WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa ranks fifth in the United States Senate for bipartisanship according to a new study that evaluates how often members of Congress work across party lines by bill sponsorship and co-sponsorship. The rankings for the 114th Congress (2015-2016) are from the Lugar Center, led by former U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, and the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.
“Many Americans might be surprised to learn that real bipartisanship exists these days in Washington,” Grassley said. “I hope my work for Iowans serves as an example that working together is not only possible, but also should be expected of elected officials. Just this Congress, there’s been bipartisan legislation involving veterans’ access to health care, prescription drug costs and combating sexual assault on campus. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find common ground to address the problems facing the nation.”
Lugar said, “Cooperative efforts to address real challenges is what the American people want to see from their leaders, and we are hopeful it will be a growing trend during the 115th Congress.”
As an example of recent bipartisanship, Grassley reintroduced legislation originally introduced in the 114th Congress, along with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), to make hearing aids for those with mild to moderate hearing loss available over the counter.
In the 114th Congress, the Judiciary Committee, which Grassley leads, reported 30 bills out of the committee, 24 of which were passed by the full Senate and 17 of which became law. All were bipartisan. Major bipartisan legislation such as the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act, the Defend Trade Secrets Act, the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, the PATENT Act, the FOIA Improvement Act and the Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act, which included Grassley’s Survivors’ Bill of Rights, cleared the committee.
According to the study, “The Bipartisan Index measures how often a member of Congress introduced bills that succeed in attracting co-sponsors from members of the other party, and how often they in turn co-sponsor a bill introduced from across the aisle. The Index is based on a formula applied uniformly to all members. No subjective judgments are made about individual members or bills.”
A review of Grassley’s accomplishments in the 114th Congress can be found here.
The 2015-2016 bipartisan index ranking is available here.
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