Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-8), whose district encompasses all of Bucks and parts of Montgomery counties, has been voted one of the most bipartisan lawmakers in Congress.
Fitzpatrick, who ranked sixth out of 435 representatives from the House, received the recognition as part of the Bipartisan Index by the Lugar Center, a policy organization headed by former Indiana Senator Richard Lugar. The ranking is non-partisan.
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“While I am a proud Republican, I’ve worked in Washington under the belief that good ideas aren’t restricted to one party,” said Fitzpatrick. “The key to getting things done in Congress is being willing to work toward common goals – things like creating good-paying jobs, strengthening our infrastructure or addressing our national debt – regardless of where they come from.”
The index, which ranks all Senators and Congressmen based on their sponsorship and co-sponsorship of legislation during the 2013-14 session of Congress, scores members based on how often bills they introduced were co-sponsored by members of the other party, and how often they joined bills sponsored from across the aisle. A positive bipartisan score indicates the lawmaker has scored better than the average performance of Congress over the last 20 years. Scores above .5 are good, scores above 1.0 are indicated as outstanding; Fitzpatrick scored a 1.53. Only 36 Senators and 144 House members received positive bipartisan scores in the index.
“Excessive partisanship has created gridlock and hurt Congress’ image and its ability to govern. In the 113th Congress, Rep. Fitzpatrick demonstrated his ability to reach across the aisle and seek agreements with the other party for the good of the country,” said former Sen. Lugar, a Republican who served 36 years in Congress and was known for his bipartisan approach to lawmaking.
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Fitzpatrick, a leading member of the bipartisan group No Labels – the only organization providing for bipartisan interaction between rank-and-file members of both parties, has helped introduce a number of common sense bills and is working toward addressing the group’s National Strategic Agenda.
“I’m proud my bipartisan efforts during my time in Congress are recognized in this ranking and I hope this index can provide a valuable resource in recognizing those members of Congress willing to fix, not fight moving forward,” added Fitzpatrick.
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Fitzpatrick, who won his incumbent seat against Kevin Strouse in November, has indicated he is currently serving his last term as a member of the House of Representatives.
