NEA: Latest Legislative Report Card shows some signs of bipartisanship

WASHINGTON -  The National Education Association today released its Legislative Report Card for the 116th Congress, 1st Session, which assesses votes and other relevant legislative actions from January through December 2019, tracking individual members of Congress support for public education, students and educators, with each member receiving a letter grade of A through F.

“While the latest NEA Legislative Report Card shows overall continued polarization, we are pleased to see positive signs of more bipartisan support of bills that strengthen public education and improve the lives of our students, their families, and communities,” said Marc Egan, NEA director of government relations. “More to the point, broad support for such bills exists as long as Congressional leaders are willing to put them on the floor for a vote. We always look forward to working with lawmakers in a bipartisan, collaborative way to make sure our students have the public education they deserve.”

The votes NEA scored this session include public education funding, the repeal of the excise tax, the Dream and Promise Act, immigration, the Equality Act, voting rights, higher education, gun violence prevention, recognition of education support professionals, as well as judicial and Cabinet nominations, among other legislative priorities.

Key findings from the 2019 NEA Legislative Report Card  include:

U.S. House of Representatives:

§ More Representatives received an A (243) in 2019 compared to the 115th Congress (200).

o 243 Representatives received an A, including nine Republicans and 234 Democrats (one member of Congress has since become a Republican), compared to the last Congress when 200 Representatives received an A, including eight Republicans and 192 Democrats.

§ 37 Representatives received passing grades (B, C, or D) in 2019 compared to 39 in the last Congress.

§ Fewer Representatives received a failing grade of F (153) in 2019 compared to the last Congress (185).

o 153 Representatives received an F, 152 of them Republican, including one Republican who became an Independent during this session. This compares to 185 Representatives who received an F, all of them Republican, in the last Congress.

U.S. Senate:

§ 48 Senators received an A (45 Democrats, two Independents, and one Republican), compared to the 115th Congress when 48 Senators received an A (47 Democrats and one Republican);

§ More Senators (6) received passing grades (B, C, or D) in 2019 compared to only one Senator who received a B in last Congress;

§ 46 senators got an F, all of them Republican. Unchanged from last Congress.

NEA notifies members of Congress in writing and in advance any time NEA may score a vote in its Legislative Report Card. In addition to votes, grades also reflect other key legislative actions, such as behind-the-scenes advocacy for education and educators, sponsorship of bills, committee votes, and congressional members’ accessibility to education advocates in their home state or district. To view the full NEA Legislative Report Card for the 116th Congress, click here. To view the full NEA Legislative Report Card for the 115th Congress, click here.