OC Register: Report card: What did Congress members from Orange County accomplish in 2021?
Register looks at voting records, legislation, constituent response and attendance for seven House members.
Of the seven U.S. House members who represent portions of Orange County, Rep. Mike Levin had the best attendance record in 2021, as the only local lawmaker not to miss a single vote this year. Reps. Katie Porter and Lou Correa weren’t far behind, missing just one vote each.
Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, also helped recover the most money for constituents from federal agencies, while Rep. Young Kim, R-La Habra, grabbed headlines for breaking with her party in votes on a few high-profile bills. And every local lawmaker communicated with residents through town halls, detailed websites, newsletters and social media.
With this year’s legislative session closed, the Register took a look at what Congress members who represent portions of Orange County got done in 2021.
It’s not a ranking, per se. Simple bills are much easier to get passed, for example, but often don’t create real change in people’s lives. Also, legislation — particularly in the House of Representatives — also often gets wrapped up into other bills, as lawmakers cosponsor or add amendments to colleague’s bills. And there are, at times, legitimate reasons why members miss votes.
But voters should be able to expect attendance, advocacy and communication from the people they pay to represent them in Washington, D.C. So here’s a report card of sorts for how each local House member put your taxpayer dollars to work in 2021.
Keep in mind that most of these lawmakers plan to stand for reelection in 2022. Rep. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, already has announced he’s retiring after this term. And for the others, the number and geography of their districts will change at the end of next year, when new political district maps take effect.
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Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, of CA-49
Levin, 43, is in his second term representing the 49th District, which covers the coastal portions of southern Orange County and northern San Diego County. He serves on committees overseeing veterans affairs and natural resources, plus 25 caucuses that focus on issues such as sustainable energy, women veterans and ending youth vaping.
Legislation: Levin sponsored 19 bills this year. One — the THRIVE Act to enhance job training and education benefits for veterans — was signed into law. Another bill, to designate the VA medical center in San Diego as the Jennifer Moreno Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, passed the House and is now in the Senate. The thrust of his bill to prohibit any new leasing for oil or gas drilling along the Southern California coast also was included in the House-passed Build Back Better Act. And he was an original cosponsor on a bill signed into law to protect education benefits for veterans studying remotely during the coronavirus pandemic.
Rep. Mike Levin’s 2021 headlines
Rep. Mike Levin takes federal infrastructure bill to the street
Rep. Mike Levin Tours Oceanside Frazier Farms, Discusses the Stop Child Hunger Act
Feds seeking volunteers to host America’s nuclear waste
Rep. Mike Levin on U.S. Capitol riot: The terrorists who sought to overthrow our democracy must be prosecuted
Reaching and helping constituents: Levin held 10 town halls as a lawmaker in 2021 and seven more on the campaign side. He’s also the only local member to host a podcast for constituents to get information on a variety of topics. Levin and his staff also responded to more than 58,000 messages and helped more than 1,100 constituents with issues involving federal agencies, saving them more than $13.4 million. Also, institutions in Levin’s District received more than $240 million in federal grants this year, and local small businesses received $9.5 million in federal aid.
Vote record: Levin missed none of this year’s 449 votes, per GovTrack. He also didn’t miss any votes during his first term in office. Here’s how he voted on seven high-profile bills that passed the House this year (see details of bills above):
-Yes on the Build Back Better social spending plan
-Yes on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
-Yes on impeaching President Donald Trump
-Yes on certifying 2020 election results for Arizona and Pennsylvania
-Yes on the For the People voting rights act
-Yes on the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act
-Yes on the American Dream and Promise Act to help Dreamers become citizens
Personal highlight: Levin continued working on solutions to dealing with radioactive nuclear waste, including securing federal funding to help deal with spent fuel at nuclear plants like the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station and launching a bipartisan Spent Nuclear Fuel Solutions Caucus to help drive progress on the safe storage, transportation and disposal of spent nuclear fuel across the country.
By: Brooke Staggs
Source: Orange County Register