Editing Sam Brownback (section)

===Tenure===
[[File:Angelina Jolie Sam Brownback 2003.jpg|thumb|Senators Brownback and [[Dianne Feinstein|Feinstein]] in 2003, shown with [[Angelina Jolie]], the Goodwill Ambassador for [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]], call for bipartisan legislation to reform the treatment of unaccompanied alien minors.]]
Brownback was a member of the [[United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|Judiciary Committee]], the [[United States Senate Committee on Appropriations|Appropriations Committee]] (where he chaired the Subcommittee on [[District of Columbia]] when the Republicans were in the majority), the [[United States Congress Joint Economic Committee|Joint Economic Committee]], and the [[Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe]], also known as the Helsinki Commission, which he at one time chaired. The Helsinki Commission monitors compliance with international agreements reached in cooperation with [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The World from The Hill: Helsinki panel a model of bipartisanship on foreign policy|work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|date=November 22, 2010|url=https://thehill.com/news-by-subject/foreign-policy/75823-the-world-from-the-hill-helsinki-panel-a-model-of-bipartisanship-on-foreign-policy/|access-date=September 27, 2014|archive-date=October 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018153249/http://thehill.com/news-by-subject/foreign-policy/130289-helsinki-commission-tackles-tough-issues-without-the-partisan-divide|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2000, Brownback and Congressman [[Chris Smith (New Jersey politician)|Chris Smith]] led the effort to enact the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.<ref>Library of Congress: Thomas. House Resolution 3244. [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c106:H.R.3244.ENR: ''Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918124642/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c106:H.R.3244.ENR: |date=September 18, 2008 }}</ref> [[Bill Clinton|President Clinton]] signed the legislation in October 2000. According to ''[[Christianity Today]]'', the stronger enforcement increased the number of U.S. federal [[Trafficking in human beings|trafficking]] cases eightfold in the five years after enactment.<ref>Alford, Deann. [http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/march/13.30.html "Free at Last"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070223040430/http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/march/13.30.html |date=February 23, 2007 }}, ''Christianity Today'', February 21, 2007</ref>

By August 12, 2007, in the [[110th United States Congress|110th Session of Congress]], Brownback had missed 123 votes due to campaigning (39.7 percent)–surpassed only by [[Tim Johnson (South Dakota politician)|Tim Johnson]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]]) of [[South Dakota]] who due to a critical illness had missed 100% of the votes of the 110th Session, and [[John McCain]] (R) of [[Arizona]] with 149 votes missed due to campaigning (48.1 percent).<ref>Washington Post.[http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/110/senate/vote-missers/ "Missed Votes"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090208175306/http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/110/senate/vote-missers/ |date=February 8, 2009 }}, August 12, 2007</ref>

In 2006, Brownback blocked a confirmation vote on a [[George W. Bush]] federal appeals court nominee from Michigan, judge [[Janet T. Neff]]. He objected to her joining the bench solely because she attended a same-sex commitment ceremony in Massachusetts in 2002 that involved a next-door neighbor who was a close childhood friend of Neff's daughters. Brownback's action blocked confirmation votes on an entire slate of appointments that had been approved by a bipartisan group of senators.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/19/washington/19judge.html Senator Removes His Block on Federal Court Nominee] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222220258/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/19/washington/19judge.html |date=December 22, 2017 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', Neil A. Lewis, December 19, 2006. Retrieved December 22, 2017.</ref> In July 2007, Brownback lifted the block that had prevented the vote, and the Senate confirmed Neff by an 83–4 vote.<ref name=Neff /> Brownback was joined in opposition by just three other conservatives, then-Senators [[Jim Bunning]], [[Jon Kyl]], and [[Mel Martinez]].<ref>[https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00240 110th Congress, roll call vote 240] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222220216/https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00240 |date=December 22, 2017 }}, ''[[United States Senate]]'', July 9, 2007. Retrieved December 22, 2017.</ref>

In the mid-1990s, Brownback hired [[Paul Ryan]] as his chief legislative director. Ryan later became a [[United States House of Representatives|member of Congress]], vice-presidential candidate, and [[Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives]].<ref name="ks_gov_brownback_2017_01_29_charlotte_observer">Wise, Lindsay [[McClatchy News Service]], and Scott Canon, ''[[Kansas City Star]],'' in [http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/nation-world/national/article129459654.html "The troubled 'Kansas experiment' goes to Washington,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006111823/http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/nation-world/national/article129459654.html |date=October 6, 2017 }} January 29, 2017, ''[[The Charlotte Observer]]'', retrieved October 5, 2017.</ref>