Representative Al Lawson


photo of Representative Al Lawson
Party:Democratic
State:Florida (District 5)
Joined the House:2017
Left the House:Incumbent (term ends 2021)
Birth Date:September 23, 1948
Phone:202-225-0123
Contact:Web form
URL:Official site
Fundraising History:Open Secrets
Election History:Ballotpedia
Biography:Wikipedia


Summary of voting record: Representative Lawson opposes big business, hawkish foreign policy and supports taxing businesses, consumer protection, environmental protection, financial sector regulation, gun control, public health, humane immigration policy, labor rights and wages, lgbt rights, avoiding default, racial equality, increasing revenues, taxing the wealthy, countering russian interference, a robust safety net, women's rights.
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Voting Record: Al Lawson


Favors
the middle class
96% of the time
 
 
Economics scale
 
Favors
the wealthy
4% of the time


 
Favors
broad civil rights
100% of the time
 
 
Social Policy scale
 
Favors
narrow civil rights
0% of the time


 

Specific Policy Areas


supports
Increasing Revenues
100% of the time
 
Increasing Revenues scale
Title: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (2017 roll call h699)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2017-12-20 Weight: 10
Scoring explanation: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act cut revenues enough to increase the debt by an estimated $1 trillion, even considering growth generated.

supports
Racial Equality
100% of the time
 
Racial Equality scale
Title: Rescinding CFPB rule that extended anti-discrimination protections to auto loans (2018 roll call h171)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-05-08 Weight: 3

Title: FAIR Act (2019 roll call h540)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-09-20 Weight: 4

Title: Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act of 2019 (2019 roll call h597)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-10-30 Weight: 1
Scoring explanation: Bill to protect the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area from commercial exploitation.

Title: Improving Corporate Governance Through Diversity Act of 2019 (2019 roll call h630)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-11-19 Weight: 3
Scoring explanation: Bill to require corporations to disclose the racial and gender composition of their boards.

supports
Avoiding Default
100% of the time
 
Avoiding Default scale
Title: Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2020, and Further Health Extenders Act of 2019 (2019 roll call h631)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-11-19 Weight: 1
Scoring explanation: Continuing resolution to fund the government

supports
Taxing the Wealthy
100% of the time
 
Taxing the Wealthy scale
Title: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (2017 roll call h699)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2017-12-20 Weight: 10
Scoring explanation: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act massively cut taxes on the wealthy.

supports
Countering Russian Interference
100% of the time
 
Countering Russian Interference scale
Title: Instructing DOJ to provide details of ongoing Russia investigation to the House (2018 roll call h305)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-06-28 Weight: 3
Scoring explanation: Insisting that the Department of Justice fully comply with the requests, including subpoenas, of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the subpoena issued by the Committee on the Judiciary relating to potential violations of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act by personnel of the Department of Justice and related matters.

Title: Interior, Environment, Financial Services, and General Government Appropriations Act, 2019 (2018 roll call h365)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-07-19 Weight: 6
Scoring explanation: Bill eliminated funding for election security measures implemented by states.

Title: SHIELD Act (2019 roll call h583)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-10-23 Weight: 10
Scoring explanation: Bill to counter foreign election interference.

supports
Women's Rights
100% of the time
 
Women's Rights scale
Title: Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (2017 roll call h549)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2017-10-03 Weight: 6
Scoring explanation: Prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks except in very narrow circumstances such as a case of incest that had been reported the law enforcement, cases of rape where the woman received medical treatment for the rape and cases where the pregnancy poses particular kinds of threats to the life of the mother, but prohibits abortion in other cases of rape, incest or threat to the life of the mother.

Title: Bill to prohibit private insurance companies from covering abortion (2017 roll call h65)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2017-01-24 Weight: 8

Title: Resolution to permit blocking HHS from funding organizations that provide family planning services (2017 roll call h99)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2017-02-16 Weight: 8

Title: Equality Act (2019 roll call h217)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-05-17 Weight: 10
Scoring explanation: Broad bill to prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.

Title: FAIR Act (2019 roll call h540)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-09-20 Weight: 4

supports
a Robust Safety Net
100% of the time
 
a Robust Safety Net scale
Title: Spending Cuts to Expired and Unnecessary Programs Act (2018 roll call h243)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-06-07 Weight: 2
Scoring explanation: Cutting funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicare and Hurricane Sandy relief.

supports
LGBT Rights
100% of the time
 
LGBT Rights scale
Title: Equality Act (2019 roll call h217)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-05-17 Weight: 10
Scoring explanation: Broad bill to prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.

supports
Labor Rights and Wages
100% of the time
 
Labor Rights and Wages scale
Title: Raise the Wage Act (2019 roll call h496)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-07-18 Weight: 10
Scoring explanation: Bill to increase the federal minimum wage.

Title: Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act (2019 roll call h505)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-07-24 Weight: 5
Scoring explanation: Bill to provide loans to multi-employer pension funds facing bankruptcy.

supports
Consumer Protection
100% of the time
 
Consumer Protection scale
Title: Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2018 (2018 roll call h177)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-05-09 Weight: 2
Scoring explanation: Undermining the FTC's powers of antitrust regulation.

supports
Taxing Businesses
100% of the time
 
Taxing Businesses scale
Title: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (2017 roll call h699)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2017-12-20 Weight: 10
Scoring explanation: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act massively cut taxes on businesses.

supports
Environmental Protection
100% of the time
 
Environmental Protection scale
Title: Ozone Standards Implementation Act of 2017 (2017 roll call h391)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2017-07-18 Weight: 1
Scoring explanation: Easing ozone restrictions

Title: Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017 (2017 roll call h598)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2017-11-01 Weight: 2
Scoring explanation: Bill to reduce environmental environmental review of initiatives in federal forests.

Title: Expressing disapproval of the ANWAR environmental protections (2017 roll call h98)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2017-02-16 Weight: 1

Title: Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019 (2018 roll call h253)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-06-08 Weight: 2
Scoring explanation: Cutting funding for various clean energy initiatives.

Title: Sense of Congress on Carbon Tax (2018 roll call h363)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-07-19 Weight: 1
Scoring explanation: Expresses the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to American families and businesses and is not in the best interest of the United States.

Title: Interior, Environment, Financial Services, and General Government Appropriations Act, 2019 (2018 roll call h365)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-07-19 Weight: 6
Scoring explanation: Bill dramatically reducing funding for environmental protection programs in the EPA and Department of the Interior and forbidding those agencies from engaging in certain environmental regulation.

Title: Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act (2019 roll call h530)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-09-12 Weight: 4
Scoring explanation: Bill prohibiting drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Title: Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act of 2019 (2019 roll call h597)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-10-30 Weight: 1
Scoring explanation: Bill to protect the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area from commercial exploitation, including oil and gas production and mining.

Title: Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act (2019 roll call h602)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-10-30 Weight: 2
Scoring explanation: Bill to protect the Grand Canyon from commercial exploitation, including mining.

supports
Gun Control
100% of the time
 
Gun Control scale
Title: Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 (2017 roll call h663)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2017-12-06 Weight: 7
Scoring explanation: The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 would allow concealed carry permit holders in one state to carry in another state.

supports
Public Health
100% of the time
 
Public Health scale
Title: Resolution to permit blocking HHS from funding organizations that provide family planning services (2017 roll call h99)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2017-02-16 Weight: 4

Title: Spending Cuts to Expired and Unnecessary Programs Act (2018 roll call h243)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-06-07 Weight: 3
Scoring explanation: Cutting funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Title: Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Act of 2018 (2018 roll call h258)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-06-12 Weight: 2
Scoring explanation: Requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or operate comprehensive opioid recovery centers.

Title: Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (2018 roll call h287)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-06-22 Weight: 2
Scoring explanation: Providing broader access to opioid treatment

supports
Humane Immigration Policy
96% of the time
 
Humane Immigration Policy scale
Title: Securing America's Future Act of 2018 (2018 roll call h282)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-06-21 Weight: 5
Scoring explanation: A particularly restrictive immigration reform bill introduced by Representative Goodlatte.

Title: Proceeding with a vote on restrictive immigration legislation (2018 roll call h286)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-06-21 Weight: 2

Title: Expressing support for ICE (2018 roll call h337)
Vote: Aye (decreases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-07-18 Weight: 1
Scoring explanation: Expresses support for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the wake of the implementation of the policy of separating families at the border.

Title: Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2019 (2019 roll call h437)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-07-10 Weight: 2
Scoring explanation: Bill to increase caps for certain high-skill visa categories.

Title: Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and Border Protection Custody Act (2019 roll call h507)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-07-24 Weight: 10
Scoring explanation: Bill to establish minimum treatment standards for detained immigrants.

Title: Homeland Security Improvement Act (2019 roll call h546)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-09-25 Weight: 3
Scoring explanation: Bill to establish an ombudsman in DHS to address mistreatment of detained immigrants.

Title: U.S. Border Patrol Medical Screening Standards Act (2019 roll call h552)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-09-26 Weight: 2
Scoring explanation: Bill to establish standard for medical care of detained immigrants.

supports
Financial Sector Regulation
72% of the time
 
Financial Sector Regulation scale
Title: Financial CHOICE Act of 2017 (2017 roll call h295)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2017-06-08 Weight: 9
Scoring explanation: Repeals Dodd-Frank and various other financial regulations.

Title: SEC Regulatory Accountability Act curtailing the regulatory powers of the SEC (2017 roll call h51)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2017-01-12 Weight: 2

Title: Regulation A+ Improvement Act of 2017 (2018 roll call h110)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-03-15 Weight: 1
Scoring explanation: Amends the Securities Act of 1933 to increase the dollar limit of certain securities offerings exempt from registration requirements from $50 million annually to $75 million annually.

Title: Financial Institutions Examination Fairness and Reform Act (2018 roll call h112)
Vote: Aye (decreases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-03-15 Weight: 1
Scoring explanation: Putting strict limits on bank examiners.

Title: Volcker Rule Regulatory Harmonization Act (2018 roll call h139)
Vote: Aye (decreases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-04-13 Weight: 4
Scoring explanation: Bill to undermine the Volcker Rule, which prohibits lenders from making speculative investments with account holders' funds.

Title: Mortgage Choice Act of 2017 (2018 roll call h64)
Vote: Aye (decreases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-02-08 Weight: 2

Title: Protecting Consumers' Access to Credit Act of 2017 (2018 roll call h78)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-02-14 Weight: 4
Scoring explanation: Bill allowing non-bank lenders to charge higher interest rates than are typically permitted.

Title: Corporate Transparency Act of 2019 (2019 roll call h577)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-10-22 Weight: 2
Scoring explanation: Bill to require shell corporations to reveal their beneficial owner.

supports
Higher Spending
66.7% of the time
 
Higher Spending scale
Title: Spending Cuts to Expired and Unnecessary Programs Act (2018 roll call h243)
Vote: Nay (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-06-07 Weight: 1
Scoring explanation: Cutting $15b in funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicare and Hurricane Sandy relief.

Title: Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act (2019 roll call h505)
Vote: Aye (increases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-07-24 Weight: 3
Scoring explanation: Bill to provide loans to multi-employer pension funds facing bankruptcy.

Title: Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019 (2019 roll call h511)
Vote: Aye (decreases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-07-25 Weight: 2
Scoring explanation: Budget bill that included significant limits on certain discretionary spending.

supports
Hawkish Foreign Policy
0% of the time
 
Hawkish Foreign Policy scale
Title: Strengthening Oversight of Iran's Access to Finance Act (2017 roll call h684)
Vote: Nay (decreases score) Type: passage Date: 2017-12-14 Weight: 8
Scoring explanation: This bill was an attempt to undermine the nuclear deal with Iran.

supports
Big Business
0% of the time
 
Big Business scale
Title: Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2018 (2018 roll call h177)
Vote: Nay (decreases score) Type: passage Date: 2018-05-09 Weight: 2
Scoring explanation: Undermining the FTC's powers of antitrust regulation.

Title: FAIR Act (2019 roll call h540)
Vote: Aye (decreases score) Type: passage Date: 2019-09-20 Weight: 1
Scoring explanation: Bill prohibiting mandatory arbitration clauses in employment agreements being applied to civil rights offenses by employers.



Updated: November 28, 2019Methodology


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