 B

Steven LaTourette 14 C+

Steve Stivers 15 D+

Jim Renacci 16 D-

Tim Ryan 17 B+

Bob Gibbs 18 F

OKLAHOMA D GPA 0.9

Sen. Tom Coburn C-

Sen. James Inhofe D

John Sullivan 1 D-

Dan Boren 2 C+

Frank Lucas 3 D-

Tom Cole 4 F

James Lankford 5 F

OREGON B+ GPA 3.2

Sen. Jeff Merkley A

Sen. Ron Wyden B+

Suzanne Bonamici 1 INC

Greg Walden 2 C-Earl Blumenauer 3 A-

Peter DeFazio 4 B+

Kurt Schrader 5 B


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PENNSYLVANIA C GPA 2.1

Sen. Robert Casey B

Sen. Patrick Toomey D

Robert Brady 1 A+

Chaka Fattah 2 A

Mike Kelly 3 D+

Jason Altmire 4 B-

Glenn Thompson 5 D-

Jim Gerlach 6 C-

Pat Meehan 7 C

Michael Fitzpatrick 8 C+

Bill Shuster 9 D

Tom Marino 10 INC

Lou Barletta 11 D

Mark Critz 12 B-

Allyson Schwartz 13 B

Mike Doyle 14 A

Charles Dent 15 D-

Joseph Pitts 16 F

Tim Holden 17 B

Tim Murphy 18 C

Todd Platts 19 C-

RHODE ISLAND A- GPA 3.7

Sen. Jack Reed A

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse A+

David Cicilline 1 B+

Jim Langevin 2 B+

SOUTH CAROLINA D+ GPA 1.3

Sen. Jim DeMint D

Sen. Lindsey Graham F

Tim Scott 1 F

Joe Wilson 2 D+

Jeff Duncan 3 D+

Trey Gowdy 4 D+

Mick Mulvaney 5 C

James Clyburn 6 B+

SOUTH DAKOTA D+ GPA 1.4

Sen. Tim Johnson B+

Sen. John Thune F

Kristi Noem AL D

TENNESSEE C- GPA 1.6

Sen. Lamar Alexander C-

Sen. Bob Corker C-

Phil Roe 1 F

John Duncan 2 C

Chuck Fleischmann 3 D

Scott DesJarlais 4 D-

Jim Cooper 5 B-

Diane Black 6 C-

Marsha Blackburn 7 F

Stephen Fincher 8 C-

Steve Cohen 9 A+

TEXAS C- GPA 1.5

Sen. John Cornyn D

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison C-

Louie Gohmert 1 C

Ted Poe 2 D-

Sam Johnson 3 D-Ralph Hall 4 D-

Jeb Hensarling 5 D-

Joe Barton 6 D-

John Culberson 7 D-

Kevin Brady 8 F

Al Green 9 A

Michael McCaul 10 C-

Michael Conaway 11 F

Kay Granger 12 F

Mac Thornberry 13 D-

Ron Paul 14 INC

Rubn Hinojosa 15 INCSilvestre Reyes 16 B

Bill Flores 17 D

Sheila Jackson Lee 18 A

Randy Neugebauer 19 D+

Charlie Gonzalez 20 B

Lamar Smith 21 D

Pete Olson 22 F

Francisco Canseco 23 D


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Kenny Marchant 24 D

Lloyd Doggett 25 B+

Michael Burgess 26 D

Blake Farenthold 27 D-

Henry Cuellar 28 C+

Gene Green 29 A-

Eddie Bernice Johnson 30 A+John Carter 31 D-

Pete Sessions 32 D-

UTAH D GPA 1.1

Sen. Orrin Hatch INC

Sen. Mike Lee D

Rob Bishop 1 D

Jim Matheson 2 C+

Jason Chaffetz 3 F

VERMONT A+ GPA 4

Sen. Patrick Leahy A

Sen. Bernie Sanders A+

Peter Welch AL A

VIRGINIA C- GPA 1.8

Sen. Mark Warner B

Sen. Jim Webb C

Robert Wittman 1 D-

Scott Rigell 2 C-

Robert Scott 3 A-

Randy Forbes 4 D-

Robert Hurt 5 D-

Bob Goodlatte 6 D

Eric Cantor 7 D

James Moran 8 A

Morgan Griffith 9 D-

Frank Wolf 10 C

Gerry Connolly 11 B-

WASHINGTON C+ GPA 2.4

Sen. Maria Cantwell B

Sen. Patty Murray A

VACANT 1

Rick Larsen 2 B

Jaime Herrera Beutler 3 C

Doc Hastings 4 D-

Cathy McMorris Rodgers 5 F

Norman Dicks 6 B

Jim McDermott 7 A+

David Reichert 8 D

Adam Smith 9 B+

WEST VIRGINIA B- GPA 2.6

Sen. Joe Manchin C+

Sen. Jay Rockefeller A-

David McKinley 1 C+

Shelley Moore Capito 2 C-

Nick Rahall 3 B

WISCONSIN C+ GPA 2.3

Sen. Ron Johnson C-

Sen. Herb Kohl B

Paul Ryan 1 CTammy Baldwin 2 A-

Ron Kind 3 B-

Gwen Moore 4 A

James Sensenbrenner 5 C

Thomas Petri 6 C

Sean Duffy 7 D-

Reid Ribble 8 D+

WYOMING D - GPA 0.8

Sen. John Barrasso D

Sen. Michael Enzi F

Cynthia Lummis AL D+


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Appendix 3: State delegation gradescompared to state poverty andeconomic inequality (Gini coefficient) rankings

STATE GPA GRADE 1% Friendly Poverty Gini Rank Gini

Rank Rank 1=most unequal

MISSISSIPPI 1 D 7 1 11 0.474

NEW MEXICO 2.6 B- 37 2 4 0.482

LOUISIANA 1.3 D+ 10 3 3 0.484

ARKANSAS 0.7 D- 1 4 18 0.468

KENTUCKY 1.5 C- 13 5 16 0.471

GEORGIA 1.8 C- 18 5 7 0.477

ALABAMA 0.9 D 4 7 11 0.474

ARIZONA 2 C 25 7 27 0.460

SOUTH CAROLINA 1.3 D+ 12 9 21 0.465

WEST VIRGINIA 2.6 B- 37 10 13 0.472TEXAS 1.5 C- 13 11 7 0.477

TENNESSEE 1.6 C- 16 12 10 0.476

NORTH CAROLINA 2.1 C 27 13 13 0.472

MICHIGAN 2.4 C+ 33 14 23 0.461

OREGON 3.2 B+ 45 14 28 0.459

OKLAHOMA 0.9 D 4 16 23 0.461

FLORIDA 1.6 C- 16 17 5 0.481

CALIFORNIA 2.6 B- 37 18 5 0.481

IDAHO 1.3 D+ 10 19 44 0.432

OHIO 1.9 C 24 20 28 0.459

INDIANA 1.2 D+ 9 21 20 0.466

NEW YORK 2.6 B- 37 21 1 0.499NEVADA 1.8 C- 18 23 31 0.453

MISSOURI 1.8 C- 18 24 23 0.461

ILLINOIS 2.4 C+ 33 25 13 0.472

MONTANA 1.5 C- 13 26 41 0.435

RHODE ISLAND 3.7 A- 49 27 19 0.467

MAINE 2.8 B- 41 28 33 0.451

SOUTH DAKOTA 1.4 D+ 25 29 44 0.432

WASHINGTON 2.4 C+ 33 29 35 0.445

KANSAS 0.8 D- 2 31 37 0.444

PENNSYLVANIA 2.1 C 27 31 23 0.461

UTAH 1.1 D 8 33 48 0.425

COLORADO 2.2 C+ 29 33 28 0.459NEBRASKA 0.9 D 4 35 31 0.453WISCONSIN 2.3 C+ 30 35 40 0.437

IOWA 2.3 C+ 30 37 43 0.434

NORTH DAKOTA 1.8 C- 18 38 35 0.445

HAWAII 3.3 B+ 46 39 47 0.430

MINNESOTA 2.3 C+ 30 40 37 0.444

DELAWARE 3 B 43 40 39 0.440

MASSACHUSETTS 3.5 A- 48 42 7 0.477


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VIRGINIA 1.8 C- 18 43 22 0.463

VERMONT 4 A+ 50 43 46 0.431

WYOMING 0.8 D- 2 45 50 0.408

CONNECTICUT 3.3 B+ 46 46 2 0.486

ALASKA 2.4 C+ 33 47 49 0.410

NEW JERSEY 2.8 B- 41 48 17 0.469

MARYLAND 3 B 43 49 34 0.447NEW HAMPSHIRE 1.8 C- 18 50 41 0.435


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Appendix 4: Methodology and Sources

For each congressionalaction evaluated we awarded numerical points as follows: Recorded votesthat would widen inequality (in favor of the 1%) minus 1 point; for recorded votes in favor of

reducing inequality (in favor of the 99 percent) plus 1 point; for sponsorship of bills that wouldincrease inequality, minus 1 point for lead sponsor; minus 0.5 point for co-sponsors. Forsponsorship of bills that would reduce inequality, plus 1 point for lead sponsor, plus 0.5 point forco-sponsors.

We then calculated numerical point scores for all Members, excluding those who missed morethan one recorded vote (they received INC, for incomplete. Details on each Members vote andsponsorship record along with point totals can be found at [insert link]

We next broke each chamber of Congress into five equal groups and assigned letter grades Athrough F. Where large groups of Members had the same score, we bumped them into the betterletter grade. For instance in the House, there are substantially more than a fifth of Members witha grade of D, but substantially less with the grade of F. We looked for groupings at the top and

bottom of each grade, and awarded + and - rankings accordingly.Grade adjustments: In his role as Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid twice voted against theposition of other Democrats. He did so in order to preserve the parliamentary right to reconsidera vote that had failed. We adjusted his votes on these two bills and adjusted his grade accordingly.Senator Rand Paul voted against the Ryan Budget, a vote we regard as favoring the 99%.However, in explaining his vote, Senator Paul made clear he opposed the bill because it did notcut spending enough, a move that would have hurt the 99% even more than the Ryan Budget. Sowe adjusted his vote on this issue and his grade accordingly. According to House tradition, theSpeaker of the House votes only in the case of a tie. As there were no ties on the issues wecovered, Speaker Boehner made no recorded votes and was thereby awarded a grade ofincomplete.

Grade distribution break-down:

House of Representatives Grade Senate

14 A+ 550 A 919 A- 818 B+ 847 B 1416 B- 020 C+ 326 C 9

35 C- 723 D+ 035 D 2454 D- 048 F 1125 INC(omplete) 2


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Data Sources:

Recorded votes: official records of theHouseandSenate. Roll Call vote numbers can be found at the topof each column of this spreadsheet detailing Member votes and sponsorship activity:http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/inequality-report-card/

Bill Co-Sponsors: Library of Congresss Thomas database. Information on bill co-sponsors is current as

of September 4, 2012.Congressional wealth:50 Richest Members of Congress in Roll Call(newspaper serving Capitol Hill)http://www.rollcall.com/50richest/the-50-richest-members-of-congress-112th-2012.html

Corporate funders of the Failing 48:www.opensecrets.org

State poverty and Gini coefficients by state: U.S. Census Bureau. State poverty data from Table 1found on page 3 of this report:http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/acsbr11-01.pdf State inequalitydata (GINI coefficients) is found in Appendix Table 1, page 5, here:http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/acsbr11-02.pdf
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2012/index.asphttp://clerk.house.gov/evs/2012/index.asphttp://clerk.house.gov/evs/2012/index.asphttp://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/a_three_sections_with_teasers/votes.htmhttp://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/a_three_sections_with_teasers/votes.htmhttp://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/a_three_sections_with_teasers/votes.htmhttp://www.ips-dc.org/reports/inequality-report-card/http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/inequality-report-card/http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/inequality-report-card/http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/inequality-report-card/http://www.opensecrets.org/http://www.opensecrets.org/http://www.opensecrets.org/http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/acsbr11-01.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/acsbr11-01.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/acsbr11-01.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/acsbr11-01.pdfhttp://www.opensecrets.org/http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/inequality-report-card/http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/inequality-report-card/http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/a_three_sections_with_teasers/votes.htmhttp://clerk.house.gov/evs/2012/index.asp

inequality report card 2012 - institute for policy studies

Documents