Former member of Congress · last served 112th Congress
John Ensign
John Ensign was a Republican U.S. senator from Nevada, first elected to Congress in 1995, who sponsored 5 bills that became law (104th–112th Congress).
How we count: “Broke with party” is a yes/no roll call where the member voted against most of their own party on that vote (party as recorded; even splits not counted). “Pork: own share” splits each earmark shared by several members evenly among them.
Recent votes
No recorded roll-call votes in PORKER’s records. Roll-call records start in 2011.
5 most recent bills
- S. 729 A bill to validate final patent number 27-2005-0081, and for other purposes.May 18, 2011 · Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 112-39.
- S.Res. 146 A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that it is not in the vital interest of the United States to intervene militarily in Libya, calling on NATO to…Apr 14, 2011 · Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (text of measure as introduced: CR S2539-2540)
- S. 650 Health Care Waiver Transparency ActMar 17, 2011 · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- S. 549 Casting Light on EAJA Agency Records for Oversight Act of 2011Mar 10, 2011 · Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- S. 422 Passenger Vehicle Loss Disclosure Act of 2011Mar 1, 2011 · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Top bills sponsored
- S. 313 (108th) Animal Drug User Fee Act of 2003Became law
- S. 310 (109th) Newlands Project Headquarters and Maintenance Yard Facility Transfer ActBecame law
- S. 2640 (108th) A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1050 North Hills Boulevard in Reno, Nevada, as the "Guardians of Freedom…Became law
- H.R. 449 (105th) Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998Became law
- S. 570 (108th) A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 with respect to the qualifications of foreign schools.Became law
- S.Res. 62 (108th) A resolution calling upon the Organization of American States (OAS) Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human…Passed a chamber
- H.R. 2225 (105th) To designate the Federal building and United States courthouse to be constructed on Las Vegas Boulevard between Bridger Avenue and Clark Avenue in Las Vegas…Passed a chamber
- S. 382 (109th) Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act of 2005Passed a chamber
Laws first, then bills that passed a chamber, were reported from committee, or drew the most cosponsors.
Elections Sen. Ensign has won
Sen. Ensign has won 2 U.S. House elections (1994–1996) and 2 U.S. Senate elections (2000, 2006). Of the contested races, margins ran from 0.9 to 15.4 points.
Full election history for this seat →
Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab, U.S. House V15 / U.S. Senate V8 (CC0), retrieved 2026-10-18; winners matched to member records by seat and term. Results run through the 2024 elections; nothing from 2026 is shown until it is certified. A margin is a fact about one election, never a score of how well a member represents anyone, and PORKER does not rank members by it.
How has Nevada done while Sen. Ensign served?
2005 to 2010 in Nevada: typical household income was down 7% after inflation, the share of people below the poverty line was up 3.8 points, and the share of workers looking for a job was up 8.3 points.
Each mini chart has its own scale, fitted to its lines (it does not start at zero), so compare the numbers, not the heights. Oxblood = state, grey = U.S.
While they served, not because of them. This shows what happened in Nevada during Ensign’s time representing it (2001 to 2011). It does not say what the member did or caused. It is not a score, and PORKER never ranks members on it.
Survey years start at 2005. The yearly estimates for Nevada begin in 2005, so 2001 to 2004 are not shown. No 2020 yearly estimate exists.
Official records on bills this member sponsored
112th Congress. What Congress.gov lists for the 30 bills sponsored.
| Record | Bills | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Bills sponsored | 30 | Source: Congress.gov member record, PORKER copy of October 26, 2026 ↗ See them → |
| With a CBO cost estimate listed | 0 | None listed |
| With a committee report listed | 0 | None listed |
Evidence
- How counted
- Bills where this member is the lead (first-listed) sponsor in the 112th Congress, read from the stored Congress.gov bill records
- Fields
- cboCostEstimates, committeeReports, constitutionalAuthorityStatementText, notes
- PORKER copy refreshed
- October 26, 2026 (nightly)
Read this first. These are counts of records Congress.gov lists. Many bills never get a CBO estimate or a report, so a zero is not a mark against a member. We never show this as a score.
Data as of Oct 26, 2026 · Sources: Congress.gov, Senate.gov, House Clerk, Appropriations Committee earmark tables. PORKER is non-partisan.