Bleeding Red, White, but Never Blue

Mike Crapo: I Bleed Red.

(When asked how Mike Crapo intended to vote, he replied, "Y'all Ready Know")

How Republican is Mike Crapo? (article from a local Idaho paper called the Lewiston Tribune) That is a lot like asking a bear, "How bear are you?" "100%," would be the reply for both. Senator Crapo has been a republican all of his life ever since he found out that his blood was the same color as his political ideology, there was no turning back. The party color runs through Crapo's viens, which in turn commands his voting preferences. He is so red that he appeared in a Red Hot Chili Peppers' music video (he is the stand in bassist)  

DW-Nominate Scores:

The Dw-Nominate Scores are a collaborative study into the voting of each Senator through roll call voting that measures how they voted in relation to the other Senators in their party. As you could've probably guessed, Senator Crapo leans (best video yet) heavily to the left. In the last six Congresses, here is how Crapo voted (website that explains the DW-Nominate Scores as well as the scores themselves):

108th: .584 (other Idaho Senator Craig .506)

109th: .630 (other Idaho Senator Craig .490)

110th: .676 (other Idaho Senator Craig .475)

111th: .722 (new Idaho Senator Risch .803)

112th: .768 (Idaho Senator Risch .803)

113th: .814 (Idaho Senator Risch .803)

Besides Risch's impressive ability to keep the same voting precentages for 3 Congress' in a row, Crapo has moved more and more to the extreme right conservative, which is of no surprise if one were to look at the polarizing trend of Congress over the past few years. However, I think it speaks to Crapo's ability to adapt to the ever changing political landscape as well as understand his constituents. Senator Craig's moderate voting style may have worked for a little bit, but he was soon booted out by the Idaho faithful. The people of Idaho are redder than the baby red potatoes they produce. Crapo saw and understood this. He also made to begin to exert his influence and ideology the more senor he became within the Senate ranks.  He has made the decisions that his constituents want him to make and become more and more right of center. I wouldn't be surprised if Crapo hits a .89 or even a .9 before his last session in Congress. 

Party Unity Score:

Mike Crapo treats his party like his family and does what is in the best interest for them and himself. Normally, they are the same thing, but one thing is for certain, Crapo would never turn his back on his family. In the past five Congresses, Crapo score shows his support for his party with his roll call votes: 

109th: 94.859% (Idaho Senator Craig 92.228%)

110th: 92.286% (Idaho Senator Craig 89.944%)

111th: 95.551% (Idaho Senator Risch 96.346%)

112th: 95.185% (Idaho Senator Risch 95.556%)

113th: 97.748% (Idaho Senator Risch 98.627%)

The fact that Crapo doesn't drop below a 92% in voting alongside his party is pretty incredible. Within the last few Congresses, he has stepped up his intensity in voting with the Republican party. Another important thing to note is that Crapo is very persistent in voting as he is in the higher ranks of Senators in make sure to cast his vote every opportunity he gets. This means that he votes more than most Senators and still his percentages are super high, which goes to show how conservative Crapo is. A characteristic that has allowed him to maintain his position in Idaho for as long as he has. The majority of Idaho constituents are heavily conservative in almost every aspect of the political landscape although they really only care about taxation and budget deficits. The Republican endorsement carries great weight with Crapo and his voting record as Idaho constituents assume he is making the right decision every time. He maintains his party's position on issues of great importance like taxation, but when it comes to supporting tedious bills, he sometimes loosens his voting behavior and goes more with his mind than letting the party think for him.

ADA and Interest Groups Score: 
Senator Crapo is never afraid to help people out (especially when they help pay the bills). The problem is that everyone is crying out for help and most times it is for things that are against Crapo's ideology or unapproved by his constituents. The ADA, "a home for liberal activists", rates the "liberalness" of each Congressmen based on whether or not they voted yes or no on certain bills that were "scored" by the ADA. Mike Crapo received a 15%(the ADA yearly newsletter that issues its ratings of how well or poor every member of Congress voted). The score is rather interesting as it shows that Crapo actually supported a few of the actions preferred by his so called adversaries. Although these supported actions are rather tedious and obvious, they show Crapo's ability to think for himself and willingness to do what he believes is right rather than tow the party line. For instance, one of the actions was to close debate and vote on a motion to pass vote on a bill. At Inside Gov.com, Crapo is rated by various conservative groups as well as liberal groups on how well he voted in their favor. For conservative groups like National Right To Life Committee, Campaign For Working Families, and FreedomWorks, Crapo has scored very high and votes with them around 95% of the time. It is of no surprise that Crapo always votes to support financial security of the middle and working class as that makes up a large constituency of Idaho voters. Another big characteristic is the strict adherence to pro-life votes as it is a big part of the Mormon religion and the conservative nature of Idaho. When it comes to more liberal groups like the ACLU and the League of Conservation Voters, Crapo is less than 30% in supporting their votes, which is interesting for a lack of support for environmental groups as Idaho is very pro wildlife and conservation. 

Crossing Party Lines On Any Issues:
As one would expect, Mike Crapo isn't very keen on the prospect of crossing party lines and doing the Democratic party any favors. From the website Inside Gov, Senator Crapo is not much of one to lean anymore left than he has to. From abortion to defense spending, Crapo rates conservative on the ideological scale every time. But sometimes he must go into the danger zone. Probably the most left leaning bill that Crapo supported a stimulus spending package to help bail out bankrupt. Since Crapo is highly against increased government spending, this is an interesting bill for Crapo to support. Overall, if one is to look at the ideological scores of Crapo, he doesn't cross the line he has drawn in the sand. The Liberal Interest Group that he supports the most would be the Human Society Legislative Group, which is kind of a no-brainer as who is going to go against helping homeless animals?

As this is the last blog, it must be made known that I have been in close contact both verbally and physically with Senator Crapo. As I am the only one he trusts and my blog has gained national attention, I am proud and pleased to reveal that Mike Crapo will run for President in the upcoming information in 2016! If his work with Idaho is any indication of how well this country and his constituents will do, then we are in for almost a decade of Crapo and possibly more as the Constitution may have to adapt to the popularity for more Crapo. He is the best around.

Committee or Subcommittee.. That is the question.

Mike Crapo- Where the Fun Happens

Committees and Subcommittees

(Mike Crapo playing copy cat with his fellow Congressman)

Committee Work-

Everyone is begging for Mike Crapo to join their committees and subcommittees. If there were a Senator fantasy draft, Mike Crapo would be the overall #1 pick in everyone's draft. The reason, you may ask, is due to Mike Crapo's knowledge on large range of topics, his ability to adapt to any situation, his excessive background in law, his calm demeanor, and his overall, awesomeness. Mike Crapo's committee assignments (govttrack.gov is a very accessible and informative presentation of each Congressman's assignments and current events):

• Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs- is responsible for "areas of jurisdiction include, but are not limited to: banking, insurance, financial markets, securities, housing, urban development and mass transit, international trade and finance, and economic policy." This committee bodes well for Mike Crapo as banking and insurance happen to be the two biggest industries that help donate large contributions, so obviously, it is important to donors within his state that he maintains a position on this committee. This committee as large as it is busy. The committee is constantly voting on legislation such as the reforming of national usury laws or dealing with relations with Iran. Sadly, all of Mike Crapo's proposed legislation has been heard, but the committee is listening, so the bills have gathered dust. However, Crapo is able to show off his contributions and his work on such an important committee especially to more prospective contributors. 
• Senate Committee on Finance- To quote the Senate Finance Committee's website: "The Committee concerns itself with matters relating to: taxation and other revenue measures generally, and those relating to the insular possessions; bonded debt of the United States; customs, collection districts, and ports of entry and delivery; reciprocal trade agreements; tariff and import quotas, and related matters thereto; the transportation of dutiable goods; deposit of public moneys; general revenue sharing; health programs under the Social Security Act and national social security." (BROAD) For Crapo, this committee is his calling card especially as Idahoians are known for their watchful eyes on their purses. It is what he wants to be known for since this committee has power and publicity. This committee has power over a lot of money, which garners lots of attention and is great for credit claiming, advertising, and position-taking. The committee itself has not voted on much, but it is in the subcommittees where most bills are transported and deliberated on.
• Joint Committee on Taxation- is a nonpartisan committee that serves and discusses literally all aspects of taxation (zzz...snore...zzz). This committee has been quite bust of late recommending and clarifying specific legislation that has crossed its desk. Although this committee is not extremely influential in the passing of legislation as they lack authority to do so, being knowledgable on the ins and outs of the tax code can be very useful especially for someone like Crapo, who is constantly calling out Obama and his tax policies as well as the government in general. This committee gives him a large amount of credibility with voters and may make him useful to other Congressman due to his enhanced tax knowledge. 
• Senate Committee on the Budget- is charged with the monumental task to try to create a budget that can be agreed upon by most of Congress as it has be pass through both the House and the Senate and then through the President. But if everything were easy, then there would be no need for Mike Crapo in Congress. Mike Crapo is a strong critic of the budget in terms of the outrageous amount of debt and the excessive spending that has continued to raise this debt. To Idahoians, Crapo is our only hope to bringing this spending under control with his service on the budget committee. (or so he says) Year after year, this committee deals with one of the biggest issues facing Congress today.
• Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works- this committee may fly under the radar, but it is fairly important as they address and discuss important issues ranging from the Keystone Pipeline to air pollution. This committee tends to be either a no brainer like combating wildfires or a tough debate such as the Keystone Pipeline that has ignited a lot of debate. Idaho is a largely rural state that encompasses a lot of nature and wildlife that falls under the jurisdiction of this committee. Crapo is able to gain some credit claiming from this endeavor especially with the bill S.538, which is about Idaho's vehicles and highway maintenance. Although this bill has not left subcommittee, Crapo is able to soak up every little drop of publicity and credit for his state that he can muster. 
• Senate Committee on Indian Affairs - "The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs has jurisdiction to study the unique problems of American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples and to propose legislation to alleviate these difficulties. These issues include, but are not limited to, Indian education, economic development, land management, trust responsibilities, health care, and claims against the United States". This committee is useful for Mike Crapo as Idaho has several reservations throughout the state that harbors a rather substantial Native American population, which can be useful for Crapo's campaigning strategy and garner some credit claiming. On February 5, 2015, Crapo introduced the Indian Trust Asset Reform Act, which is legislation intended to ensure continued benefits going to Native Americans, was referred to the Indian Affairs committee where it has sat idly for 2 months gaining dust. From an outside perspective, this looks like just a credit claiming move for Crapo and can easily shift the blame for lack of motion to the rest of the committee. Overall, the committee has not been very busy recently

Subcommittee-

In all honesty, the subcommittees are where the true magic happens as they deliberate about the specifics of the bill, nitpick every aspect of the bills, and find out what will be sufficient to pass on the floors of Congress. Unlike the committees that have broad, overreaching jurisdictions that reach far beyond the scope of just their title, the subcommittees are more narrowed and specific in their dealings. Although Congressman Crapo wishes he could be on every subcommittee, he was limited to these few:

• Securities, Insurance, and Investment (Chairman)- For the committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, this subcommittee is rather important especially for Mike Crapo as the donors who contribute to his campaigns are from this industry specifically. Currently, they have legislation that has been deliberated openly or that has been recommended, but Mike Crapo has made sure to emphasize his importance in this subcommittee.
• Financial Institutions and Consumer Protections- Once again, this is a large portion of the banking aspect of government and where Crapo wants to be in terms of expertise and knowledge as well as credit claiming. The name consumer protections implies that Crapo is doing his best to protect consumers, who just happen to be almost everyone in Idaho. They have no sponsored legislation yet.
• Housing, Transportation, and Community Development- Crapo deals with a lot of transportation throughout his (sub)committees and as shown with his new proposed legislation that deals with transportation. This subcommittee is rather large in scope, but deals with the major issue of housing reform and maintaining the housing market. This subcommittee has yet to pass any legislation as of late. 
• Taxation and IRS Oversight (Chairman)- Crapo was most likely able to get the appointment for this position through his extensive knowledge of tax code and taxation in general. In this position, Crapo has a lot of power over bills relating to taxation, which is useful as that is what people tend to complain about most. With the combination of this subcommittee and the joint committee on taxation, Mike Crapo holds quite a bit of power when it comes to taxation and combined with a chairman position, this may be his most important subcommittee.
• Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure- Strangely enough, this subcommittee is a part of the Senate Finance Committee that discusses issues like "Natural Gas Vehicles: Fueling American Jobs, Enhancing Energy Security, and Achieving Emissions Benefits". This subcommittee is useful to Crapo as he is able to show to his state, which has an abundance of natural resources, that he is making a difference for them in Washington and best representing their interests.
• Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth- Although this committee is rather small in its composition (only 4 Senators), they cover a key issue that Crapo is constantly relaying back to this state: fiscal responsibility. He is constantly discussion the lack of conscience Congress has when it comes to money and how he is trying to change that culture. This committee is currently discussing issues like "Examining Whether There is a Role for Tax Reform in Comprehensive Deficit Reduction and U.S. Fiscal Policy".
• Superfund, Waste Management, and Regulatory Oversight- Crapo was selected for this committee as he is not afraid to take out the trash when it comes to legislation. Although he use to be ranking member (replaced by Mike Rounds), Crapo's dedication has ceased to lessen. This subcommittee deals a lot with environment maintenance and the overseeing of those programs that do so. Currently, the subcommittee has not passed any legislation, but that makes sense as Senator Crapo has been cleaning up trash since the 1990s.
• Clean Air and Nuclear Energy- this subcommittee deals a lot with the topic of climate change, which is a rather large topic to tackle, but an important one. They also deal with cleaning air pollution and nuclear waste. This subcommittee is an important one for Crapo as it encompasses a lot of pollution work, which is a problem in Northern Idaho from all the coal mining.
• Transportation and Infrastructure- the major issue being dealt with here is the federal highways and public works projects, which tend to be overlooked sometimes, but not by Mike Crapo, who sees this subcommittee as an opportunity to fix up what he can with what he has. This subcommittee is useful to Crapo for one big topic and that is the reforming of the federal highways in Idaho, which has been campaigning for since he got into office.

As you can tell, Mike Crapo is a busy man, but he lives for this. He asks for these assignments because he can handle it and it is what the people want. However, he must be careful because you know the old saying, "More Committees, More Problems".

Election's - Its as easy as 1,2,3

Electoral Circumstances: Mike Crapo (3-0)

(Mike Crapo's headquarters on election night 2010)

Last Election: To be honest, Mike Crapo has won almost every election he has participated in dating back to Mrs. Smith's third grade student council elections (there happened to be a vote missing that cost Crapo the victory). Ever since he became a politician, Senator Crapo has pushed his way to his current position and has won most elections by a fairly wide margin. In his last election for his Senate seat in 2010, he came in as the undisputed heavyweight incumbent in Idaho and he came out swinging as the results (House of Clerks website, which was very reliable and accurate) were:

• Mike Crapo, Republican - 319,953 votes
• P. Tom Sullivan, Democrat - 112,057 votes
• Randy Lynn Bergquist, Constitution - 17,429 votes
• Frederick R. Reinisch, Jr., Write-In - 91 votes

As you can tell, incumbent Crapo won by a considerably large margin. He even blew out his primary opponent by a landslide as well as Mike Crapo gathered approximately 80% of the vote while Skip Davis only mustered up about 20%. Although issues are continually brought up by his opponents in regards to Congress' inability to get anything accomplished, Crapo has done well to push this problem off (a good secondary source to see how the media perceives the elections and the candidates) onto the Democratic party and their ignorance towards the various problems that face our country (especially Idahoians) like budget deficits.

Primary/General Elections Outlook: In both elections, there has been little chatter of who is going to run, if any, against Big Bad Mike Crapo, whom will be going for a fourth term! There has been speculation of possibly Raul Labrador  (a useful secondary source in Idaho that reports a few times on elections) running for the Senate seat, but nothing has been confirmed yet. As Jacobson notes, the incumbent has an advantage as PACs normally favor incumbents especially if they have kept their word. From quick observation, Crapo's main donors have been from the financial sector and have obviously been pleased with the Senator's actions in Congress as he has found his way into various committees that deal with the finance issue. 

Election Prediction: My prediction is that Mike Crapo will win the primary election considerably as no one really has the experience or momentum to challenge him. In the general election as Idaho is a traditionally sun-burned red state and it does not seem like it is going to change anytime soon, so if Crapo can win the primary, he can win it all. My guess is he will carry about 65% of the popular vote.

2012 Election: In the 2012 election, Idaho managed to keep it plan and simple and carry Mitt Romney with 64.5% of the popular vote, which is a trend that has existed well beyond the last 20 years. In respect to Idaho's previous voting record and their constantly-voting red nature, I don't think that the simultaneous running of elections this year will have any negative effect on Crapo's chances especially as the election may overshadow some of his misdeeds (like the drinking and driving stunt). Mike Crapo is a well-known household name for all true Americans living in Idaho and name recognition alone would have Crapo out front. 

(Mike frustrated he did not win more votes)

Campaign Financing: In the previous two elections, Senator Crapo has raised significant (and I mean large) amounts of money for his campaign especially in comparison to his opponent. Currently he has raised around $2 million since 2011, but in the 2010, he did not make a big push for money until the last two years and raised over $4 million. I am spectulating that this will be the case for the 2016 election. As I have stated before, Senator Crapo is heavily supported by the financial industry (banking, insurance, etc) and these contributors are very good at filling up Crapo's pockets. As no one has declared to run against Crapo, it is difficult to see how much they are possibly raising, but there maybe someone somewhere gaining the courage and capital to take on the Bald Eagle of Capitol Hill.

Major Issues: Being a traditionally conservative state, Idaho focuses a lot on the spending and high budget deficits of Congress as the popular vote is normally driven by economics. This is what he has been campaigning on for the majority of his elections and the topics don't seem to change as much as the years do. Now that Obama is out of office, Crapo will have to find another punching bag, but he is a fairly resourceful guy and will find someone (preferably a democrat) to put the blame on. To people in Idaho specifically, Crapo's drinking scandal may cost him some integrity points, but look for him to put the focus more on Congree itself than his actions. Crapo always does well to aim for the older voters and he makes sure that everyone is aware that he is willing to fight to the death for these peoples' pension plans! Crapo has also been pushing for reform in the agriculture sector and cutting excess taxes for farmers trying to sell their harvest. Crapo also is fighting for the military both home and abroad through a foreign affairs push and defense spending push. He is playing the obvious cards correctly and he knows this state better than almost anyone as he has lived in it most of his life. In the large general picture, Idaho is going to vote for the candidate that best represents their values and attitudes and as a true Idahoian, Mike Crapo knows what those are. 

Mike Crapo just wants a better Idaho, a better America, a better world that starts with a better tomorrow.

Mike "No Crap"o's Second Blog

Mike "No Crap"o's Second Blog: "Traveling Man"

Mike's Official Traveling Theme Song

(Mike Crapo showing his 'hip-hop" side to future voters at an Idaho elementary school)

Senator Crapo's Travel

Senator Crapo travels quite a bit especially as the capital of Idaho (Boise) is approximately 2,400 miles away from Washington D.C., which means choosing to keep in touch with his constituents or perform his duty as serving Senator in Washington. From what I have noticed, the Senator spends a majority of his time in Washington D.C., where he feels that he should be at a majority of the time. Crapo even tells his constituents to stop by his office and see him while they are in Washington. The last time Crapo went on a major touring of his state was during his apology tour (source is Politico, which is a well known political website) after his drunk driving incident, but has not done very many large scale Idaho tours. However, in all of Crapo's previous elections, he has not been truly challenged by another candidate, which may play into his mindset. Senator Crapo has been able to travel for recently as Congress has on break for a state work period (the United States Senate's official website). For the most part, it seems that Mike Crapo spends a lot of time on Capital Hill as he has been in session for a good majority of the year so far. Recent places Mike has managed to travel to are:

• On February 23, Crapo was back in his Washington D.C. office voting on Capitol Hill. (Source showed Crapo's recent voting in Washington as he was in Washington for the people)
• On February 20, Crapo visited American Falls, Idaho to discuss creating a sustainable budget, which he is on the Senate Budget Committee (local news source that covered Crapo's visit). Crapo really tried to hammer home his dedication to representing the local, everyday Idaho resident. 
• On February 19, Crapo visited Twin Falls, Idaho meeting with several people ranging from local radio hosts, an academic awards dinner, and local newspaper editors. 
• On February 18, Crapo visited and discussed various issues, mostly involving the budget, with local constituents at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, ID.
• On February 17, Crapo went before the Idaho House and Senate to discuss current issues such as budget issues. 
• February 4, Crapo was in Washington D.C. with the Senate Finance Committee in hearings throughout the day. This is arguably Crapo's most important position in the Senate as this is where he receives a majority of his funding.
• February 3, Crapo helped introduced the Clay Hunt SAV Act in Washington D.C. 

Press Releases - Taking Care of Business

When Mike isn't traveling back forth between Idaho and Washington D.C., visiting with his family, cruising around in Virginia (shhh), giving mouth to gill recitation to endangered fish (as shown above), and being an all-around outstanding American, Senator Crapo is working for the people. Speculated to never sleep, Mike Crapo works endlessly to make this great country is up and running. He keeps watch while all others sleep into the night. Mike Crapo has made sure to keep everyone, especially his constituents, aware of the work he has been doing. His website contains Crapo's recent press releases dating back to last year. A few recent press releases are:

• February 18th - Mike Crapo and fellow Idaho senator Jim Risch introduced the SCRAP (Stopping Costly Regulations Against Produce) to the U.S. Senate to combat the FDA's fresh produce rule that negatively impacts farmers. Agriculture is a substantial part of Idaho's economy and makes sense for Crapo to introduce such a bill. 
• February 12th - Mike Crapo, along with a few fellow Senators, introduced another piece of legislation called the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program to help support law enforcement, schools, and roads. As Idaho is largely a rural state with small schools dispersed amongst the long, rural roads, this piece of legislation makes a lot of sense for Crapo to introduce and make sure his constituents see.
• February 6th - Mike Crapo made sure that his constituents, especially those of the military and the aerospace background, felt his frustration with President Obama and Congress as the Air Force has planned to retire the A -10 Thunderbolt II. 
• February 5th - Mike Crapo, with the two Colorado Senators, introduced the Water and Agriculture Tax Reform (WATER) Act, which seeks to reform outdated tax provisions that have reduced investments in the advancement of infrastructure. The bill would allow for less restrictions on irrigation and ditch companies to raise more capital for further investment. This would help aide the rural farmers, of which there are many, in Idaho especially in the Southern part of Idaho, which is arid and dry. 

Mike's Mailers

Senator Crapo is all about making sure that his constituents are keeping up with him by sending 

sending out monthly newsletters both electronically and physically. If interested on knowing how much Senator Crapo does for Idaho and more importantly, America, sign up now. In his January newsletter, Mike Crapo lets everyone know what he is doing on the hill with his classic "No Crap"o dealings on Capitol Hill. A few of the topics discussed are:

• Stopping Federal Education Mandates 
• Fiscal Reform (The Debt Crisis)
• Reducing Federal Regulations on Small Businesses
• Limiting Presidential Power To Create National Monuments
• Reaffirming the Second Amendment Rights for Americans

Senator Crapo also sends out mass letters to his constituents as he receives hundreds of letters every week and his hands, although the fastest writing hands in Congress, can not possibly be able write back every letter so he responds with letters online that cover the main issues that he receives letters about. Although, it is not unheard of for Crapo do a bit of franking as in 2009 and 2010, he spent $7,657 and $3,537 respectively, even though he had a budget of $50,000 for each fiscal year. These letters cover these issues:

• Mistreatment of Veterans
• Clean Water Act Jurisdiction
• Mortgage Relief
• Immigration Reform and Border Security
• Dissatisfaction with the Obama Administration

Senator Crapo is not bothered to help his local constituents out when they are in a jam or need help speeding up the process with various government agencies. 

Crapo's Sponsored and Cosponsored Bills

Senator Crapo has been a busy man on Capitol Hill getting his name on a large amount of bills. However, a lot of his introduced bills have not made a large amount of headway. However, it is interesting that Crapo's amount of bills have increased in recent months. Some of Crapo's recently sponsored bills that he has introduced:

• S.494 - A bill to prohibit the use of any Federal funds to finalize, implement, or enforce the proposed rule entitled "Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption". Referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
• S.440 - The name of this bill is the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act. This bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Finance.
• S.383 - A bill is to mainly provide for Indian trust asset management reform. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.
• S.331 - The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2015 that extends the compensation trust fund for 19 more years. The Act has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Crapo has also been active in recently cosponsoring numerous amounts of bills. A few of these are:

• S.1 - Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act, which was presented to the President on February 24, 2014 as it has passed through both houses.
• S. Res. 30 - A resolution designating the week of January 25 through January 31, 2015, as "National School Choice Week", which has passed through the Senate without amendment.
• S. Res. 76 - A resolution welcoming the Prime Minister of Israel to the United States for his address to a joint session of Congress, which was introduced to the Senate and referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. 

As I read the large amount of bills that Crapo is associated with, it seems that he is consistently playing it safe while making sure to represent his constituents, but also, not rocking the boat. This is Mike "No Crap"o's motto and it has got him pretty far.

Mike Crapo (R-ID): Statesman, Family Man, and Idaho’s Man

Biographical Information: (http://www.crapo.senate.gov/about_mike/bio.cfm)      

• Born on May 20, 1951 in Bonneville County, ID (named after the beautiful automobile) in the Southwest portion of Idaho near Utah.
•  Education: Graduated from Idaho Falls High School in 1969; Graduated Summa Cum Laude at Brigham Young University in 1973 with a B.A. in Political Science; Graduated Cum Laude/ Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School in 1977
• Religion: Mormonism
• Family: Susan (wife since 1974); children: Stephanie, Brian, Paul, Lara, and Michelle; 5 grandchildren.

Experience (http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=c000880):

Mike Crapo is a life long politician dating back to his college days as law has always at the forefront of Senator Crapo’s goals. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Mike decided to clerk with 9-th Circuit Court of Appeals. Afterwards, he completed and passed bar examinations for Idaho, California, and the Supreme Court and became a partner at the law firm of Holden, Kidwell, Hahn, & Crapo until 1984. It was at this point in time that Mike Crapo began his life as a full-fledged politician beginning with a stint as state senator in Idaho State Legislature for 8 years representing Bonneville County from 1984-1992. Crapo decided to step into the national stoplight by running for Idaho’s 2^nd District in 1993-1998 and gained significant recognition through his leadership and obtained leadership roles like New Member Leader and Deputy Whip for the Western region. 

Tenure (3 terms):
During Mike Crapo's tenure, he has seen his stock rise in various leadership roles that he has been appointed to -

• Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee (served on since 1999)
• 3rd Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee (Mike's principal amount of funding comes from donors with financial backgrounds) - https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00006267
• The Senate Budget Committee (since 2003)
• The Senate Environment and Public Works (rejoined in 2006)

Fun Facts:
Mike is a huge gun enthusiast that enjoys firing off a few rounds after a long day of dealing with tough issues on Capitol Hill (You can't read them, but the targets have names of high ranking democrats written on them): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHTFaKhKWpM
Mike Crapo is a major enthusiast of nature and wildlife, which is one of the reasons he serves on the Environment and Public Works. To help relieve stress, Mike stalks wild bears in Northern Idaho. He treks deep into the forests and tames these massive, wild bears by wrestling them to the ground and biting their ears, thereby gaining their respect. Along with serving his country in the political realm, Mike hunts poachers to help serve Mother Nature.
The name "Crapo" comes from an ancient Swedish word used to reference the fecal matter left behind by small woodland creatures.

Idaho: The Gem State

Facts (http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/idaho/):

• Idaho is the 43rd State to be accepted into the Union.
• Capital City: Boise, ID (also the largest city in Idaho)
• Population : 1,612,136
• Industry: Agriculture (famous "Idaho potatoes", wheat, sugar beets, and barley), Lumber, and Mining.
• State Motto: "Esto perpetua" - May It Endure Forever
• State Bird: Mountain Bluebird
• State Flower: Syringa 
• State Dance: Square Dance

Population (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/16000.html):

White: 93.7%

African American: 0.8%

Asian Decent: 1.4%

American Indian: 1.6%

Hispanic or Latino: 11.8%

Two or more races: 2.2%

Religion (http://www.bestplaces.net/religion/state/idaho):

Catholic: 7.92%

Later Day Saints (Mormon): 26.17%

Baptist: 3.07%

Pentecostal: 1.93%

Lutheran: 1.63%

Methodist: 1.45%

Other Christian: 7.73%

Judaism: .04%

Eastern: .24%

Islam: .11%

Major Industries (http://commerce.idaho.gov/site-selection/key-industries/advanced-manufacturing):

Advanced Manufacturing: 17.6% of total GDP; Employs 11.2% of the state.

Aerospace: projected growth in 10 years 14.6%

Technology/Innovation: projected growth in 10 years 13.7%; 49,322 jobs

Food Processing: 8% of employment; 7% GDP (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihMMw0rnKz4)

Crapo: "One of my top priorities in the new Congress remains reforming our nation's overly-burdensome tax code as part of creating a competitive, national economy that encourages innovation and job growth. As I travel our state, many Idahoans ask me can Congress find consensus to reform our tax code and to pay down our massive national debt. The answer is we are making some progress on key principles, but we need Idahoans and all Americans to push for agreement to get the job done."