Bacon Named Most Effective Republican Lawmaker in 117^th Congress

WASHINGTON – The Center for Effective Lawmaking, a partnership between the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and Vanderbilt University, released their Legislative Effectiveness Scores for the 117^th Congress, ranking Rep. Don Bacon as the number one Republican lawmaker and the number one Republican member on defense issues. Bacon scored a 6.13 based on fifteen indicators including bills introduced by the member, the progress they made in committee, and bills the member sponsored. 

 “Since coming to Congress in 2016, I have embraced cooperation and creativity to get things done for Nebraskans and I thank the Center for this recognition,” said Bacon “I am willing to work with anyone who shares my desire to make life better for Americans, and I look forward to continuing that level of effectiveness in the 118^th Congress.”

The Center for Effective Lawmaking said the following in their announcement: 

“On the surface, the fate of these bills appears limited, with only two of them passing the House, and only one of them (a post office naming) become law; however, a deeper consideration of his legislative agenda points to the impressive scope of his success. In particular, Rep. Bacon was able to effectively use the intricacies of the lawmaking process behind the scenes to move his proposals forward. Specifically, we are able to identify sixteen bills that Rep. Bacon introduced into the House that had their language substantially incorporated into other bills that ultimately became law. Examples of these bills include the Warrior Brain Health Act of 2022, the Department of Defense Law Enforcement Credential Act of 2022, the Military Energy Security Act of 2022, and eight other bills sponsored by Rep. Bacon that ultimately found their way into the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023. Taken together, Rep. Bacon’s Legislative Effectiveness Score places him as the fourth overall in the House, despite being a member of the minority party.

 “His approach, working behind the scenes to strike compromises and insert his bill language in other legislative vehicles, shows further opportunities for minority-party lawmakers to succeed in Congress.”

To see the full Legislative Effectiveness Scores, click here.

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