Peters Named Among Most Effective Senators in 115th Senate

The following press release was submitted by Senator Peter’s office:

Senator Ranked 4^th-Most Effective Senator in the Minority Party by Non-Partisan Center for Effective Lawmaking

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) was named among the most effective lawmakers in the 115^th Senate (2017-2018). According to the non-partisan Center for Effective Lawmaking, Peters was named the 4^th-most effective Senator in the minority party in enacting and advancing legislation.

“My top priority is working to get things done for Michigan families – regardless of which political party is in the White House or has the majority in the Senate,” said Senator Peters. “Michiganders expect us to work together in a bipartisan way to find solutions to the very serious challenges facing our nation. I’m going to continue working with both parties to achieve results.”

“Senator Peters scored as the fourth-most effective Democratic lawmaker in the Senate in the 115^th Congress,” said Alan Wiseman, Co-Director, Center for Effective Lawmaking. “Despite his minority-party status, he was very active in navigating a number of legislative items through the Republican-controlled Senate. His success in advancing his legislative agenda in the 115th Congress is greater than one would expect, given his relatively low seniority in the Senate.”

The Center for Effective Lawmaking’s analysis is a joint initiative between the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University that rates each member of Congress based on 15 metrics, including the bills they sponsor, how far those bills move through the legislative process, and how important their policy proposals are. In its study, the Center noted bipartisan legislation signed into law to strengthen the ability for small businesses to protect their intellectual property and patents as well as legislation to save taxpayer dollars by streamlining the federal property inventory review process so that agencies are not spending money to store unneeded property that could be used by other agencies or in the private sector.

In addition to the legislation outlined in the study, Peters secured key provisions in broader legislation that were signed into law in the 115^th Senate, including measures to:

• Help protect survivors of domestic violence and their pets;
• Address contamination in Michigan communities from Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS);
• Expand access to safe, effective treatment for adolescents and young adults struggling with opioid addiction;
• Help close the skills gap by improving high school counselor training on career and technical educations (CTE) to fill skilled jobs;
• Establish a Coast Guard Center of Expertise for the Great Lakes to examine the impacts of oil spills in freshwater environments and develop effective responses; and
• Allow students with private student loans to rehabilitate their credit if they default on their loans, which they were unable to do previously.