Paul Tonko has developed a voice on Capitol Hill for environmental and science issues. He was a key player in congressional hearings over the threats and effects posed by certain chemicals and continues to be an advocate for action on climate change. Tonko is also known for working across the aisle with Republican colleagues. He successfully had one standalone bill signed into law updating the Communications Act of 1934 to include stiffer penalties for pirate radio broadcasters.
Statement by Matt Sonneborn, spokesman for Congressman Paul D. Tonko:
“Paul Tonko is a proven, effective, and deeply bipartisan legislator who has passed more than a dozen bills through the House this term and had several signed into law by President Trump, even in this historically divided Congress. He works harder to make good laws than he does to take credit for them, which is one of the reasons Republicans and Democrats continue to line up to work with him to pass good laws that make a real difference in the lives of the American people.
Many of his acts of national leadership and service, and those of his New York colleagues from both parties, are obscured by Spectrum’s misleading metric, including Tonko’s work securing funding for the Erie Canalway and shepherding comprehensive PFAS protections and some of the most important climate legislation that has moved through Congress in a decade. Numerous members of the New York Delegation have raised these concerns with Spectrum on repeated occasions prior to publication. Reporting these discredited figures is a disservice to Spectrum’s audience and is disrespectful to the people of New York, who rightly seek news and information that leaves them better informed and in this case are being misled.”
Editor’s Response:
The numbers Matt Sonneborn refers to come directly from the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Library of Congress via www.Congress.gov. These numbers are publicly available for anyone to access at any time. As was made clear in the introductory text, these numbers measure standalone legislation as there is no readily accessible way to measure the more complicated legislative activity which Sonneborn is referring to. All delegation offices were asked to provide their own information showcasing a member’s activities if they so chose. Sonneborn has chosen to take advantage of that opportunity to display Rep. Tonko’s accomplishments and we are providing them below in their entirety in the interest of fairness and transparency.
We stand by our reporting and will continue to hold elected officials accountable on behalf of the viewers we serve.
Bill Number |
Bill Title |
Cosponsors |
Bill Status |
H.R.8390 |
AI Education Act |
Bipartisan |
Introduced |
H.R.8348 |
New York-New Jersey Watersheds Protection Act |
Bipartisan |
Introduced |
H.R.8232 |
BATTERY Act |
Bipartisan |
Sec. 5302 of H.R. 4447, passed House 9/24/20 |
H.R.7567 |
Helping Experts Accelerate Rare Treatments Act of 2020 |
Bipartisan |
Introduced |
H.R.7323 |
Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2019 |
Bipartisan |
Introduced |
H.R.6645 |
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, to conduct or support research on the mental health consequences of SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19, and for other purposes. |
Dem cosponsors |
Section 30618 of H.R. 6800, passed House 5/15/20 |
H.R.5544 |
American Innovation and Manufacturing Leadership Act of 2020 |
Bipartisan |
Secs. 9201-8 of H.R. 4447, passed House 9/24/20 |
H.R.5530 |
Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Rebate Act of 2019 |
Tonko only |
Sec. 6502 of H.R. 4447, passed House 9/24/20; Sec. 33332 of H.R. 2, passed House 7/1/20 |
H.R.5335 |
American Energy Opportunity Act of 2019 |
Bipartisan |
Secs. 2301-4 of H.R. 4447, passed House 9/24/20 |
H.R.5263 |
Stopping Grinch Bots Act of 2019 |
Tonko only |
Introduced |
H.R.5057 |
Pass-Through Technical Corrections Act |
Bipartisan |
Sec. 107 of H.R. 1865, signed into law 12/20/19 |
H.R.4709 |
Take Unsafe Limos Off the Road Act |
Bipartisan (98 cosponsors) |
SEC. 4103 In H.R. 2 |
H.R.4708 |
SAFE Limos Act |
Bipartisan (98 cosponsors) |
SEC. 32006. of H.R. 2 |
H.R.4629 |
Star Rating for Biosimilars Act |
Bipartisan |
Sec. 812 of H.R. 3, passed House 12/12/19 |
H.R.3925 |
Reducing Barriers to Substance Use Treatment Act |
Bipartisan |
Introduced |
H.R.3609 |
Wind Energy Research and Development Act of 2019 |
Bipartisan |
Sec. 2521-6 of H.R. 4447, passed House 9/24/20 |
H.R.2659 |
To establish a research, development, and technology demonstration program to improve the efficiency of gas turbines used in combined cycle and simple cycle power generation systems. |
Bipartisan |
Included in Sec. 3107 of H.R. 4447, passed House 9/24/20 |
H.R.2482 |
Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act of 2019 |
Bipartisan (112 cosponsors) |
Introduced |
H.R.2288 |
Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Reauthorization Act |
Bipartisan |
"Included in Sec. 113 in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020" |
H.R.2041 |
Weatherization Enhancement and Local Energy Efficiency Investment and Accountability Act |
Bipartisan |
Secs. 1601-2 of H.R. 4447, passed House 9/24/20; Secs. 33231-2 of H.R. 2, passed House 7/1/20 |
H.R.1873 |
Improving HOPE for Alzheimer's |
Bipartisan (235 cosponsors) |
Introduced |
H.R.1754 |
Horseracing Integrity Act of 2019 |
Bipartisan (260 cosponsors) |
Passed House 09/29/2020 |
H.R.1709 |
Scientific Integrity Act |
Bipartisan (232 cosponsors) |
Secs. 12501-3 of H.R. 4447, passed House 9/24/20; Secs. 191601-4 of H.R. 6800, passed House 5/15/20 |
H.R.1329 |
Medicaid Reentry Act |
Bipartisan |
Sec. 30110 of H.R. 6800, passed House 5/15/20 |
H.R.1328 |
ACCESS BROADBAND Act |
Bipartisan |
Passed House as a standalone bill 5/9/19; Also in H.R. 2 |
H.R.1049 |
National Heritage Area Act of 2019 |
Bipartisan (221 cosponsors) |
Passed out of Natural Resources committee on 1/29/2020 |
H.R.583 |
PIRATE Act |
Bipartisan |
Signed into law as a standalone bill 1/24/20 |
H.Res.263 |
Expressing support for designation of April 9, 2019, as National Yellow Ribbon Day |
Bipartisan |
Introduced |
H.Amdt.854 |
Amendment to H.R.7608 |
Tonko only |
Adopted by the House (233-176) |
H.Amdt.735 |
Amendment to H.R. 535 |
Tonko only |
Adopted by the House by voice vote |
H.Amdt.712 |
Amendment to H.R. 3 |
Tonko only |
Adopted by the House by voice vote |
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.