GovTrack, an independent organization that tracks federal legislation and information about Members of Congress, recently released its annual “Report Card,” a special year-end project that reports the legislative statistics of Members of Congress. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa received high marks in a number of categories.
“Accountability, transparency and bipartisanship are necessary for good government and a functional democracy,” Grassley said. “My number-one priority is to effectively represent the people of Iowa as their U.S. senator, and these principles shape and guide my work on their behalf every day.”
Grassley’s GovTrack Report Card results can be viewed here, and excerpts can be found below.
Got bipartisan cosponsors on the most bills compared to All Senators
In this era of partisanship, it is important to see Members of Congress working across the aisle. 80 of Grassley’s 97 bills and resolutions had a cosponsor from a different political party than the party Grassley caucused with in the 115th Congress.
Got influential cosponsors the most often compared to All Senators
31 of Grassley’s bills and resolutions in the 115th Congress had a cosponsor who was a chair or ranking member of a committee that the bill was referred to. Getting support from committee leaders on relevant committees is a crucial step in moving legislation forward.
Got their bills out of committee the most often compared to All Senators
Most bills and resolutions languish in committee without any action. Grassley introduced 40 bills in the 115th Congress that got past committee and to the floor for consideration.
Supported government transparency the most often compared to Senate Republicans
GovTrack looked at whether Grassley supported any of 14 government transparency, accountability, and effectiveness bills in the Senate that we identified in this session.
Got the 2nd most cosponsors on their bills compared to All Senators
Grassley’s bills and resolutions had 883 cosponsors in the 115th Congress. Securing cosponsors is an important part of getting support for a bill, although having more cosponsors does not always mean a bill will get a vote.
Ranked the 2nd top leader compared to All Senators
Our unique leadership analysis looks at who is cosponsoring whose bills. A higher score shows a greater ability to get cosponsors on bills.
Introduced the 2nd most bills compared to All Senators
Grassley introduced 97 bills and resolutions in the 115th Congress.
Wrote the 3rd most laws compared to All Senators
Grassley introduced 17 bills that became law, including via incorporation into other measures, in the 115th Congress. Keep in mind that it takes a law to repeal a law. Very few bills ever become law.
