Our most effective congressmen

[pscot]

These numbers reflect legislative activity. They don't tell us if the legislation was designed to bring peace on earth or name a post office. The numbers reflect bills sponsored by the member and eventually enacted into law. For more information, here's a link: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/person.xpd?id=400193

The two most effective legislators are Brian Baird and Doc Hastings. Baird has sponsored 75 bills since 1991. Fifteen of those made it out of committee, and seven became laws. Hastings has sponsored 77 bills since 1995. Twenty reached the House floor and 6 were enacted.

Jim Mc Dermott has been busy. Since 1990 he's sponsored 163 bills, of which 7 reached the floor. Five became law. Norm Dicks has only sponsored 40 bills since 1991, but 9 of those made it to the floor and 4 became law. (Dicks has been in Congress since 1977.)

Since 1999, Jay Inslee has sponsored 93 bills. Eight reached the floor and 3 were enacted.

Rick Larsen has sponsored just 40 pieces of legislation in 15 years. One made it into law. Dave Reichert has sponsored 35 bills since 2005. One was passed. Adam Smith has had one legislative success in his 12 years in Congress. Cathy McMorris Rodgers has none.

In terms of activity, Inslee and Reichert are averaging roughly 10 pieces of legislation a year. Regarding efficiency, Baird and Dicks show a remarkable 10% success rate.

[DB1]

1. Larsen was first elected to congress in 2001.

I think he is just a game player but you should correct the 15 year thing. Hope you had a great Turkey Day!

[quiller4]

2. Actually prime sponsorship isn't the sole measure of effectiveness

sometimes it is better to get another prime sponsor and be a co-sponsor who does all the legwork to get something passed. That was often how Maggie worked and Dicks learned from him. Dicks is very often the powerhouse behind a piece of legislation that has someone else's name. Smith is often a co-sponsor of measures he drafted.

[pscot]

3. Understood

The most senior members can probably get a lot done without leaving fingerprints all over the place. Whether that's a good thing is a matter for discussion.