Rep. Peter Defazio Named Second-Most Effective House Democrat in 116th Congress by Non-Partisan Center for Effective Lawmaking
Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-04) today was named the second-most effective lawmaker of the 116th Congress by the non-partisan Center for Effective Lawmaking.
“Throughout my time in Congress, I have made it a priority to write and introduce commonsense legislation that works for all Oregonians,” said Rep. DeFazio. “I’m proud that my efforts to craft, and pass, bipartisan legislation has been recognized by the Center for Effective Lawmaking, and I will continue to work in Congress to provide real solutions for southwest Oregon.”
As Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, DeFazio was instrumental in shepherding into law 29 measures considered by the committee in the 116th Congress. DeFazio sponsored 48 bills, ranging from ensuring members of the Coast Guard are paid during government shutdowns to earthquake preparedness to comprehensive aircraft safety certification. Ten of his bills passed the House and several other bills included language authored by DeFazio. Notably, legislation to clarify antitrust laws governing health insurance companies, helping to stem price-gouging of consumers, was signed into law by President Trump.
In their report, the Center for Effective Legislating noted that DeFazio was “…highly effective even when in the minority party in the previous Congress.” In the 115th Congress, DeFazio ranked third in effectiveness among all Democratic representatives.
DeFazio is on track to remain in the top 10 effective Member ranking in the 117th Congress. He authored several provisions of the American Rescue Plan, key COVID-19 relief legislation that was signed into law last week and will deliver much-needed assistance to 1.9 million Oregon families, extend unemployment assistance programs for more than 200,000 Oregonians, and invest nearly $130 billion in school re-opening, including $1.1 billion for Oregon schools.
The Center for Effective Lawmaking is a joint partnership between the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and Vanderbilt University. It was created in 2017 to advance the generation, communication, and use of new knowledge about the effectiveness of individual lawmakers and legislative institutions in Congress.