While the 117th Congress may be characterized by razor-thin margins and party infighting, lawmakers from both the House of Representatives and the Senate are still at work bringing bills to the floor and supporting key parts of President Joe Biden‘s agenda. This study aims to identify the members of Congress who are most active in sponsoring, advancing, and in some cases, passing legislation.
In order to investigate this question, Leadership Connect (LC) generated data on all the bills that have been introduced by the House and Senate since the 117th Congress took office on Jan. 3. From this data, LC first ranks the “most active” members of each chamber, or the individuals who have sponsored the most bills. Second, LC provides a list of the few bills that have become law and matches them to the member responsible for introducing the legislation. These members are referred to as the “most effective.”
For the Senate, LC surveyed the top 10 most active members. Due to the larger size of the House, LC surveyed the top five most active members of five different caucuses. These five are: the House Democratic and Republican caucuses, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, and the Blue Dog Coalition. Since the 117th House of Representatives is narrowly controlled by Democrats, this study includes these three caucuses as they comprise the varying ideological factions within the large governing party.
Here are some key findings that are expanded upon within this study:
- In the Senate, Marco Rubio (R-FL), Amy Klobuchar (DFL-MN) and Ed Markey (D-MA) are the most active, in that order. Klobuchar and Markey each sponsored one bill that became law, while two of Rubio’s have only passed the Senate.
- The most effective Senators, or those who have sponsored the most bills that were signed into law, were Peters and Braun.
- In the House Democratic caucus, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC, At Large) is the most active member; two of her bills have passed the house, while none became law. Representatives Jerry Nadler (D-NY, 10), John Yarmuth (D-KY, 3), Peter Anthony DeFazio (D-OR, 4), and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT, 3) are the most effective members.
- In the House Republican caucus, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ, 5) is the most active, but only Republican Representatives Don Young (R-AK, At Large), Trent Kelly (R-MS, 1), James Comer (R-KY, 1), and Robert Latta (R-OH, 5) have each sponsored a bill that became law.
In addition, here are some general conclusions this data can provide about the key players in the 117th Congress:
- While the overall number of bills that become law or even advance to another chamber is very low, there is no significant overlap between most active members of congress — those who sponsor the most bills total- and the most effective members — and those who sponsor bills that eventually get passed.
- In both the House and the Senate, the most active and effective members tend to be individuals with a lower media profile.
- Overall, the most effective Senators are slightly less partisan than the most active Senators. This is potentially due to the 60-vote threshold for passing most legislation in the Senate.
- In the House, there was no strong correlation between partisanship and effectiveness of members.
- None of top five most active members of each of the five caucuses studied have sponsored a bill that became law, with the one exception of Young of Alaska.
- The key policy areas that the bills that became law addressed varied, but health, veterans’ affairs, and education were the most common.
Below are various tables that sort the data compiled from the Leadership Connect product and provide a more detailed account of the findings above.
Senators Who Sponsored the Most Bills
| Sponsor | # Of Bills Introduced | Agreed to Resolution | Senate Floor Actions | House Consideration | Bills that Became Law |
| Marco Rubio (R-FL) | 110 | 6 | 2 | 2 | |
| Amy Jean Klobuchar (DFL-MN) | 94 | 8 | 1 | 1 | |
| Edward J. “Ed” Markey (D-MA) | 93 | 1 | |||
| Michael S. “Mike” Lee (R-UT) | 92 | 1 | |||
| Robert “Bob” Menendez (D-NJ) | 72 | 9 | 3 | 2 | |
| Richard J. “Dick” Durbin (D-IL) | 68 | 3 | 4 | ||
| Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) | 71 | 1 | |||
| Robert P. “Bob” Casey Jr. (D-PA) | 64 | 4 | 3 | 1 | |
| Cory A. Booker (D-NJ) | 65 | 2 | |||
| Michael K. “Mike” Braun (R-IN) | 43 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 2 |
Bills Introduced in the Senate That Became Law
| Bill Name | Sponsor | Key Policy Area |
| Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act | Sherrod Brown (D-OH) | Health |
| Consider Teachers Act of 2021 | Michael K. “Mike” Braun (R-IN) | Education |
| HAVANA Act of 2021 | Susan Margaret Collins (R-ME) | Government Operations |
| Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2021 | John R. Thune (R-SD) | Veterans Affairs |
| K-12 Cybersecurity Act of 2021 | Lt Cdr Gary C. Peters (D-MI) | Education |
| Congressional Budget Justification Transparency Act of 2021 | Lt Cdr Gary C. Peters (D-MI) | Economics |
| A bill to amend the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act to extend the deadline for a report by the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children, and for other purposes. | Lisa A. Murkowski (R-AK) | Native Americans |
| Major Medical Facility Authorization Act of 2021 | Jon Tester (D-MT) | Veterans Affairs |
| DUMP Opioids Act | John Neely Kennedy (R-LA) | Veterans Affairs |
| A bill to amend title 28, United States Code, to redefine the eastern and middle judicial districts of North Carolina. | Thom Roland Tillis (R-NC) | Law |
| A bill to provide for the availability of amounts for customer education initiatives and non-awards expenses of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Whistleblower Program, and for other purposes. | Charles E. “Chuck” Grassley (R-IA) | Finance |
| Juneteenth National Independence Day Act | Edward J. “Ed” Markey (D-MA) | Arts & Culture |
| COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act | Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) | Law Enforcement & Public Safety |
| Advancing Education on Biosimilars Act of 2021 | Margaret Wood “Maggie” Hassan (D-NH) | Health |
| A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to the scope of new chemical exclusivity. | Dr. William “Bill” Cassidy (R-LA) | Health |
| Senate Shared Employee Act | Amy Jean Klobuchar (DFL-MN) | Congressional |
| FASTER Act of 2021 | Timothy Eugene “Tim” Scott (R-SC) | Health |
| A bill to make a technical correction to the ALS Disability Insurance Access Act of 2019. | Michael K. “Mike” Braun (R-IN) | Social Services |
House Democrats Who Sponsored the Most Bills
| Sponsor | # Of Bills Introduced | Agreed to Resolution | House Floor Actions | Senate Consideration | Became Law |
| Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) | 61 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Joseph D. “Joe” Neguse (D-CO, 2) | 48 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY, 12) | 49 | 4 | |||
| Julia Brownley (D-CA, 26) | 48 | 2 | |||
| Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX, 18) | 45 | 1 | 3 |
House Progressive Caucus Bills
| Sponsor | # Of Bills Introduced | Agreed to Resolution | House Floor Actions | Senate Consideration | Became Law |
| Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) | 59 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Joseph D. “Joe” Neguse (D-CO, 2) | 47 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY, 12) | 46 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX, 18) | 45 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Stephen Ira “Steve” Cohen (D-TN, 9) | 46 |
Bipartisan House Problem Solver’s Caucus Bills
| Sponsor | # Of Bills Introduced | Agreed to Resolution | House Floor Actions | Senate Consideration | Became Law |
| Deborah Insley “Debbie” Dingell (D-MI, 12) | 33 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Michael John “Mike” Gallagher (R-WI, 8) | 36 | ||||
| Jenniffer Aydin González-Colón (NPP-PR) | 34 | 1 | |||
| Bradley Scott “Brad” Schneider (D-IL, 10) | 31 | 1 | |||
| James “Jimmy” Panetta (D-CA, 20) | 30 | 1 |
House Blue Dog Coalition Bills
| Sponsor | # of Bills Introduced | House Floor Actions | Senate Consideration | Became Law |
| Bradley Scott “Brad” Schneider (D-IL, 10) | 31 | 1 | ||
| Michael C. “Mike” Thompson (D-CA, 5) | 27 | 1 | 3 | |
| Abigail A. Spanberger (D-VA, 7) | 25 | 1 | ||
| Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ, 11) | 21 | 1 | ||
| David Albert Scott (D-GA, 13) | 13 | 1 |
House Republican Bills
| Sponsor | # Of Bills Introduced | House Floor Actions | Agreed to Resolution | Senate Consideration | Became Law |
| Andy Biggs (R-AZ, 5) | 48 | ||||
| Donald Edwin “Don” Young (R-AK) | 44 | 1 | 1 | ||
| William Gregory “Greg” Steube (R-FL, 17) | 38 | 1 | |||
| Michael John “Mike” Gallagher (R-WI, 8) | 36 | ||||
| Scott Perry (R-PA, 10) | 35 |
Bills Sponsored in the House that Became Law
| Bill Name | Sponsor | Key Policy Area |
| To provide for an exception to a limitation against appointment of persons as Secretary of Defense within seven years of relief from active duty as a regular commissioned officer of the Armed Forces. | Adam Smith (D-WA, 9) | Defense |
| To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 500 West Main Street, Suite 102 in Tupelo, Mississippi, as the “Colonel Carlyle ‘Smitty’ Harris Post Office”. | BG J. Trent Kelly (R-MS, 1) | Government Operations |
| PPP Extension Act of 2021 | Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-GA, 7) | Business & Commerce |
| Extending Temporary Emergency Scheduling of Fentanyl Analogues Act | Christopher C. “Chris” Pappas (D-NH, 1) | Law Enforcement & Public Safety |
| Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act of 2021 | Cindy Axne (D-IA, 3) | Veterans Affairs |
| West Los Angeles VA Campus Improvement Act of 2021 | Col Ted W. Lieu (D-CA, 33) | Veterans Affairs |
| To designate the National Pulse Memorial located at 1912 South Orange Avenue, Orlando, Florida, 32806, and for other purposes. | Darren Michael Soto (D-FL, 9) | Arts & Culture |
| To amend the Fentanyl Sanctions Act, to modify certain deadlines relating to the Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking. | David J. Trone (D-MD, 6) | Health |
| To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 229 Minnetonka Avenue South in Wayzata, Minnesota, as the “Jim Ramstad Post Office”. | Dean Benson Phillips (DFL-MN, 3) | Government Operations |
| Alaska Tourism Restoration Act | Donald Edwin “Don” Young (R-AK) | Transportation |
| TRANSPLANT Act of 2021 | Doris O. Matsui (D-CA, 6) | Health |
| Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2021 | Frank John Mrvan (D-IN, 1) | Veterans Affairs |
| To designate the September 11th National Memorial Trail Route, and for other purposes. | Gerald E. “Gerry” Connolly (D-VA, 11) | Natural Resources |
| Construction Consensus Procurement Improvement Act of 2021 | James R. Comer (R-KY, 1) | Government Operations |
| VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021 | Jerrold Lewis “Jerry” Nadler (D-NY, 10) | Law Enforcement & Public Safety |
| COVID-19 Bankruptcy Relief Extension Act of 2021 | Jerrold Lewis “Jerry” Nadler (D-NY, 10) | Law |
| To prevent across-the-board direct spending cuts, and for other purposes. | John A. Yarmuth (D-KY, 3) | Health |
| American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 | John A. Yarmuth (D-KY, 3) | Economics |
| SAVE LIVES Act | Mark Takano (D-CA, 41) | Veterans Affairs |
| THRIVE Act | Mike Levin (D-CA, 49) | Veterans Affairs |
| To award four congressional gold medals to the United States Capitol Police and those who protected the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. | Nancy Patricia (D’Alesandro) Pelosi (D-CA, 12) | Government Operations |
| Further Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021 | Peter Anthony DeFazio (D-OR, 4) | Transportation |
| Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021 | Peter Anthony DeFazio (D-OR, 4) | Transportation |
| Emergency Repatriation Assistance for Returning Americans Act | Richard E. Neal (D-MA, 1) | Economics |
| DEBAR Act of 2021 | Robert E. “Bob” Latta (R-OH, 5) | Law Enforcement & Public Safety |
| Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act | Rosa Luisa DeLauro (D-CT, 3) | Economics |
| Emergency Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 | Rosa Luisa DeLauro (D-CT, 3) | Congressional |
| Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act | Thomas R. “Tom” Suozzi (D-NY, 3) | Veterans Affairs |
| To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1101 Charlotte Street in Georgetown, South Carolina, as the “Joseph Hayne Rainey Memorial Post Office Building”. | Tom Rice (R-SC, 7) | Government Operations |
