Sen. Lamar Alexander
Former Senator forTennessee
pronouncedluh-MAHR // a-lig-ZAN-der
Alexander was a senator fromTennessee and was a Republican. He served from 2003 to 2020.
![Photo of Sen. Lamar Alexander [R-TN, 2003-2020]](/image.pl?url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.govtrack.us%2fstatic%2flegislator-photos%2f300002-200px.jpeg&f=jpg&w=240)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our2020 Report Card for Alexander.
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Alexander is shown as a purple triangle▲ in our ideology-leadership chart below.Each dot was a member of the Senatein 2020positioned according to our ideology score (left to right) and our leadership score (leaders are toward the top).
The chart is based on the bills legislators sponsored and cosponsoredfrom Jan. 6, 2015 to Dec. 21, 2020.See fullanalysis methodology.
Enacted Legislation
Alexander was the primary sponsor of 25 bills that were enacted. The most recent include:
- S. 4247 (116th): Student Loan Repayment and FAFSA Simplification Act
- S. 2667 (116th): FAFSA Simplification Act of 2019
- S. 2557 (116th): Student Aid Improvement Act of 2019
- S. 2470 (116th): Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2020
- S. 140 (116th): James K. Polk Presidential Home Study Act
- S. 138 (116th): Shiloh National Military Park Boundary Adjustment and Parker’s Crossroads Battlefield Designation Act
- S. 3029 (115th): PREEMIE Reauthorization Act of 2018
Does 25 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 110th Congress).
Bills Sponsored
Issue Areas
Alexander sponsored bills primarily in these issue areas:
Health (30%)Education (16%)Public Lands and Natural Resources (12%)Animals (10%)Armed Forces and National Security (9%)Labor and Employment (9%)Government Operations and Politics (7%)Economics and Public Finance (6%)
Recently Introduced Bills
Alexander recently introduced the following legislation:
- S.Res. 741 (116th): A resolution designating October 30, 2020, as a national day of remembrance …
- S. 4375 (116th): Telehealth Modernization Act
- S. 4322 (116th): Safely Back to School and Back to Work Act
- S. 4247 (116th): Student Loan Repayment and FAFSA Simplification Act
- S. 4231 (116th): Preparing for the Next Pandemic Act
- S.Res. 630 (116th): A resolution designating June 20, 2020, as “American Eagle Day” and celebrating …
- S. 3665 (116th): Save Rural Hospitals Act of 2020
Most legislation has no activity after being introduced.
Voting Record
Key Votes
Alexander votedYea
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Alexander votedNay
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Alexander votedYea
Missed Votes
From Jan 2003 to Jan 2021, Alexander missed 301 of 5,636 roll call votes, which is 5.3%.This ismuch worse thanthe median of 1.8%among the lifetime records of senators serving in Jan 2021.The chart below reports missed votes over time.
We don’t track why legislators miss votes, but it’s often due to medical absences, major life events, and running for higher office.
| Time Period | Votes Eligible | Missed Votes | Percent | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Jan-Mar | 112 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
| 2003 Apr-Jun | 150 | 2 | 1.3% | 41st |
| 2003 Jul-Sep | 108 | 4 | 3.7% | 82nd |
| 2003 Oct-Nov | 89 | 4 | 4.5% | 86th |
| 2004 Jan-Mar | 64 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
| 2004 Apr-Jun | 88 | 2 | 2.3% | 73rd |
| 2004 Jul-Sep | 42 | 1 | 2.4% | 64th |
| 2004 Oct-Dec | 22 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
| 2005 Jan-Mar | 81 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
| 2005 Apr-Jun | 89 | 3 | 3.4% | 80th |
| 2005 Jul-Sep | 76 | 2 | 2.6% | 76th |
| 2005 Oct-Dec | 120 | 10 | 8.3% | 96th |
| 2006 Jan-Mar | 83 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
| 2006 Apr-Jun | 107 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
| 2006 Jul-Sep | 73 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
| 2006 Nov-Dec | 16 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
| 2007 Jan-Mar | 126 | 3 | 2.4% | 73rd |
| 2007 Apr-Jun | 112 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
| 2007 Jul-Sep | 119 | 4 | 3.4% | 82nd |
| 2007 Oct-Dec | 85 | 2 | 2.4% | 65th |
| 2008 Jan-Mar | 85 | 2 | 2.4% | 74th |
| 2008 Apr-Jun | 77 | 13 | 16.9% | 97th |
| 2008 Jul-Sep | 47 | 4 | 8.5% | 83rd |
| 2008 Oct-Dec | 6 | 1 | 16.7% | 89th |
| 2009 Jan-Mar | 118 | 1 | 0.8% | 62nd |
| 2009 Apr-Jun | 96 | 1 | 1.0% | 48th |
| 2009 Jul-Sep | 89 | 3 | 3.4% | 83rd |
| 2009 Oct-Dec | 94 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
| 2010 Jan-Mar | 108 | 1 | 0.9% | 50th |
| 2010 Apr-Jun | 96 | 1 | 1.0% | 36th |
| 2010 Jul-Sep | 44 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
| 2010 Nov-Dec | 51 | 3 | 5.9% | 77th |
| 2011 Jan-Mar | 46 | 2 | 4.3% | 73rd |
| 2011 Apr-Jun | 58 | 1 | 1.7% | 29th |
| 2011 Jul-Sep | 49 | 1 | 2.0% | 49th |
| 2011 Oct-Dec | 82 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
| 2012 Jan-Mar | 63 | 2 | 3.2% | 87th |
| 2012 Apr-Jun | 109 | 4 | 3.7% | 93rd |
| 2012 Jul-Sep | 28 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
| 2012 Nov-Dec | 50 | 6 | 12.0% | 93rd |
| 2013 Jan-Jan 112th Congress | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
| 2013 Jan-Mar | 92 | 2 | 2.2% | 80th |
| 2013 Apr-Jun | 76 | 2 | 2.6% | 62nd |
| 2013 Jul-Sep | 43 | 1 | 2.3% | 76th |
| 2013 Oct-Dec | 80 | 11 | 13.8% | 91st |
| 2014 Jan-Mar | 93 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
| 2014 Apr-Jun | 123 | 3 | 2.4% | 54th |
| 2014 Jul-Sep | 54 | 21 | 38.9% | 97th |
| 2014 Nov-Dec | 96 | 4 | 4.2% | 76th |
| 2015 Jan-Mar | 135 | 3 | 2.2% | 83rd |
| 2015 Apr-Jun | 85 | 5 | 5.9% | 89th |
| 2015 Jul-Sep | 52 | 2 | 3.8% | 75th |
| 2015 Oct-Dec | 67 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
| 2016 Jan-Mar | 38 | 3 | 7.9% | 80th |
| 2016 Apr-Jun | 79 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
| 2016 Jul-Sep | 34 | 1 | 2.9% | 62nd |
| 2016 Nov-Dec | 12 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
| 2017 Jan-Mar | 101 | 3 | 3.0% | 88th |
| 2017 Apr-Jun | 54 | 3 | 5.6% | 91st |
| 2017 Jul-Sep | 53 | 1 | 1.9% | 65th |
| 2017 Oct-Dec | 117 | 6 | 5.1% | 93rd |
| 2018 Jan-Mar | 63 | 7 | 11.1% | 94th |
| 2018 Apr-Jun | 80 | 2 | 2.5% | 67th |
| 2018 Jul-Sep | 75 | 4 | 5.3% | 78th |
| 2018 Oct-Dec | 56 | 1 | 1.8% | 71st |
| 2019 Jan-Mar | 54 | 2 | 3.7% | 65th |
| 2019 Apr-Jun | 135 | 39 | 28.9% | 96th |
| 2019 Jul-Sep | 124 | 22 | 17.7% | 90th |
| 2019 Oct-Dec | 115 | 13 | 11.3% | 88th |
| 2020 Jan-Mar | 80 | 11 | 13.8% | 92nd |
| 2020 May-Jun | 48 | 18 | 37.5% | 95th |
| 2020 Jul-Sep | 71 | 7 | 9.9% | 87th |
| 2020 Oct-Dec | 90 | 21 | 23.3% | 92nd |
| 2021 Jan-Jan 116th Congress | 2 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
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
- TheHouse andSenate websites, for committee membership and voting records
- GPO Member Guide for the photo
- GovInfo.gov, for sponsored bills