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Ocasio-Cortez among most ineffective lawmakers in Congress, based on legislation, study

The study was conducted by the nonpartisan group Center for Effective Lawmaking.

Published: April 5, 2021 8:58am

Updated: April 6, 2021 12:32pm

New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is one of the most ineffective lawmakers in Congress, according to a new study that focuses on legislative bills.

The recently released study by the Center for Effective Lawmaking ranks members of Congress for their effectiveness and found Ocasio Cortez had introduced just 21 "substantive" bills. None of the bills received a committee or final floor vote.

"She introduced a lot of bills, but she was not successful at having them receive any sort of action in committee or beyond committee, and if they can’t get through committee, they cannot pass the House," Alan Wiseman, a Vanderbilt political scientist and co-director of the center, told The New York Post.

The center is a nonpartisan research group founded by Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia. The methodology used for the study compiles information taken from Congress.gov and the Library of Congress to show how legislation fares in government.

"It's clear that [Ocasio-Cortez] was trying to get her legislative agenda moving and engage with the lawmaking process," Wiseman said "But she wasn’t as successful as some other members were – even among [other] freshmen – at getting people to pay attention to her legislation."

According to the study, Ocasio-Cortez was ranked 230 out of 240 congressional Democrats and ranked last among the York Democratic caucus.

Among the most effective was New York Democratic Rep. Nita Lowrey, who retired last year. She got 29 major bills introduced to Congress, with seven becoming law.

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