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    Jay Rockefeller

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    This page was current at the end of the official's last term in office covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
    Jay Rockefeller
    Image of Jay Rockefeller

    Democratic Party

    Prior offices
    West Virginia House of Delegates
    West Virginia Secretary of State
    Governor of West Virginia
    U.S. Senate West Virginia

    Compensation

    Net worth

    $101,290,514.50

    Education

    High school

    Phillips Academy, Exeter, N.H.

    Bachelor's

    Harvard University

    Jay Rockefeller (b. June 18, 1937, in New York City, N.Y.) was a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate from the state of West Virginia. Rockefeller was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and served until 2015.

    Prior to his election to the U.S. Senate, Rockefeller served as the Governor of West Virginia, West Virginia Secretary of State and in the West Virginia House of Delegates.[1]

    Biography[edit]

    Rockefeller was born in New York City in 1937. Rockefeller attended Phillips Academy in Exeter, N.H. After graduating from Harvard University, Rockefeller joined a volunteer group whose work took him to West Virginia. After two years in the state, he became a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates.[2][3]

    Career[edit]

    Below is an abbreviated outline of Rockefeller's political career:[1]

    Committee assignments[edit]

    U.S. Senate[edit]

    2013-2014[edit]

    Rockefeller served on the following Senate committees:[4]

    • Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Chair
      • Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security
      • Subcommittee on Science and Space
      • Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard
      • Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance
      • Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation, and Export Promotion
      • Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet
      • Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
    • Committee on Finance
      • The Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy
      • The Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness
      • The Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure
      • The Subcommittee on Healthcare Chair
    • Select Committee on Intelligence
    • Committee on Veterans' Affairs

    2011-2012[edit]

    Rockefeller served on the following committees:[5]

    • Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Chair
      • Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
      • Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Automotive Safety
      • Subcommittee on Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism
      • Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Innovation
      • Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard
      • Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics, and Related Sciences
      • Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security
    • Committee on Finance
      • Subcommittee on Health Care Chair
      • Subcommittee on International Trade, and Global Competitiveness
      • Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy
    • Select Committee on Intelligence
    • Committee on Veterans' Affairs
    • Joint Committee on Taxation
    • United States Trade Advisor

    Key votes[edit]

    113th Congress[edit]

    The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[6] The Senate confirmed 13,949 out of 18,323 executive nominations received (76.1 percent). For more information pertaining to Rockefeller's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[7]

    National security[edit]

    John Brennan CIA nomination[edit]

    Yea3.png Rockefeller voted for the confirmation of John Brennan as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The nomination was confirmed by the Senate on March 7, 2013, with a vote of 63 - 34. Most Democrats supported the nomination, while Republicans were somewhat divided with roughly one-third supporting the nomination.[8]

    Economy[edit]

    No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013[edit]

    Yea3.png Rockefeller voted for H.R.325 -- No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013. The bill passed the Senate on January 31, 2013, with a vote of 64 - 34. The purpose of the bill was to temporarily suspend the debt ceiling and withhold the pay of members of Congress until a budget could be passed. The vote largely followed party lines with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting it and many Republicans in opposition to the bill.[9]

    Government shutdown[edit]
    See also: United States budget debate, 2013

    Yea3.png During the shutdown in October 2013, the Senate rejected, down party lines, every House-originated bill that stripped the budget of funding for the Affordable Care Act. A deal was reached late on October 16, 2013, just hours before the debt ceiling deadline. The bill to reopen the government, H.R. 2775, lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[10] The final vote on H.R. 2775 was 81-18, with all 18 votes against the bill from Republican members. Rockefeller voted with the Democratic Party for the bill.[11]

    Immigration[edit]

    Mexico-U.S. border[edit]

    Nay3.png Rockefeller voted against Senate Amendment 1197 -- Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border. The amendment was rejected by the Senate on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 39 - 54. The purpose of the amendment was to require the completion of 350 miles of fence described in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 before registered provisional immigrant status may be granted. It would also require 700 miles of fence be completed before the status of registered provisional immigrants may be changed to permanent resident status. The vote followed party lines.[12]

    Social issues[edit]

    Violence Against Women (2013)[edit]

    Yea3.png Rockefeller voted for S.47 -- Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. The bill was passed by the Senate on February 12, 2013, with a vote of 78 - 22. The purpose of the bill was to combat violence against women, from domestic violence to international trafficking in persons. All 22 dissenting votes were cast by Republicans.[13]

    Previous congressional sessions[edit]

    Fiscal cliff[edit]

    Yea3.png Rockefeller voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003, while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. The bill was passed in the Senate by an 89 - 8 vote on January 1, 2013.[14]

    Elections[edit]

    2014[edit]

    See also: United States Senate elections in West Virginia, 2014

    On January 11, 2013, Rockefeller announced that he would not seek re-election in 2014, citing the extra time retirement would allow him to spend with his family.[15]

    The FiscalTimes compiled a list of the seven most vulnerable Senate seats up for election in 2014. The seven included in the list were: Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia. Going into the 2014 election, all seven seats were held by Democrats.[16]

    Full history[edit]


    Campaign donors[edit]

    2014[edit]

    Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Rockefeller's reports.[22]

    Comprehensive donor history[edit]

    BP-Initials-UPDATED.png The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may not represent all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer, and campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


    Jay Rockefeller campaign contribution history
    Year Office Result Contributions
    2008 U.S. Senate (West Virginia) Won $5,972,208
    2002 U.S. Senate (West Virginia) Won $3,045,338
    Grand total raised $9,017,546
    Source: [[27] Follow the Money]

    2008[edit]


    Rockefeller won re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2008. During that re-election cycle, Rockefeller's campaign committee raised a total of $5,972,208 and spent $5,979,250.[28]


    Personal Gain Index[edit]

    Congressional Personal Gain Index graphic.png
    See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)

    The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
    It consists of two different metrics:

    PGI: Change in net worth[edit]

    See also: Changes in Net Worth of U.S. Senators and Representatives (Personal Gain Index) and Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives
    Net Worth Metric graphic.png

    Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Rockefeller's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $63,269,025 to $139,312,004. That averages to $101,290,514.50, which is higher than the average net worth of Democratic Senate members in 2012 of $13,566,333.90. Rockefeller ranked as the 3rd most wealthy senator in 2012.[29] Between 2004 and 2012, Rockefeller's calculated net worth[30] decreased by an average of 2 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.[31]

    Jay Rockefeller Yearly Net Worth
    YearAverage Net Worth
    2004$123,595,484
    2012$101,290,514
    Growth from 2004 to 2012:-18%
    Average annual growth:-2%[32]
    Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.[33]
    The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

    PGI: Donation Concentration Metric[edit]

    See also: The Donation Concentration Metric (U.S. Congress Personal Gain Index)

    Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). In the 113th Congress, Rockefeller was the chair of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the chair of the Subcommittee on Healthcare. Rockefeller received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Lawyers/Law Firms industry.

    From 1989-2014, 24.96 percent of Rockefeller's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.[34]

    Donation Concentration Metric graphic.png
    Jay Rockefeller Campaign Contributions
    Total Raised $17,353,093
    Total Spent $16,761,378
    Chair of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
    Chair of the Subcommittee on Healthcare
    Top five industries that contributed to campaign committee
    Lawyers/Law Firms$1,643,126
    Health Professionals$879,277
    Securities & Investment$657,911
    Real Estate$633,038
    Air Transport$518,450
    % total in top industry9.47%
    % total in top two industries14.54%
    % total in top five industries24.96%

    Analysis[edit]

    Like-minded colleagues[edit]

    The website OpenCongress tracked the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she voted most and least often. The results included a member from each party.[35]

    Rockefeller most often voted with:

    Rockefeller least often voted with:


    Ideology and leadership[edit]

    See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

    Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Rockefeller was a "rank-and-file Democrat," as of August 2014.[36] This was the same rating Rockefeller received in July 2013.[37]

    Lifetime voting record[edit]

    See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

    According to the website GovTrack, Rockefeller missed 541 of 9,992 roll call votes from January 1985 to July 2014. This amounted to 5.4 percent, which was worse than the median of 2.0 percent among senators serving as of July 2014.[38]

    Congressional staff salaries[edit]

    See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

    The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Rockefeller paid his congressional staff a total of $2,664,847 in 2011. He ranked 24th on the list of the lowest paid Democratic senatorial staff salaries and ranked 62nd overall of the lowest paid senatorial staff salaries in 2011. Overall, West Virginia ranked 22nd in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[39]

    National Journal vote ratings[edit]

    See also: National Journal vote ratings

    Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

    2013[edit]

    Rockefeller ranked 18th in the liberal rankings in 2013.[40]

    2012[edit]

    Rockefeller ranked 18th in the liberal rankings in 2012.[41]

    2011[edit]

    Rockefeller ranked 12th in the liberal rankings in 2011.[42]

    Voting with party[edit]

    The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

    2014[edit]

    Rockefeller voted with the Democratic Party 94.3 percent of the time, which ranked 33rd among the 53 Senate Democratic members as of August 2014.[43]

    2013[edit]

    Rockefeller voted with the Democratic Party 93.9 percent of the time, which ranked 33rd among the 52 Senate Democratic members as of June 2013.[44]

    Personal[edit]

    Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
    Rockefeller married Sharon Percy Rockefeller in 1967. They have four children and six grandchildren.[3]

    Recent news[edit]

    This section links to a Google news search for the term Jay + Rockefeller + West Virginia + Senate


    Jay Rockefeller News Feed

    See also[edit]

    External links[edit]


    Footnotes[edit]

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "Jay Rockefeller," accessed July 3, 2013
    2. ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "Jay Rockefeller," accessed October 14, 2011
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Official Senate website, "About Jay," accessed October 14, 2011
    4. ↑ Congressional Quarterly, "Senate Committee List," accessed January 22, 2013
    5. ↑ Official Senate website, "Committee Assignments," accessed October 14, 2011
    6. ↑ Congressional Record, "Resume of Congressional Activity, First Session of the 112th Congress," accessed September 5, 2013
    7. ↑ Congressional Record, "Resume of Congressional Activity, Second Session of the 113th Congress," accessed March 4, 2014
    8. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "PN 48 - Nomination of John Brennan to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency - Voting Record," accessed September 25, 2013
    9. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "HR 325 - To Ensure the Complete and Timely Payment of the Obligations of the United States Government Until May 19, 2013 - Voting Record," accessed September 25, 2013
    10. ↑ The Washington Post, "Reid, McConnell propose bipartisan Senate bill to end shutdown, extend borrowing," accessed October 16, 2013
    11. ↑ Senate.gov, "H.R. 2775 As Amended," accessed October 31, 2013
    12. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "S Amdt 1197 - Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border - Voting Record," accessed September 25, 2013
    13. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "S 47 - Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 - Voting Record," accessed September 25, 2013
    14. ↑ U.S. Senate, "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff," accessed January 4, 2013
    15. ↑ USA Today, "Rockefeller's retirement sparks battle for Senate seat," January 11, 2013
    16. ↑ Fiscal Times, "7 Senate Seats Most at Risk—Hint: They’re All Blue," accessed February 15, 2013
    17. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008," accessed March 28, 2013
    18. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 2002," accessed March 28, 2013
    19. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 1996," accessed March 28, 2013
    20. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 1990," accessed March 28, 2013
    21. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 1984," accessed March 28, 2013
    22. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Rockefeller 2014 Summary reports," accessed August 1, 2013
    23. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed August 1, 2013
    24. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed August 1, 2013
    25. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed October 30, 2013
    26. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Year-End Report," accessed February 19, 2014
    27. ↑ Open Secrets, "Donor history for Jay Rockefeller," accessed April 25, 2013
    28. ↑ Open Secrets, "Jay Rockefeller 2008 Election Cycle," accessed November 26, 2011
    29. ↑ OpenSecrets, "Rockefeller, 2012," accessed January 14, 2014
    30. ↑ This figure represents the average annual percentage growth from either 2004 (if the member entered office in 2004 or earlier) or their first year in office (as noted in the chart below) to 2012, divided by the number of years calculated.
    31. ↑ This number was found by dividing each member's total net worth growth percentage by the number of years included in the calculation.
    32. ↑ This figure represents the total percentage growth divided by the number of years for which there are net worth figures for each member.
    33. ↑ This figure was calculated using median asset data from the Census Bureau. Please see the Congressional Net Worth data for Ballotpedia spreadsheet for more information on this calculation.
    34. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Sen. Jay Rockefeller," accessed October 2, 2014
    35. ↑ OpenCongress, "Jay Rockefeller," archived February 28, 2016
    36. ↑ GovTrack, "Jay Rockefeller," accessed August 29, 2014
    37. ↑ GovTrack, "Jay Rockefeller," accessed July 3, 2013
    38. ↑ GovTrack, "Rockefeller," accessed August 29, 2014
    39. ↑ LegiStorm, "Jay Rockefeller"
    40. ↑ National Journal, "2013 Congressional Vote Ratings," August 29, 2014
    41. ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," February 28, 2013
    42. ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: Senate," accessed February 23, 2012
    43. ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
    44. ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
    Political offices
    Preceded by
    Jennings Randolph     		U.S. Senate - West Virginia
    1985-2015     		Succeeded by
    Shelley Moore Capito


    West Virginia's current delegation to the United States Congress
    Senators
    Shelley Capito (R)
    Joe Manchin (D)
    Representatives
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    Republican Party (4)
    Democratic Party (1)


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