Jerry McNerney

Elections

2006

Main article: 2006 California's 11th congressional district election

McNerney launched his 2006 campaign early in the fall of 2005. In June 2006 he won the Democratic primary with 52.8% of the vote, defeating Steve Filson, who had been endorsed by the DCCC, and Stevan Thomas.^{[citation needed]}

In late July, Republicans Pete McCloskey and Tom Benigno, both of whom ran in the Republican primary against Pombo, endorsed McNerney.^[8] In September, analysis of the campaign was changed from "Republican safe" to "Republican favored" due to the emergence of McNerney's campaign. The report noted "a [GOP] party spokesman says it's because they want to win decisively but others speculate that internal polling has delivered bad news for the incumbent."^[9] On October 3, a poll commissioned by Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund was released with McNerney leading Pombo, 48% to 46%.^[10] Based on these events, in early October, CQPolitics.com changed their rating of this race from Republican Favored to Leans Republican.^[11]

On November 7, 2006, McNerney defeated Pombo, 53–47%.^[12]

Tenure

In 2010, President Barack Obama signed into law a bill McNerney wrote that establishes an evaluation panel to assess the Veteran's Administration treatments for traumatic brain injury.^{[citation needed]} McNerney wrote a bill in 2013 that allowed veterans to keep receiving their benefits during the government shutdown.^[16]

McNerney was one of the first lawmakers to call for the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki after revelations about delays in care at VA health care facilities.^[17]

McNerney is a proponent of renewable energy and supports cap and trade.^[18]

McNerney co-sponsored the bill To require the Secretary of Energy to prepare a report on the impact of thermal insulation on both energy and water use for potable hot water (H.R. 4801; 113th Congress), which would require the United States Secretary of Energy to prepare a report on the effects of thermal insulation on both energy consumption and systems for providing potable water in federal buildings.^[19][20]

In 2007, McNerney voted against legislation that would have prevented the DEA from enforcing prohibition in the 12 states (including California) that allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes.^[21]

In 2013, McNerney introduced the Methamphetamine Education, Treatment and Hope (METH) Act to expand programs that combat methamphetamine abuse.^[22]

In April 2018, McNerney, Jared Huffman, Jamie Raskin, and Dan Kildee launched the Congressional Freethought Caucus. Its stated goals include "pushing public policy formed on the basis of reason, science, and moral values", promoting the "separation of church and state", and opposing discrimination against "atheists, agnostics, humanists, seekers, religious and nonreligious persons", among others. Huffman and Raskin act as co-chairs.^[23]

In 2019, McNerney authored the AI in Government Act (HR 2575).^[24] Enacted in 2020, the AI in Government Act was designed to facilitate the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies within the federal government, improve competency in their use, and ensure that AI applications are trustworthy and benefit the public.

McNerney voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.^[25]

Committee assignments

• Committee on Energy and Commerce
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Power
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade
  • Subcommittee on Environment and Economy
• Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Energy
• Committee on Veterans Affairs

Caucus memberships

• Chair, Artificial Intelligence Caucus
• Chair, Grid Innovation Caucus
• Chair, Wi-Fi Caucus
• Congressional Arthritis Caucus
• United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus^[26]
• Grid Innovation Caucus
• Congressional Freethought Caucus
• Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus^[27]
• Climate Solutions Caucus^[28]
• Medicare for All Caucus

2025 Legislation

• SB 31 Expanding the Use of Recycled Water. Signed into law on Oct. 13, 2025, SB 31 helps drought-proof California by boosting the use of recycled water. It also protects the state’s fresh water supply by allowing businesses, homes, and agencies to expand their use of recycled water for irrigation and other uses, rather than relying on drinking water.^[31]
• SB 86 Green Energy Manufacturing Jobs. Signed into law on Oct. 1, 2025, SB 86 creates clean manufacturing energy jobs in California by extending a key program that provides tax incentives to California green energy manufacturers. The law also adds fusion energy to the tax incentive program.^[32]
• SB 279 Helping Farmers & Winegrape Growers. Signed into on Oct. 11, 2025, SB 279 reduces costs for California farmers and winegrape growers by allowing them to compost large amounts of green waste onsite during a biomass event, such as the removal of an orchard or vineyard. The bill also allows community composting programs, urban farms, and school farms to compost larger amounts of green waste onsite.^[33]
• SB 543 Low-Cost Housing. Signed into law on Oct. 10, 2025, SB 543 helps address California’s housing affordability crisis by streamlining the construction of low-cost housing known as accessory dwelling units (ADUs), also called backyard cottages or in-law units, and junior accessory dwelling units (JADUs), such as an attached garage converted into living space.^[34]
• SB 711 Making Tax Filing Easier. Signed into law on Oct. 1, 2025, SB 711 makes it easier for California taxpayers – especially taxpayers with small businesses – to file their taxes by aligning numerous state tax requirements with federal requirements for the first time in a decade.^[35]
• SB 846 Protecting Farmworkers’ Wages. Signed into law on July 14, 2025, SB 846 protects farmworkers from wage theft by updating state law that holds agricultural employers accountable.^[36]
• SB 237 Stabilizing Gas Prices (with Sens. Grayson, Hurtado, and Richardson, and Asm. Wilson). Signed into law on Sept. 19, 2025, SB 237 is groundbreaking legislation that is designed to stabilize gasoline prices as the state transitions away from fossil fuels.^[37]

McNerney also introduced legislation known as the No Robo Bosses Act (SB 7) that sought to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in workplace settings. The bill would require human oversight of automated decision-making systems in California workplaces. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed SB 7 on Oct. 13, 2025.^[38][39]

Senate Committee Assignments

• Chair, Revenue and Taxation
• Member, Energy, Utilities and Communications
• Member, Budget and Fiscal Review
• Member, Budget Subcommittee #2 on Resources, Environmental Protection and Energy
• Member, Agriculture
• Member, Military and Veterans Affairs
• Member, Joint Committee on Fairs Allocation and Classification

Select Committees

• Member, Select Committee on Bay Area Public Transit
• Member, Select Committee on California's Wine Industry
• Member, Select Committee on Green Economic Development
• Member, Select Committee on the Ports and Goods Movement

Caucus Memberships

• Senate Democratic Caucus
• Bay Area Caucus
• California Technology & Innovation Caucus
• Delta Caucus

Commission Memberships

• Delta Protection Commission
• Sierra Nevada Conservancy

United States Supreme Court

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, McNerney called it "a partisan body that is no longer a legitimate arbiter of our Constitution." He said it had a "far-right minority agenda" that is a "threat not only to our country, but to the world."^[40]

U.S. House of Representatives

California State Senate