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William Enyart
William Enyart (b. Sept. 22, 1949, in Pensacola, FL) was previously a Democratic member of the U.S. House representing the 12th Congressional District of Illinois since 2012.
Enyart was defeated by challenger Mike Bost (R) in the general election on November 4, 2014 to Mike Bost (R).[1] He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on March 18, 2014.[2]
He was a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Frontline Program. The program was designed to help protect vulnerable Democratic incumbents during the 2014 election cycle.[3]
Biography
Enyart grew up in Tuscola, IL, where he attended school. He won a scholarship to the University of Illinois, but left after one year.
He joined the United States Air Forced in 1969 and left active duty to attend Southern Illinois University (Edwardsville) where he studied political science and journalism.
After he graduated he worked for the Belleville News-Democrat which then led him to enroll at the Southern Illinois University's School of Law. He worked at his own practice for some years before going back to school and earning his master's degree from the Army War College.
He joined the Army National Guard in 1982, and his master's degree gave him the rank of General, and he became the adjutant general of the state National Guard.[4]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Enyart's professional and political career:[4]
- 2013-2015: U.S. House Representative, Illinois' 12th Congressional District
- 2007-2012: Adjutant general, Illinois National Guard
- 1982-2012: Army National Guard
- 1979-2007: Attorney at Law
- 2000: Graduated U.S. Army War College, earned an M.S.S.
- 1991-1997: President and COO, Doc’s Distributing
- 1973-1975: Air Force Reserves
- 1969-1973: Air Force Service
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2013-2014
Enyart served on the following committees:[5][6]
- Committee on Agriculture
- Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
- Subcommittee on Livestock, Rural Development and Credit
- Committee on Armed Services
- Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces
- Subcommittee on Readiness
Key votes
113th Congress
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.[7] For more information pertaining to Enyart's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[8]
National security
DHS Appropriations
Enyart voted against HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.[9]
Keystone Pipeline Amendment
Enyart voted in favor of House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines.[9]
CISPA (2013)
Enyart voted in favor of HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill permitted federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities.[10] The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.[9]
NDAA
Enyart voted in support of HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.[9]
Economy
Farm bill
On January 29, 2014, the U.S. House approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, also known as the Farm Bill.[11] The bill passed by a vote of 251-166. The nearly 1,000-page bill reformed and continued various programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that would kick in when prices drop.[12][13] However, cuts to the food stamp program cut an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states.[13] Enyart voted with 88 other Democratic representatives in favor of the bill.
2014 Budget
On January 15, 2014, the Republican-run House approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014.[14][15] The House voted 359-67 for the 1,582 page bill, with 64 Republicans and three Democrats voting against the bill.[15] The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations.[16] It included a 1 percent increase in the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel, a $1 billion increase in Head Start funding for early childhood education, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, and the protection of the Affordable Care Act from any drastic cuts. Enyart joined with the majority of the Democratic party and voted in favor of the bill.[14][15]
Government shutdown
- See also: United States budget debate, 2013
On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[17] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[18] Enyart voted against the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[19]
The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government 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.[20] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Enyart voted for HR 2775.[21]
Pay during government shutdown
- See also: United States budget debate, 2013
Enyart said that he was "donating my pay for the duration of this senseless shut-down to a food bank in Southern Illinois and call upon my colleagues in Congress to do the same."[22]
Immigration
Enyart supports the DREAM Act, particularly a provision that would give immigrants who join the military an expedited path to citizenship.[23]
Morton Memos Prohibition
Enyart voted against House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain individuals residing in the United States without legal status. The vote largely followed party lines.[9]
Healthcare
Speaking about the health care law, Enyart said "Now are there problems with it? Of course there are problems with it. Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Let’s change the things that are problems and move on."Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag
Healthcare Reform Rules
Enyart voted against House Amendment 450 - Requires Congressional Approval for Any Rules Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The amendment was adopted by the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 227-185. The amendment requires all changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act be approved by Congress before taking effect. The vote was largely along party lines.[9]
Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act
Enyart voted against HR 2009 - Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act of 2013. The bill passed through the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 232-185. The bill would prevent the IRS and Treasury Secretary from enforcing the powers provided to them in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The vote largely followed party lines.[9]
Social issues
Amash amendment
Enyart voted against House Amendment 413 - Prohibits the National Security Agency from Collecting Records Under the Patriot Act. The amendment failed on July 4, 2013, by a vote of 205-217. The amendment would have prohibited the collection of records by the National Security Agency under the Patriot Act. Both parties were split on the vote.[9]
Issues
National security
American response in Syria
- See also: United States involvement in Syria
More than 100 House lawmakers signed a letter urging President Barack Obama to call Congress back into session if he planned to use military force in Syria.[24]
Rep. Scott Rigell wrote in the letter in August 2013, “Engaging our military in Syria when no direct threat to the United States exists and without prior congressional authorization would violate the separation of powers that is clearly delineated in the Constitution.”[24][25]
The members of Congress believed that Obama should have asked Congress for permission before engaging in Libya. The letter asked, “If the use of 221 Tomahawk cruise missles, [sic] 704 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, and 42 Predator Hellfire missiles expended in Libya does not constitute ‘hostilities,’ what does?”[25]
The letter stated, “If you deem that military action in Syria is necessary, Congress can reconvene at your request. We stand ready to come back into session, consider the facts before us, and share the burden of decisions made regarding U.S. involvement in the quickly escalating Syrian conflict."[25]
A total of 98 Republicans signed the letter. Enyart was one of 18 Democratic members to sign the letter.[25]
Economy
Coal-fired power plants
Enyart and Reps. Rodney Davis (R) and John Shimkus (R) criticized President Obama's plans on June 25, 2013, to make sharp cuts in carbon emissions by using the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to impose tougher restrictions on coal-fired power plants.[26]
Enyart issued a statement that he "will work tirelessly" against new mandates "that will increase energy costs, and decimate our Southern Illinois coal industry in the process." The 12 counties that make up the 12th Congressional District once comprised the heart of the Illinois coal industry.[26]
Taxes
Enyart stated his support for raising taxes on higher income individuals. Enyart said "there is class warfare."[23]
Privacy
Enyart voted against a proposed amendment by Justin Amash (R-MI) that would have defunded warrantless domestic surveillance operations by the National Security Agency.[27]
Veterans' Issues
In October 2013, Enyart was the lone member of Congress to vote against a bill that would have restored chaplain services to military personnel in the wake of the government shutdown of 2013.[28]
Elections
2014
Illinois' 12th Congressional District was a battleground district in 2014 due to the fact that the district had nearly even numbers of registered Democratic and Republican voters. Both incumbent William Enyart (D) and Mike Bost (R) advanced through their primaries with no challenge. They faced off in the general election on November 4, 2014, along with Green Party candidate Paula Bradshaw.[2]
Enyart was a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Frontline Program. The program was designed to help protect vulnerable Democratic incumbents during the 2014 election cycle.[3] The National Journal correctly believed the district was likely to flip Republican in 2014.[29][30]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Mike Bost |
52.5% | 110,038 | |
| Democratic | Bill Enyart Incumbent | 41.9% | 87,860 | |
| Green | Paula Bradshaw | 5.6% | 11,840 | |
| Total Votes | 209,738 | |||
| Source: Illinois State Board of Elections Official Results | ||||
2012
Enyart won election in 2012.[31] Enyart ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Illinois' 12th District. Enyart replaced primary winner Brad Harriman after he withdrew from the race in May. He faced Jason Plummer (R) and Paula Bradshaw (G) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[32]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William Enyart |
51.7% | 157,000 | |
| Republican | Jason Plummer | 42.7% | 129,902 | |
| Green | Paula Bradshaw | 5.6% | 17,045 | |
| Total Votes | 303,947 | |||
| Source: Illinois Board of Elections "2012 General Election Official Vote Totals" | ||||
Polls
2012
| District 12 Representative Election | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | William Enyart | Jason Plummer | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| District 12 Poll September 11-13, 2012 | 49% | 41% | 0% | +/-5 | 400 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Campaign finance summary
Ballotpedia currently provides campaign finance data for all federal- and state-level candidates from 2020 and later. We are continuously working to expand our data to include prior elections. That information will be published here as we acquire it. If you would like to help us provide this data, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.
Personal Gain Index
- See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)
- 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
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Enyart's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $1,591,065 and $4,267,000. That averages to $2,929,032.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic representatives in 2012 of $5,700,168.36. Enyart ranked as the 111th most wealthy representative in 2012.[33] Between 2011 and 2012, Enyart's calculated net worth[34] increased by an average of 10 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.[35]
| William Enyart Yearly Net Worth | |
|---|---|
| Year | Average Net Worth |
| 2011 | $2,665,570 |
| 2012 | $2,929,032 |
| Growth from 2011 to 2012: | 10% |
| Average annual growth: | 10%[36] |
| Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.[37] | |
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
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). Enyart received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Lawyers/Law Firms industry.
From 2011-2014, 34.78 percent of Enyart's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.[38]
| William Enyart Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $2,427,213 |
| Total Spent | $1,724,715 |
| Top five industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $327,439 |
| Leadership PACs | $223,700 |
| Public Sector Unions | $107,050 |
| Building Trade Unions | $106,500 |
| Candidate Committees | $79,500 |
| % total in top industry | 13.49% |
| % total in top two industries | 22.71% |
| % total in top five industries | 34.78% |
Analysis
Ideology and leadership
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Enyartwas a centrist Democratic follower as of July 29, 2014. This was the same rating Enyart received in June 2013.[39]
Like-minded colleagues
The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.[40]
|
Enyart most often voted with: |
Enyart least often voted with: |
National Journal vote ratings
- 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.
2013
Enyart ranked 165th in the liberal rankings in 2013.[41]
2012
Information on 2012 vote rating is unavailable
Lifetime voting record
According to the website GovTrack, Enyart missed 28 of 1,097 roll call votes from January 2013 to July 2014. This amounts to 2.6 percent, which is worse than the median of 2.5 percent among current congressional representatives as of July 2014.[42]
Voting with party
The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.
2014
Enyart voted with the Democratic Party 88.3 percent of the time, which ranked 168th among the 204 House Democratic members as of July 2014.[43]
2013
William Enyart voted with the Democratic Party 88.6 percent of the time, which ranked 177th among the 201 House Democratic members as of June 2013.[44]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Enyart and his wife Annette have two sons together.[45] During the 2012 election, opponent Plummer stated that Enyart and his wife, a retired circuit judge, receive a total of three taxpayer-funded pensions. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that while Enyart did not currently receive a pension, his wife does collect on three taxpayer pension funds.[46]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term William + Enyart + Illinois + House
See also
- Illinois
- United States congressional delegations from Illinois
- United States House of Representatives
- Illinois' 12th Congressional District
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial (federal level):
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Legislation:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Works by or about:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
Footnotes
- ↑ Politico, "House Elections Results," accessed November 11, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Associated Press, "Primary Election 2014," accessed March 18, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, "DCCC Chairman Steve Israel Announces 2013-2014 Frontline Members," accessed March 5, 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 National Journal, "Illinois, 12th House District," accessed November 6, 2012
- ↑ CQ.com, "House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress," accessed March 3, 2013
- ↑ U.S. House of Representatives, "Committee Assignments," accessed March 29, 2014
- ↑ Congressional Record, "Resume of Congressional Activity, First Session of the 112th Congress," accessed September 5, 2013
- ↑ Congressional Record, "Resume of Congressional Activity, Second Session of the 113th Congress," accessed March 4, 2014
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 Project Vote Smart, "William Enyart Key Votes," accessed October 11, 2013
- ↑ The Library of Congress, "Bill Summary & Status - 113th Congress (2013 - 2014) - H.R.624," accessed August 27, 2013
- ↑ Clerk of U.S. House, "Roll Call Vote 31: H.R. 2642," accessed February 12, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "House clears farm bill," accessed February 12, 2014
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 NY Times, "Senate Passes Long-Stalled Farm Bill, With Clear Winners and Losers," accessed February 12, 2014
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 CNN.com, "House passes compromise $1.1 trillion budget for 2014," accessed January 20, 2014
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 U.S. House, "Roll Call Vote 21," accessed January 20, 2014
- ↑ Roll Call, "Omnibus Sails Through the Senate," January 16, 2014
- ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ Buzzfeed, "Government Shutdown: How We Got Here," accessed October 1, 2013
- ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Reid, McConnell propose bipartisan Senate bill to end shutdown, extend borrowing," accessed October 16, 2013
- ↑ U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 550," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post, "Which lawmakers will refuse their pay during the shutdown?" accessed October 2, 2013
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 "St Louis Beacon","Plummer and Enyart set acrimonious tone in second debate", September 20, 2012
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Yahoo, "65 Lawmakers Ask Obama to Consult on Syria," accessed August 28, 2013
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 Politico, "33 lawmakers: Congress must approve Syria action," accessed August 28, 2013
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 BND.com, "War on coal? Local congressmen blast White House plans to cut carbon pollution," accessed June 27, 2013
- ↑ "Huffington Post","Amash Amendment On NSA Data Collection: House Roll Call Vote", July 24, 2013
- ↑ "The Southern","Enyart lone no-vote on military bill", October 7, 2013
- ↑ "Sun Times","Three Illinois freshmen Democrats--Schneider, Bustos, Enyart--seen as vulnerable in 2014", March 5, 2013
- ↑ "Independent Voter News","Large Percentage of Undecided Voters in IL-12 Leaves Election a Toss-Up", February 3, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Illinois," accessed 2012
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedactivecand - ↑ OpenSecrets, "Enyart (D-IL), 2012," accessed February 18, 2014
- ↑ This figure represents the total percentage growth from either 2004 (if the member entered office in 2004 or earlier) or the member's first year in office (as noted in the chart below).
- ↑ This number was found by dividing each member's total net worth growth percentage by the number of years included in the calculation.
- ↑ This figure represents the total percentage growth divided by the number of years for which there are net worth figures for each member.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Rep. William Enyart," accessed September 24, 2014
- ↑ GovTrack, "William Enyart," accessed July 29, 2014
- ↑ OpenCongress, "Rep. William Enyart," archived February 25, 2016
- ↑ National Journal, "2013 Congressional Vote Ratings," accessed July 29, 2014
- ↑ GovTrack, "William Enyart," accessed July 29, 2014
- ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
- ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
- ↑ Enyart for Congress, "About," accessed October 4, 2012
- ↑ "St Louis Post-Dispatch","Enyart fights back against political attacks on his wife", October 31, 2012
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jerry Costello (D) |
U.S. House of Representatives - Illinois, District 12 2013-2015 |
Succeeded by Mike Bost |
