Anthony Brindisi’s first term in Congress has been a busy one. He flipped his district’s seat from red to blue in 2018, but quickly found himself walking a fine line on a number of hot-button issues that engulfed Washington politics, including the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. Brindisi developed a reputation for bipartisanship and working across the aisle with his Republican counterparts. His voting record is indicative of the fine line he walks in Congress, where voting against his party is common. He successfully led two bills to the president’s desk to be signed into law, one renewing funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and another to address mental health resources and rising suicide rates among veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs’ ability to handle the crisis.

 

Editor's Note: The following statements and assertions are those of a political candidate and/or Congressional Office. Any statistics, data, or other information contained therein has not been independently verified or checked for accuracy as part of this project.

Rep. Anthony Brindisi Spokesman:

In addition to his two standalone laws, Congressman Anthony Brindisi has worked with Democrats and Republicans to send 4 additional pieces of legislation to President Trump’s desk. Totaling 6 bills passing both chambers of Congress. These laws help American manufacturing, lower health care costs, and improve services for American Veterans. These bills are:

H.R. 2447 - Jobs and Premium Protection Act (Marchant) 

SIGNED INTO LAW DECEMBER 20, 2019 (PG. 587 OF H.R. 1865)

H.R. 2500 Amendment #9- SPOONSS Act 

SIGNED INTO LAW DECEMBER 20, 2019 AS PART OF FY20 NDAA (PG. 315  OF NDAA)

H.R. 8033 - Access to Suicide Prevention Coordinators Act (Banks, Bost)

PASSED SENATE AUGUST 5, 2020 (PG. 116 of S. 785, the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019)

PASSED HOUSE SEPTEMBER 23, 2020 (PG. 116 of S. 785)

H.R. 2972 - direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve the communications of the Department of Veterans Affairs relating to services available for women veterans (Walorski)

PASSED SENATE AUGUST 5, 2020 (PG. 125 of S. 785, the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019)

PASSED HOUSE SEPTEMBER 23, 2020 (PG. 125 of S. 785)

STORY: https://wibx950.com/brindisi-bill-included-in-landmark-va-reform/

What the rankings mean:

Number of bills sponsored:

This metric measures the number of unique bills put forward by a Representative or a Senator. A Resolution usually expresses an opinion or addresses procedure in the House or Senate and doesn’t go to the President. An Amendment is a change to the language of legislation. Everything has to be voted on.

Number of bills passed out of one chamber:

Getting a bill passed through a chamber is tough. In order to pass a bill out of a chamber, a member of Congress must build consensus among his or her colleagues.

Number of bills signed into law:

If a bill from an opposite party is signed into law by a President, the achievement is a significant victory for that Member of Congress if the bill is significant. Many non-controversial bills are signed into law as a matter of routine.

Percentage a member votes with his or her party:

Source: ProPublica. Procedural votes count toward this score and it isn’t entirely indicative of a member’s loyalty, or disloyalty, to the party.

Lugar Center Bipartisan Index Score:

The Bipartisan Index is a joint project of The Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. Scores above 1.0 are outstanding. Scores above .5 are very good. Scores below -.5 are poor. Scores below -1.0 are very poor.