Woohoo! Back up and running! After several months with jacked up data base queries, broken Java code, crazy children (including a five-year old Lisa Simpson), the start of the Postseason, and a real job, I have finally found the time to get my cosponsor tracking back up and running – only half way through the 114th Congress – c’est la vie.
The last few weeks have been crazy on the Hill: Speaker resigning; Speaker-to-be withdrawing; Speaker-wanna-bes talking big game; Speakers-that-could-be not in the hunt.
It’s like the last two minutes of Bridge on the River Kwai:
| Alec Guinness spots the primer cord and rats out the Allied commandos; Lt. Joyce stabs Col. Saito; the Japanese shoot Joyce; |
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| William Holden rushes in only to be gunned down; |
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| Jack Hawkins fires a mortar; |
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| and mortally wounds Guinness who exclaims, “What have I done?” |
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| Guinness falls on the detonator; the bridge blows; the train drops into the river. |
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James Donald utters the final words: “Madness! Madness!”
Yeah, it’s a little like that.[1] |
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| Images from The Bridge on the River Kwai; Columbia Pictures Corporation, 1957 | |
Madness! Madness! Despite the madness there are some aggressive cosponsor getters out there a little less than half way through the 114th (the bill I get paid to work among them). Clearly there are at least a couple things that most members can agree on. In addition to trying to keep a running total I will also try on some new visualizations in the coming days. Here is the list for the House Top 25 as of October 10, 2015 [Click here to jump to the Senate list]:
| Rank | Bill | Cosponsors | Author | Title | Status |
| 1 | HR 431 | Total: 303 115 R 188 D |
Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) | To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Foot Soldiers who participated in Bloody S… | Became Law |
| 2 | HR 699 | Total: 300 190 R 110 D |
Kevin Yoder (R-KS) | Email Privacy Act | Introduced |
| 3 | HR 893 | Total: 296 175 R 121 D |
Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) | Boys Town Centennial Commemorative Coin Act | Became Law |
| 4 | HR 2722 | Total: 283 118 R 165 D |
Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) | Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative Coin Act | Introduced |
| 5 | HR 160 | Total: 282 241 R 41 D |
Erik Paulsen (R-MN) | Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2015 | Passed House |
| 6 | HR 969 | Total: 271 121 R 150 D |
Christopher P. Gibson (R-NY) | Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2015 | Introduced |
| 7 | HR 721 | Total: 243 147 R 96 D |
Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) | Short Line Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Act of 2015 | Introduced |
| 8 | HR 1559 | Total: 240 82 R 158 D |
Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ) | Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer’s Act of 2015 | Introduced |
| 9 | HR 928 | Total: 235 228 R 7 D |
Charles W. Boustany, Jr. (R-LA) | To repeal the annual fee on health insurance providers enacted by the Patient Protect… | Introduced |
| 9 | HR 1190 | Total: 235 215 R 20 D |
David P. Roe (R-TN) | Protecting Seniors’ Access to Medicare Act of 2015 | Passed House |
| 9 | HR 1624 | Total: 235 188 R 47 D |
Brett Guthrie (R-KY) | Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees Act | Introduced |
| 12 | HR 6 | Total: 230 109 R 121 D |
Fred Upton (R-MI) | 21st Century Cures Act | Introduced |
| 13 | HR 1610 | Total: 223 172 R 51 D |
Reid J. Ribble (R-WI) | Biennial Budgeting and Enhanced Oversight Act of 2015 | Introduced |
| 14 | HRES 12 | Total: 221 48 R 173 D |
Sam Graves (R-MO) | Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Se… | Introduced |
| 15 | HRES 367 | Total: 220 220 R 0 D |
Peter J. Roskam (R-IL) | Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in disapproval of the Joint Comp… | Introduced |
| 16 | HR 592 | Total: 218 122 R 96 D |
Brett Guthrie (R-KY) | Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act | Introduced |
| 17 | HR 985 | Total: 216 119 R 97 D |
Brett Guthrie (R-KY) | Concrete Masonry Products Research, Education, and Promotion Act of 2015 | Introduced |
| 18 | HCONRES 17 | Total: 213 167 R 46 D |
K. Michael Conaway (R-TX) | Supporting the Local Radio Freedom Act. | Introduced |
| 19 | HR 1475 | Total: 205 128 R 77 D |
Sam Johnson (R-TX) | Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance Act of 2015 | Introduced |
| 20 | HRES 233 | Total: 202 93 R 109 D |
Daniel T. Kildee (D-MI) | Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Iran should immediately rel… | Passed House |
| 20 | HR 842 | Total: 202 77 R 125 D |
Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) | Huntington’s Disease Parity Act of 2015 | Introduced |
| 22 | HR 1619 | Total: 193 1 R 192 D |
Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT) | Paycheck Fairness Act | Introduced |
| 23 | HR 861 | Total: 192 0 R 192 D |
Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) | Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2015 | Introduced |
| 24 | HR 235 | Total: 191 132 R 59 D |
Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) | Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act | Passed House |
| 25 | HR 1031 | Total: 190 0 R 190 D |
Maxine Waters (D-CA) | Promoting U.S. Jobs Through Exports Act of 2015 |
The Senate Top 25 as of October 10, 2015
| Rank | Bill | Cosponsors | Author | Title | Status |
| 1 | SRES 19 | Total: 99 52 R 45 D 2 I |
Mitch McConnell (R-KY) | A resolution relative to the death of Edward W. Brooke, III, former United States Sen… | Passed Senate |
| 1 | SRES 38 | Total: 99 52 R 45 D 2 I |
Mitch McConnell (R-KY) | A resolution relative to the death of Wendell H. Ford, former United States Senator f… | Passed Senate |
| 1 | SRES 82 | Total: 99 52 R 45 D 2 I |
Mitch McConnell (R-KY) | A resolution commending Kathleen Alvarez Tritak on her service to the United States S… | Passed Senate |
| 1 | SRES 191 | Total: 99 53 R 44 D 2 I |
Thomas R. Carper (D-DE) | A resolution relative to the death of Joseph Robinette Biden, III. | Passed Senate |
| 1 | SRES 212 | Total: 99 52 R 45 D 2 I |
Tim Scott (R-SC) | A resolution condemning the attack on Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in C… | Passed Senate |
| 1 | SRES 227 | Total: 99 52 R 45 D 2 I |
Bob Corker (R-TN) | A resolution condemning the attacks of July 16, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, hono… | Passed Senate |
| 1 | SRES 231 | Total: 99 52 R 45 D 2 I |
David Vitter (R-LA) | A resolution honoring the memory and legacy of the two Louisiana citizens who lost th… | Passed Senate |
| 1 | SRES 250 | Total: 99 53 R 44 D 2 I |
Robert P. Casey Jr. (D-PA) | A resolution relative to the death of Richard Schultz Schweiker, former United States… | Passed Senate |
| 1 | SRES 259 | Total: 99 53 R 44 D 2 I |
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) | A resolution honoring the bravery and heroism of those who selflessly prevented a dea… | Passed Senate |
| 10 | S 527 | Total: 74 33 R 40 D 1 I |
Jeff Sessions (R-AL) | A bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Foot Soldiers who participated in B… | Passed Senate |
| 11 | S 301 | Total: 73 37 R 35 D 1 I |
Deb Fischer (R-NE) | Boys Town Centennial Commemorative Coin Act | Passed Senate |
| 12 | S 571 | Total: 66 46 R 19 D 1 I |
James M. Inhofe (R-OK) | Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2 | Introduced |
| 12 | S 615 | Total: 66 45 R 20 D 1 I |
Bob Corker (R-TN) | Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 | Introduced |
| 14 | SRES 87 | Total: 61 26 R 34 D 1 I |
Robert Menendez (D-NJ) | A resolution to express the sense of the Senate regarding the rise of anti-Semitism i… | Passed Senate |
| 15 | S 1 | Total: 59 52 R 7 D 0 I |
John Hoeven (R-ND) | Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act | Failed to pass over veto |
| 16 | S 697 | Total: 57 35 R 22 D 0 I |
Tom Udall (D-NM) | Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act | Introduced |
| 17 | SJRES 6 | Total: 53 52 R 1 D 0 I |
Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) | A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States re… | Introduced |
| 17 | S 928 | Total: 53 9 R 42 D 2 I |
Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY) | James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act | Introduced |
| 19 | S 167 | Total: 52 20 R 30 D 2 I |
John McCain (R-AZ) | Clay Hunt SAV Act | Introduced |
| 19 | S 269 | Total: 52 44 R 8 D 0 I |
Mark Kirk (R-IL) | Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2015 | Introduced |
| 21 | SJRES 8 | Total: 51 50 R 1 D 0 I |
Lamar Alexander (R-TN) | A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5… | Vetoed by President |
| 21 | S 336 | Total: 51 50 R 1 D 0 I |
Ted Cruz (R-TX) | ObamaCare Repeal Act | Introduced |
| 23 | SRES 76 | Total: 50 49 R 1 D 0 I |
John Cornyn (R-TX) | A resolution welcoming the Prime Minister of Israel to the United States for his addr… | Passed Senate |
| 23 | S 423 | Total: 50 36 R 13 D 1 I |
Jerry Moran (R-KS) | Privacy Notice Modernization Act of 2015 | Introduced |
| 23 | S 431 | Total: 50 39 R 11 D 0 I |
John Thune (R-SD) | Internet Tax Freedom Forever Act | Introduced |
| 26 | SJRES 22 | Total: 49 48 R 1 D 0 I |
Joni Ernst (R-IA) | A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5… | Introduced |
[1] Shockingly all of the clips on YouTube cut out the repetition of the phrase “Madness!” It’s the definitive non-whistling line of the movie. It’s like clipping Cleopatra and leaving out Roddy McDowell’s Oscar-winning monologue (jump to 5:00 in the linked clip). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bjBIJjglq8