Grace Meng has been an outspoken voice on Capitol Hill on issues of racial equality -- especially during a rise in violent crimes targeting Asian-Americans at the onset of COVID-19. She’s known around Capitol Hill for being passionate on issues of immigration and civil rights. Meng is a Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee.

 

 

 

In response to this project, Rep. Grace Meng issued a statement. 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:

 

“In congress, legislation can be passed as standalone bills or as part of larger bills. CONGRESS.GOV only tracks standalone bills. During my time in Congress, I have had numerous pieces of legislation pass the House, many of which were enacted into law. Some of these have been standalone bills while others have been measures attached to broader pieces of legislation. I’ve also secured millions of dollars for critical initiatives, programs and projects throughout my district, and I have assisted thousands of constituents by working directly with government agencies. My team and I are proud of the success we have achieved, a small sampling of which includes:

  • Mitigating excessive airplane noise over Queens

  • Combating telephone scams

  • Making menstrual products safer and allowing menstrual items to be purchased with money from health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts

  • Measures to help children, veterans, women, seniors and immigrants

  • Requiring covers on rail cars to provide relief to Queens communities where freight trains haul waste and debris through residential neighborhoods

  • Hazard pay for workers on the frontlines during COVID-19

  • Improvements to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

  • Billions to ensure that students have access to the internet so they can participate in remote learning during the coronavirus crisis

  • Combating mail fishing by retrofitting blue collection boxes with narrow mail slots

  • A record breaking $90 million for grants that provide houses of worship and nonprofit entities with funds to protect their properties against threats and attacks; this summer 16 facilities in my district received large amounts of funding from this initiative

  • Funding to establish a Small Business Development Center in my district to ensure that local small businesses have the tools and resources they need to grow and succeed”


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.