Rep. Jack Brooks

Former Representative for Texas’s 9^th District

Brooks was the representative for Texas’s 9^th congressional district and was a Democrat. He served from 1967 to 1994.

He was previously the representative for Texas’s 2^nd congressional district as a Democrat from 1953 to 1966.

Bioguide

Photo of Rep. Jack Brooks [D-TX9, 1967-1994]

Analysis

Ideology–Leadership Chart

Brooks is shown as a purple triangle ▲ in our ideology-leadership chart below. Each dot was a member of the House of Representatives in 1994 positioned according to our ideology score (left to right) and our leadership score (leaders are toward the top).

The chart is based on the bills Brooks sponsored and cosponsored from Jan 3, 1989 to Nov 29, 1994. See full analysis methodology.

Enacted Legislation

Brooks was the primary sponsor of 55 bills that were enacted. The most recent include:

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Does 55 not sound like a lot? Very few bills are ever enacted — most legislators sponsor only a handful that are signed into law. But there are other legislative activities that we don’t track that are also important, including offering amendments, committee work and oversight of the other branches, and constituent services.

We consider a bill enacted if one of the following is true: a) it is enacted itself, b) it has a companion bill in the other chamber (as identified by Congress) which was enacted, or c) if at least about half of its provisions were incorporated into bills that were enacted (as determined by an automated text analysis, applicable beginning with bills in the 110^th Congress).

Bills Sponsored

Issue Areas

Brooks sponsored bills primarily in these issue areas:

Crime and Law Enforcement (16%) Law (16%) Government Operations and Politics (13%) Commerce (13%) Foreign Trade and International Finance (12%) Finance and Financial Sector (12%) Transportation and Public Works (10%) Economics and Public Finance (8%)

Recently Introduced Bills

Brooks recently introduced the following legislation:

View All » | View Cosponsors »

Most legislation has no activity after being introduced.

Voting Record

Missed Votes

From Jan 1953 to Nov 1994, Brooks missed 1,532 of 14,776 roll call votes, which is 10.4%. This is much worse than the median of 3.4% among the lifetime records of representatives serving in Nov 1994. The chart below reports missed votes over time.

We don’t track why legislators miss votes, but it’s often due to medical absenses, major life events, and running for higher office.

Show the numbers...

Time Period	Votes Eligible	Missed Votes	Percent	Percentile
1953 Jan-Mar	13	0	0.0%	0^th
1953 Apr-Jun	28	0	0.0%	0^th
1953 Jul-Aug	30	0	0.0%	0^th
1954 Jan-Mar	14	0	0.0%	0^th
1954 Apr-Jun	24	0	0.0%	0^th
1954 Jul-Aug	38	0	0.0%	0^th
1955 Jan-Mar	21	0	0.0%	0^th
1955 Apr-Jun	36	0	0.0%	0^th
1955 Jul-Aug	19	0	0.0%	0^th
1956 Jan-Mar	12	0	0.0%	0^th
1956 Apr-Jun	30	0	0.0%	0^th
1956 Jul-Jul	31	1	3.2%	67^th
1957 Jan-Mar	12	0	0.0%	0^th
1957 Apr-Jun	36	0	0.0%	0^th
1957 Jul-Aug	52	0	0.0%	0^th
1958 Jan-Mar	21	0	0.0%	0^th
1958 Apr-Jun	32	0	0.0%	0^th
1958 Jul-Aug	40	0	0.0%	0^th
1959 Jan-Apr	16	0	0.0%	0^th
1959 May-Aug	54	0	0.0%	0^th
1959 Sep-Sep	17	0	0.0%	0^th
1960 Feb-Apr	23	0	0.0%	0^th
1960 May-Aug	70	0	0.0%	0^th
1961 Jan-Apr	22	0	0.0%	0^th
1961 May-Aug	65	0	0.0%	0^th
1961 Sep-Sep	29	2	6.9%	80^th
1962 Jan-Mar	21	4	19.0%	91^st
1962 Apr-Jun	32	0	0.0%	0^th
1962 Jul-Sep	49	0	0.0%	0^th
1962 Oct-Oct	22	0	0.0%	0^th
1963 Jan-Mar	9	0	0.0%	0^th
1963 Apr-Jun	31	0	0.0%	0^th
1963 Jul-Sep	28	0	0.0%	0^th
1963 Oct-Dec	50	2	4.0%	40^th
1964 Jan-Mar	26	1	3.8%	87^th
1964 Apr-Jun	34	1	2.9%	67^th
1964 Jul-Sep	49	0	0.0%	0^th
1964 Oct-Oct	4	1	25.0%	73^rd
1965 Jan-Mar	28	4	14.3%	78^th
1965 Apr-Jun	53	4	7.5%	43^rd
1965 Jul-Sep	98	3	3.1%	35^th
1965 Oct-Oct	22	0	0.0%	0^th
1966 Jan-Mar	30	2	6.7%	43^rd
1966 Apr-Jun	51	5	9.8%	52^nd
1966 Jul-Sep	72	0	0.0%	0^th
1966 Oct-Oct	40	5	12.5%	48^th
1967 Jan-Mar	31	1	3.2%	62^nd
1967 Apr-Jun	57	1	1.8%	45^th
1967 Jul-Sep	59	1	1.7%	41^st
1967 Oct-Dec	98	4	4.1%	72^nd
1968 Jan-Mar	38	0	0.0%	0^th
1968 Apr-Jun	79	0	0.0%	0^th
1968 Jul-Sep	91	1	1.1%	24^th
1968 Oct-Oct	25	7	28.0%	83^rd
1969 Jan-Mar	16	1	6.2%	39^th
1969 Apr-Jun	28	5	17.9%	75^th
1969 Jul-Sep	45	6	13.3%	59^th
1969 Oct-Dec	88	40	45.5%	94^th
1970 Jan-Mar	35	3	8.6%	36^th
1970 Apr-Jun	74	12	16.2%	39^th
1970 Jul-Sep	76	26	34.2%	82^nd
1970 Oct-Dec	81	30	37.0%	85^th
1971 Jan-Mar	22	0	0.0%	0^th
1971 Apr-Jun	90	14	15.6%	61^st
1971 Jul-Sep	74	10	13.5%	68^th
1971 Oct-Dec	134	11	8.2%	29^th
1972 Jan-Mar	64	0	0.0%	0^th
1972 Apr-Jun	114	25	21.9%	76^th
1972 Jul-Sep	101	3	3.0%	11^th
1972 Oct-Oct	50	5	10.0%	46^th
1973 Jan-Mar	36	3	8.3%	56^th
1973 Apr-Jun	191	15	7.9%	55^th
1973 Jul-Sep	131	7	5.3%	55^th
1973 Oct-Dec	182	25	13.7%	75^th
1974 Jan-Mar	79	7	8.9%	47^th
1974 Apr-Jun	170	14	8.2%	44^th
1974 Jul-Sep	148	8	5.4%	45^th
1974 Oct-Dec	141	14	9.9%	62^nd
1975 Jan-Mar	68	20	29.4%	96^th
1975 Apr-Jun	199	23	11.6%	74^th
1975 Jul-Sep	154	39	25.3%	96^th
1975 Oct-Dec	191	16	8.4%	68^th
1976 Jan-Mar	106	10	9.4%	67^th
1976 Apr-Jun	267	31	11.6%	65^th
1976 Jul-Sep	281	19	6.8%	53^rd
1976 Oct-Oct	7	0	0.0%	0^th
1977 Jan-Mar	100	9	9.0%	68^th
1977 Apr-Jun	273	28	10.3%	66^th
1977 Jul-Sep	198	46	23.2%	94^th
1977 Oct-Dec	135	3	2.2%	30^th
1978 Jan-Mar	150	4	2.7%	29^th
1978 Apr-Jun	300	10	3.3%	28^th
1978 Jul-Sep	308	24	7.8%	56^th
1978 Oct-Oct	76	2	2.6%	25^th
1979 Jan-Mar	63	8	12.7%	79^th
1979 Apr-Jun	221	22	10.0%	73^rd
1979 Jul-Sep	198	16	8.1%	66^th
1979 Oct-Dec	190	55	28.9%	95^th
1980 Jan-Mar	148	18	12.2%	69^th
1980 Apr-Jun	197	52	26.4%	94^th
1980 Jul-Sep	192	9	4.7%	40^th
1980 Oct-Dec	67	18	26.9%	83^rd
1981 Jan-Mar	15	2	13.3%	73^rd
1981 Apr-Jun	90	13	14.4%	84^th
1981 Jul-Sep	106	10	9.4%	74^th
1981 Oct-Dec	142	53	37.3%	99^th
1982 Feb-Mar	48	19	39.6%	95^th
1982 Apr-Jun	119	6	5.0%	58^th
1982 Jul-Sep	193	31	16.1%	87^th
1982 Oct-Dec	99	10	10.1%	62^nd
1983 Jan-Mar	43	3	7.0%	48^th
1983 Apr-Jun	182	11	6.0%	49^th
1983 Jul-Sep	130	4	3.1%	46^th
1983 Oct-Nov	143	15	10.5%	78^th
1984 Jan-Mar	53	0	0.0%	0^th
1984 Apr-Jun	223	38	17.0%	92^nd
1984 Jul-Sep	96	11	11.5%	84^th
1984 Oct-Oct	36	3	8.3%	61^st
1985 Jan-Mar	36	3	8.3%	56^th
1985 Apr-Jun	154	12	7.8%	75^th
1985 Jul-Sep	101	2	2.0%	35^th
1985 Oct-Dec	148	21	14.2%	95^th
1986 Jan-Mar	61	7	11.5%	72^nd
1986 Apr-Jun	128	6	4.7%	63^rd
1986 Jul-Sep	202	19	9.4%	85^th
1986 Oct-Oct	60	43	71.7%	99^th
1987 Jan-Mar	39	1	2.6%	38^th
1987 Apr-Jun	187	21	11.2%	88^th
1987 Jul-Sep	95	1	1.1%	23^rd
1987 Oct-Dec	167	14	8.4%	67^th
1988 Feb-Mar	49	5	10.2%	77^th
1988 Apr-Jun	161	19	11.8%	89^th
1988 Jul-Sep	152	19	12.5%	85^th
1988 Oct-Oct	89	18	20.2%	94^th
1989 Jan-Mar	14	0	0.0%	0^th
1989 Apr-Jun	105	10	9.5%	88^th
1989 Jul-Sep	128	5	3.9%	64^th
1989 Oct-Nov	121	87	71.9%	100^th
1990 Jan-Mar	60	11	18.3%	95^th
1990 Apr-Jun	150	4	2.7%	50^th
1990 Jul-Sep	183	5	2.7%	50^th
1990 Oct-Oct	143	25	17.5%	97^th
1991 Jan-Mar	62	2	3.2%	51^st
1991 Apr-Jun	139	12	8.6%	88^th
1991 Jul-Sep	81	3	3.7%	49^th
1991 Oct-Nov	162	15	9.3%	89^th
1992 Jan-Mar	66	4	6.1%	65^th
1992 Apr-Jun	185	10	5.4%	70^th
1992 Jul-Sep	196	7	3.6%	57^th
1992 Oct-Oct	41	0	0.0%	0^th
1993 Jan-Mar	127	5	3.9%	67^th
1993 Apr-Jun	190	15	7.9%	80^th
1993 Jul-Sep	164	5	3.0%	64^th
1993 Oct-Nov	134	10	7.5%	89^th
1994 Jan-Mar	95	22	23.2%	96^th
1994 Apr-Jun	219	9	4.1%	66^th
1994 Jul-Sep	142	7	4.9%	64^th
1994 Oct-Nov	51	3	5.9%	74^th

Primary Sources

The information on this page is originally sourced from a variety of materials, including:

unitedstates/congress-legislators, a community project gathering congressional information
The House and Senate websites, for committee membership and voting records
United States Congressional Roll Call Voting Records, 1789-1990 by Howard L. Rosenthal and Keith T. Poole.
Martis’s “The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress”, via Keith Poole’s roll call votes data set, for political party affiliation for Members of Congress from 1789 through about year 2000
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress for the photo
GovInfo.gov, for sponsored bills