Omaha, Neb. – Rep. Don Bacon (NE-02) has been ranked 15th, or top 3.4 percent, in the House of Representatives for the 116th Congress in the Bipartisan Index rankings compiled by the Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. This non-partisan tool measures the degree to which Senators and Representatives work across party lines on legislation. The Speaker of the House and Minority Leader are excluded from the rankings. Bacon was previously ranked in the top 7 percent. 

“In this time of hyper-partisanship, Congress must come together and work on areas of consensus to pass meaningful legislation instead of pushing through personal interest agendas that typically favor a small group,” said Rep. Bacon. “As a Member of some bipartisan caucuses, I have found many opportunities to sponsor and introduce legislation that has widespread bipartisan support instead of just one party and one or two from the other.  Lugar is the best-known index on rating bipartisanship in Congress and I’m thankful they see the value in sharing this information. I’m proud to seek consensus across the aisle, while not compromising on my principles and the promises I have made to the citizens of the second district.” 

Data from all Congresses since 1993 are incorporated in the Bipartisan Index, and it looks at when a member of Congress introduces bills that succeed in attracting co-sponsors from members of the other party. It also looks at how often they in turn co-sponsor a bill introduced from across the aisle. The Index does exclude non-binding resolutions and ceremonial bills and is based on a formula applied uniformly to all members. It does not make any subjective statements or judgements about individual members or bills. 

The full rankings can be found here. 

About the Lugar Center:

Founded by former U.S. Senator Richard Lugar, the non-profit Lugar Center is a platform for informed debate and analysis of global issues, including nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, global food security, foreign assistance effectiveness and global development, energy security, and enhancing bipartisan governance. http://www.thelugarcenter.org   

About the McCourt School of Public Policy:

The McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University is a top-ranked public policy school located in the center of the policy world in Washington, D.C. Their mission is to teach students to design, analyze, and implement smart policies and put them into practice in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, in the U.S. and around the world. https://mccourt.georgetown.edu/ 

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