How effective are Greater Cincinnati's lawmakers?

How effective are Greater Cincinnati's lawmakers?

The Center for Effective Lawmaking is trying to answer that question. A nonpartisan think tank supported by Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia, the group compiles information on bills introduced in Congress and documents the steps taken to advance that legislation, eventually transforming the data into "Legislative Effectiveness Scores" for lawmakers.

These scores are based on several metrics, from the number of bills introduced to how far beyond committee they got, and how important or substantive the bill was. Each lawmaker is given a score. They are considered "above expectations" if their effectiveness scores were higher than 1.50 and "below expectations" if they fell below 0.50.

Rather than being graded against every other House and Senate member, each lawmaker is ranked against members of their own party, since it's harder for members of the minority party in each chamber to get bills passed.

The scores can only be computed at the end of a two-year session, so the most recent data covers the previous Congress, meaning new lawmakers like Rep. Greg Landsman and Sen. J.D. Vance, who were elected in last year's midterm election, are not included. In addition, due to once-a-decade redistricting, members represent different districts than they did in the last session.

Here's how the members scored:

Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R

District: Ohio's 2nd Congressional District, which now covers all or part of 15 Southeastern Ohio counties, including Clermont. In the last Congress, the district included eastern Hamilton County and did not go as far east.

Score: 3.0

Rank: 3 of 222

Notes: The center described Wenstrup's record as largely "substantive," with the congressman focusing on "macroeconomics and the budget."

Rep. Steve Chabot, R

District: Ohio's 1st Congressional District, which in the last session included Warren and half of Hamilton County. Chabot lost his bid for re-election in 2022 to Landsman.

Score: 1.1

Rank: 33/222

Notes: Of the 24 bills sponsored by Chabot during the 117th Congress, nearly a third involved foreign trade.

Rep. Warren Davidson, R

District: Ohio's 8th Congressional District, covering Darke, Preble, Butler, and parts of Hamilton and Miami counties. In the last session Davidson's district included Butler County and points north, but not Hamilton County.

Score: 0.2

Rank: 161/222

Notes: Though Davidson sponsored 20 bills deemed "substantive," largely related to foreign trade, none of them passed, became law, or even left committee, according to the center.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R

District: Kentucky's 4th Congressional District, covering most of northern Kentucky bordering Ohio and Southeastern Indiana.

Score: 0.1

Rank: 184/222

Notes: Massie sponsored 11 bills called "substantive" by the center, with the top three subject areas being agriculture, commerce and law.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio

Score: 1.4

Rank: 17/48

Notes: Brown sponsored 105 bills, four of which became law, and five of which were considered "substantive" by the center.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio

Score: 2.6

Rank: 3/50

Notes: Portman announced he wouldn't run for reelection in 2021, after a Senate career spanning 10 years. During his final session in the Senate, according to the center, Portman sponsored 156 bills, 155 of which the center considered "substantive."

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky

Score: 0.3

Rank: 37/50

Notes: While Paul sponsored 53 bills, according to the center's calculations, only one passed the Senate and two received "action beyond committee."

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky

Score: 0.2

Rank: 43/50

Notes: As the Republican leader, McConnell was tasked with managing bills and strategy. He sponsored only 10 bills, with one becoming law.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How good are Cincinnati's Congress members?