WASHINGTON, D.C. — While members of Congress spent the last five weeks home on “August recess,” I decided to do a deep dive into some numbers and find out what Ohio’s 18 lawmakers have actually accomplished legislatively this year.
As the Washington-based reporter for Spectrum News 1 Ohio, my days are spent tracking what the Buckeye State’s two U.S. senators and 16 U.S. representatives are up to.
But with news constantly breaking, it’s hard to keep track of what legislation Ohio’s lawmakers are trying to make law.
Every August, Congress leaves Washington for its summer recess. It’s a chance for members to spend time at home and work in the communities that elected them, but it means voting on potential laws is put on hold.
So throughout the last month, producer Sam Lisker and I were glued to a computer screen, scrolling through a website you’ve probably never heard of called congress.gov.
The publicly available site keeps track of every piece of legislation — bills, amendments, resolutions — that gets introduced by members of Congress.
Ohio’s 18 members are paid with your tax dollars to make laws and be your voice in Washington, so what have they gotten done in the last eight months?
Sam and I focused our search on legislation that Ohio’s members have sponsored — meaning their name is attached to it — or cosponsored — which means they publicly endorsed it — between the start of this legislative session on January 3, 2019 through August 31, 2019.
In that time, over 7,700 pieces of legislation have been introduced by all of Congress.
Of that, just 56 have become law.
And of that 56, Ohio lawmakers have sponsored or cosponsored only 10 of them.
Alan Wiseman, co-director of the non-partisan Center for Effective Lawmaking and chair of the political science department at Vanderbilt University, told me those numbers are not unusual.
“I mean, in any given Congress, on your best day you’re looking at maybe four percent of these bills becoming law,” Wiseman said.
Senator Sherrod Brown (D) is the only Ohio lawmaker who has sponsored something that has become law this year — with his name attached to the bill. (More on what this means below, under Important Context.)
The legislation deals with retirement benefits for Senate food service workers.
Except for Representative Warren Davidson (R, 8th Congressional District), every member of the state’s delegation is a cosponsor on at least one bill that’s become law. (For example, more than half of Ohio’s lawmakers signed on to support the 9-11 Victim Compensation Fund that President Trump signed into law in July.)
As Sam and I kept digging, we found that, overall, Ohio’s 16 House members have sponsored 174 bills, amendments or resolutions since January.
Rep. Tim Ryan (D, 13th Congressional District) tops the list at 30.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R, 4th Congressional District) ranks last with zero.
Wiseman said Jordan sponsoring nothing is not unordinary.
He said some members focus more on their committee work or may be working on legislation that’s just not ready to be introduced only eight months in to a two-year congressional term.
“At any given point in time, though, from say January to August, for example, there’s probably many members of Congress that have introduced almost nothing,” he said, “ meaning only a couple bills or perhaps nothing at all, such as Congressman Jordan.”
But the numbers for something being introduced versus passing the House or Senate can make you tilt your head.
Of those 174 pieces sponsored by Ohio’s representatives, only nine have made progress by passing the House.
And over in the Senate, we found Sen. Brown and Sen. Rob Portman (R) are neck and neck — Portman has sponsored 58 pieces, while Brown has sponsored 52.
But besides Brown’s one bill that was signed into law — with his name attached to it — none of his or Portman’s bills have cleared the Senate yet; and only a handful of their resolutions and amendments have.
“To successfully navigate these hurdles, someone has to be really skilled, for lack of a better phrase, at being able to negotiate, carve out deals, or alternatively be in really important institutional positions in the chamber, such as being a committee chair or a subcommittee chair,” Wiseman said.
I sent all of this data to all 18 of Ohio’s lawmakers and asked them how they feel about their records for the year.
So far, I’ve heard back from 13. You can read their full responses below.
You’ll notice that some House members received a second question, about Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King.
We found that seven of Ohio’s Republican representatives have cosponsored at least one piece of legislation sponsored by King, who has a history of making racist comments and was stripped of his committee assignments in January because of it.
We asked the seven members, because of this, why they still feel comfortable supporting legislation a controversial colleague introduces.
You can read their responses, or lack thereof, below.
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Response from Sen. Sherrod Brown:
Response from Sen. Rob Portman:
Questions sent to Rep. Steve Chabot’s office:
- How does Chabot feel about his legislative record this year, so far?
- Given Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King’s history of racist comments and his being stripped of his committee assignments in January, why does Chabot still feel comfortable sponsoring legislation he introduces? (Chabot is a cosponsor of two bills that Rep. King sponsored.)
We haven’t received a response.
Response from Rep. Brad Wenstrup:
Question sent to Rep. Joyce Beatty’s office:
- How does Beatty feel about her legislative record this year, so far?
Response from Rep. Beatty:
“Whether it is helping to enact laws to improve healthcare for our nation’s veterans and first responders, to my bills assisting first-time homebuyers, protecting consumers, and ensuring Americans of all backgrounds have a seat at the table, I am working hard to deliver real results for my constituents. In addition to these and many other pieces of legislation, I am immensely proud to report that my office has recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars owed to Central Ohioans from the VA, Social Security, and other federal agencies, as well as helped secure millions of dollars in federal funding for district priorities and programs so far this year. I look forward to continuing to serve on behalf of the people of Ohio’s Third Congressional District, because our work continues.”
Questions sent to Rep. Jim Jordan’s office:
- How does Jordan feel about his legislative record this year, so far? And why has he not sponsored any legislation?
- Given Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King’s history of racist comments and his being stripped of his committee assignments in January, why does Jordan still feel comfortable sponsoring legislation he introduces? (Jordan is a cosponsor of one bill that Rep. King sponsored.)
Response from Ian Fury, communications director for Rep. Jordan:
“Congressman Jordan will always fight for the lives of the unborn.”
Questions sent to Rep. Bob Latta’s office:
- How does Latta feel about his legislative record this year, so far?
- Given Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King’s history of racist comments and his being stripped of his committee assignments in January, why does Latta still feel comfortable sponsoring legislation he introduces? (Latta is a cosponsor of one bill that Rep. King sponsored.)
Response from Mikayla Hall, communications director for Rep. Latta:
“Congressman Latta is proud of the work he’s done and it reflects in his record of being ranked one of the most effective members of Congress. That record continues this year as he works with his committee colleagues on bipartisan efforts to combat illegal robocalls, provide consumers more choice when it comes to over-the-counter drug products, and improve grid security.
“The residents of Ohio’s 5th District sent Congressman Latta to Washington to advocate for them and to support good policy, no matter the party or person who writes it. He’s consistently worked with his fellow Republicans and across the aisle on commonsense reforms that improve lives, strengthen our national defense, and protect the vulnerable unborn."
Questions sent to Rep. Bill Johnson’s office:
- How does Johnson feel about his legislative record this year, so far?
- Given Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King’s history of racist comments and his being stripped of his committee assignments in January, why does Johnson still feel comfortable sponsoring legislation he introduces? (Johnson is a cosponsor of three bills that Rep. King sponsored.)
Response from Natalie Kretzschmar, press secretary for Rep. Johnson:
“Since Congressman Johnson was sworn into the House of Representatives in January 2011, he’s had 16 pieces of legislation signed into law, and all of them had bipartisan support. Seven of these bills were signed by President Obama. No matter which party is in the majority, he’ll continue to advance and support common-sense, bipartisan legislation that benefits those he represents in Eastern and Southeastern Ohio.”
Questions sent to Rep. Bob Gibbs’ office:
- How does Gibbs feel about his legislative record this year, so far?
- Given Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King’s history of racist comments and his being stripped of his committee assignments in January, why does Gibbs still feel comfortable sponsoring legislation he introduces? (Gibbs is a cosponsor of five bills that Rep. King has sponsored.)
We haven’t received a response.
Questions sent to Rep. Warren Davidson’s office:
- How does Davidson feel about his legislative record this year, so far?
- Given Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King’s history of racist comments and his being stripped of his committee assignments in January, why does Davidson still feel comfortable sponsoring legislation he introduces? (Davidson is a cosponsor of two bills that Rep. King has sponsored.)
Response from Matthew Henderson, communications director for Rep. Davidson:
“Congressman Davidson is proud of his accomplishments in the majority and minority, and he will continue defending freedom for all Ohioans. The House is a majority-dominated institution, and while Davidson has been active legislatively, he works to find other ways to advocate for families in Ohio, such as leading a bipartisan letter to the Administration on disaster relief for Ohio farmers, which was signed by all 16 members of the Ohio delegation.”
Response from Rep. Marcy Kaptur:
Question sent to Rep. Mike Turner’s office:
- How does Turner feel about his legislative record this year, so far?
We haven’t received a response.
Question sent to Rep. Marcia Fudge’s office:
- How does Fudge feel about her legislative record this year, so far?
We haven’t received a response.
Question sent to Rep. Troy Balderson’s office:
- How does Balderson feel about his legislative record this year, so far?
Response from Rep. Balderson:
“I’m proud of never missing a vote this Congress, and for all the work I’ve put in for my constituents across Central Ohio – from veterans, to farmers, business leaders, air traffic controllers, and everyone in between – but there’s always more to be done. From the day I took office, I’ve promised to work tirelessly on their behalf, and that’s what I’ll continue to do."
Question sent to Rep. Tim Ryan's office:
- How does Ryan feel about his legislative record this year, so far?
Response from Rep. Ryan:
“I’ve been fighting for Northeast Ohio, our workers, and our families since day one. Whether it’s combatting the opioid epidemic, investing in the future of manufacturing, or supporting veterans, I’m incredibly proud of my legislative record. Under House Democratic leadership, we’ve passed a record number of bills for the American people, including comprehensive gun reform, raising the federal minimum wage, and protecting the pensions of 1.3 million workers and retirees. I will continue to work with my Democratic and Republican colleagues to pass legislation that provides American workers and families the tools and resources to thrive.”
Question sent to Rep. Dave Joyce’s office:
- How does Joyce feel about his legislative record this year, so far?
We haven’t received a response.
Response from Rep. Steve Stivers:
Response from Rep. Anthony Gonzalez:
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So, yes, it’s hard to actually get a bill passed into law.
As noted above, the members who responded generally said they are proud of what they’re accomplishing. And, as you also saw above, several pointed me to legislation that they did work on this year that has become law, even though their name isn’t officially on it.
This is where things get a bit tricky.
Whether it’s a bill, amendment or resolution, only one member of Congress can be the formal “sponsor” on a piece of legislation — meaning their name is on the document when it is introduced. They own it.
Any other member can sign on to support the legislation, as a cosponsor. If you helped write it or want to back it from the start, you can be an “original cosponsor.” If you learn about it after it has been introduced and want to support it, you can become a “cosponsor.”
If that piece of legislation ends up getting passed by the House and Senate, and the president ultimately signs it into law, the member whose name is on the bill gets direct credit; and those who signed on as cosponsors can claim a victory too.
But throughout the course of a two-year session of Congress, many pieces of legislation sponsored by members end up being worked into larger bills and spending packages. What this means is a member who originally sponsored something may end up seeing their legislation become law, but because it’s part of a larger bill or package, their name as “sponsor” is no longer attached.
So while the metric we used for this project accurately tracks legislation that has an Ohio member’s name on it, it’s important to remember that lawmakers can still have legislative victories even if a law doesn’t end up including their name.
Through our research, Sam and I were also able to develop some rankings of Ohio’s members, which you’ll find below.
In the end, I asked Wiseman if constituents should feel depressed or discouraged by all these numbers.
“I don’t think there’s a need to feel depressed or discouraged, per say,” he said. “It is true that there’s a lot of contentious issues that are held up in Congress, but it’s also important to note there is quite a bit of lawmaking that occurs in the public view, but just not necessarily focused on by the media.”
Congress reconvenes in Washington on Monday, September 9.
Data collected from congress.gov between January 3, 2019 - August 31, 2019
Most pieces sponsored by Ohio’s U.S. House members:
- Rep. Tim Ryan - 30
- Rep. Joyce Beatty - 22
- Rep. Steve Chabot - 16
- Rep. Bob Latta - 16
- Rep. Marcy Kaptur - 16
- Rep. Bob Gibbs - 14
- Rep. Warren Davidson - 11
- Rep. Mike Turner - 10
- Rep. Dave Joyce - 10
- Rep. Marcia Fudge - 8
- Rep. Brad Wenstrup - 6
- Rep. Steve Stivers - 6
- Rep. Bill Johnson - 5
- Rep. Troy Balderson - 2
- Rep. Anthony Gonzalez - 2
- Rep. Jim Jordan - 0
TOTAL: 174
Most pieces sponsored by Ohio’s U.S. senators:
- Sen. Rob Portman - 58
- Sen. Sherrod Brown - 52
TOTAL: 110
Most pieces cosponsored by Ohio’s U.S. House members:
- Rep. Tim Ryan - 345
- Rep. Joyce Beatty - 257
- Rep. Marcy Kaptur - 243
- Rep. Steve Stivers - 206
- Rep. Marcia Fudge - 191
- Rep. Steve Chabot - 168
- Rep. Mike Turner - 158
- Rep. Bob Gibbs - 137
- Rep. Bill Johnson - 134
- Rep. Dave Joyce - 121
- Rep. Bob Latta - 111
- Rep. Troy Balderson - 105
- Rep Anthony Gonzalez - 104
- Rep. Brad Wenstrup - 88
- Rep Jim Jordan - 68
- Rep. Warren Davidson - 62
TOTAL: 2,498
Most pieces cosponsored by Ohio’s U.S. senators:
- Sen. Sherrod Brown - 335
- Sen. Rob Portman - 136
TOTAL: 471
Sponsored a piece that became law, with name still attached:
- Sen. Sherrod Brown - 1
Most pieces cosponsored, that became law, by Ohio’s U.S. House members:
- Rep. Marcy Kaptur - 4 (each sponsored by a Democrat)
- Rep. Tim Ryan - 3 (each sponsored by a Democrat)
- Rep. Dave Joyce - 3 (each sponsored by a Democrat)
- Rep. Steve Chabot - 2 (each sponsored by a Democrat)
- Rep. Brad Wenstrup - 2 (each sponsored by a Democrat)
- Rep. Joyce Beatty - 2 (each sponsored by a Democrat)
- Rep. Bill Johnson - 2 (each sponsored by a Democrat)
- Rep. Mike Turner - 2 (each sponsored by a Democrat)
- Rep. Marcia Fudge - 2 (each sponsored by a Democrat)
- Rep. Steve Stivers - 2 (each sponsored by a Democrat)
- Rep. Anthony Gonzalez - 2 (each sponsored by a Democrat)
- Rep. Jim Jordan - 1 (sponsored by a Democrat)
- Rep. Bob Latta - 1 (sponsored by a Democrat)
- Rep. Bob Gibbs - 1 (sponsored by a Democrat)
- Rep. Troy Balderson - 1 (sponsored by a Democrat)
- Rep. Warren Davidson - 0
TOTAL: 30
Most pieces cosponsored, that became law, by Ohio’s U.S. senators:
- Sen. Sherrod Brown - 2 (each sponsored by a Democrat)
- Sen. Rob Portman - 1 (sponsored by a Democrat)
TOTAL: 3
Most pieces sponsored by Ohio’s U.S. House members that have passed the House, with name still attached:
- Rep. Marcy Kaptur - 3
- Rep. Steve Chabot - 2
- Rep. Brad Wenstrup - 1
- Rep. Joyce Beatty - 1
- Rep. Bob Latta - 1
- Rep. Bill Johnson - 1
- Rep. Jim Jordan - 0
- Rep. Bob Gibbs - 0
- Rep. Warren Davidson - 0
- Rep. Mike Turner - 0
- Rep. Marcia Fudge - 0
- Rep. Troy Balderson - 0
- Rep. Tim Ryan - 0
- Rep. Dave Joyce - 0
- Rep. Steve Stivers - 0
- Rep. Anthony Gonzalez - 0
TOTAL: 9
Most pieces sponsored by Ohio’s U.S. senators that have passed the Senate, with name still attached:
- Sen. Sherrod Brown - 5
- Sen. Rob Portman - 3
TOTAL: 8
Most pieces cosponsored by Ohio’s U.S. House members that were sponsored by a member of the opposing party:
- Rep. Steve Stivers - 118
- Rep. Mike Turner - 88
- Rep. Dave Joyce - 81
- Rep. Steve Chabot - 71
- Rep. Bill Johnson - 66
- Rep. Anthony Gonzalez - 60
- Rep. Tim Ryan - 58
- Rep. Troy Balderson - 54
- Rep. Brad Wenstrup - 49
- Rep. Bob Latta - 43
- Rep. Bob Gibbs - 42
- Rep. Joyce Beatty - 31
- Rep. Marcy Kaptur - 28
- Rep. Jim Jordan - 16
- Rep. Marcia Fudge - 15
- Rep. Warren Davidson - 14
TOTAL: 834
Most pieces cosponsored by Ohio’s U.S. senators that were sponsored by a member of the opposing party:
- Sen. Rob Portman - 80
- Sen. Sherrod Brown - 62 by Republicans; 4 by Independents
TOTAL: 146
Percentage of pieces (bills, amendments, resolutions) sponsored or cosponsored by Ohio’s U.S. House members that have made some type of progress this year (i.e. passed House; passed Senate; signed into law):
- Rep. Anthony Gonzalez - 14.15%
- Rep. Steve Chabot - 13.59%
- Rep. Marcy Kaptur - 13.51%
- Rep. Troy Balderson - 12.15%
- Rep. Marcia Fudge - 11.56%
- Rep. Brad Wenstrup - 10.64%
- Rep. Joyce Beatty - 10.39%
- Rep. Dave Joyce - 9.16%
- Rep. Bob Latta - 8.66%
- Rep. Bill Johnson - 8.63%
- Rep. Tim Ryan - 7.47%
- Rep. Steve Stivers - 6.6%
- Rep. Bob Gibbs - 5.96%
- Rep. Mike Turner - 4.76%
- Rep. Jim Jordan - 4.41%
- Rep. Warren Davidson - 2.74%
Percentage of pieces (bills, amendments, resolutions) sponsored or cosponsored by Ohio’s U.S. senators that have made some type of progress this year (i.e. passed Senate; passed House; signed into law):
- Sen. Rob Portman - 12.89%
- Sen. Sherrod Brown - 11.37%
Who worked the most with their fellow Ohio U.S. House members?:
1. Rep. Steve Stivers:
- cosponsored 11 pieces from 3 Ohio Democrats
- cosponsored 17 pieces from 8 Ohio Republicans
2. Rep. Tim Ryan:
- cosponsored 6 pieces from 3 Ohio Democrats
- cosponsored 16 pieces from 8 Ohio Republicans
3. Rep. Mike Turner:
- cosponsored 2 pieces from 2 Ohio Democrats
- cosponsored 16 pieces from 8 Ohio Republicans
4. Rep. Joyce Beatty:
- cosponsored 6 pieces from 3 Ohio Democrats
- cosponsored 11 pieces from 6 Ohio Republicans
5. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez:
- cosponsored 3 pieces from 3 Ohio Democrats
- cosponsored 13 pieces from 6 Ohio Republicans
6. Rep. Steve Chabot:
- cosponsored 1 piece from 1 Ohio Democrat
- cosponsored 13 pieces from 8 Ohio Republicans
7. Rep. Dave Joyce:
- cosponsored 4 pieces by 3 Ohio Democrats
- cosponsored 7 pieces by 7 Ohio Republicans
8. Rep. Bob Gibbs:
- cosponsored 1 piece by 1 Ohio Democrat
- cosponsored 12 pieces by 7 Ohio Republicans
9. Rep. Troy Balderson:
- cosponsored 2 pieces by 1 Ohio Democrat
- cosponsored 11 pieces by 6 Ohio Republicans
10. Rep. Marcy Kaptur:
- cosponsored 6 pieces by 2 Ohio Democrats
- cosponsored 7 pieces by 4 Ohio Republicans
11. Rep. Bill Johnson:
- cosponsored 2 pieces by 2 Ohio Democrats
- cosponsored 9 pieces by 5 Ohio Republicans
12. Rep. Marcia Fudge:
- cosponsored 6 pieces by 3 Ohio Democrats
- cosponsored 4 pieces by 3 Ohio Republicans
13. Rep. Bob Latta:
- cosponsored 1 piece by 1 Ohio Democrat
- cosponsored 6 pieces by 6 Ohio Republicans
14. Rep. Jim Jordan:
- cosponsored 1 piece by 1 Ohio Democrat
- cosponsored 6 pieces by 5 Ohio Republicans
15. Rep. Brad Wenstrup:
- cosponsored 1 piece by 1 Ohio Democrat
- cosponsored 5 pieces by 3 Ohio Republicans
16. Rep. Warren Davidson:
- cosponsored 1 piece by 1 Ohio Democrat
- cosponsored 4 pieces by 4 Ohio Republicans
Who worked the most with their fellow Ohio U.S. senator?:
- Sen. Sherrod Brown: cosponsored 14 pieces sponsored by Portman
- Sen. Rob Portman: cosponsored 13 pieces sponsored by Brown