WASHINGTON – A respected think tank has ranked Congressman Vern Buchanan one of the most bipartisan members in Congress.

Buchanan ranked 43 out of 436 Congressmen based on legislation he introduced and co-sponsored during the 115th Congress, according to the non-partisan Lugar Center and Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. The non-profit research center’s “bipartisan index” is used by the Washington Post to measure bipartisanship in Congress.

“Nothing is impossible if we work together,” Buchanan said after learning of the group’s most recent scorecard. “Bipartisanship is the only way to break through the dysfunction that we often see in Washington. We need more civility and less partisanship in our country.”

Buchanan ranked 3rd most bipartisan out of Florida’s 27 House members and was in the top 10 percent of most bipartisan members in the entire U.S. House, according to the study.

Buchanan, who co-chairs Florida’s congressional delegation, said his willingness to work across party lines helped him pass important legislation, including the creation of a new national ID card for veterans, tax assistance to citrus farmers, funding to combat the health hazards of red tide and stopping the slaughter of American horses.

Examples of Buchanan’s bipartisan sponsorships and co-sponsorships include:

• Buchanan’s Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act (H.R. 6720): Legislation to permanently ban the slaughter of dogs and cats from human consumption, which was signed into law as part of the 2018 farm bill.

• Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s Marine Oil Spill Prevention Act (HR 2261): Legislation Buchanan co-sponsored to extend a ban on oil drilling off Florida’s Gulf Coast.

• Buchanan’s Retirement Security for American Worker’s Act (H.R. 854): Legislation to make it easier for small businesses to offer retirement benefits to employees.

• Rep. Ted Deutch’s Seniors Fraud Prevention Act (H.R. 444): Legislation Buchanan co-sponsored to help prevent and monitor fraud schemes targeting seniors.

• Rep. Chellie Pingree’s Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act (H.R. 2719): Legislation Buchanan co-sponsored to help safeguard our waters and combat the devastating effects of ocean acidification.

The Lugar Center’s Bipartisan Index measures bipartisanship based on how often a member of Congress co-sponsors legislation introduced by a lawmaker of the opposite party, as well as the frequency with which a member’s proposals attract early supporters from the other side of the aisle. The center was founded by the late U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar of Indiana and is affiliated with Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy.

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