Por Leslie Bonilla Muñiz, Indiana Capital Chronicle
The report used 15 metrics to rank the Capitol’s lawmakers across 21 policy areas.
Former U.S. Sen. Mike Braun — now governor of Indiana — and U.S. Rep. Erin Houchin were among the 118th Congress’ most effective lawmakers, in an issue-specific analysis by the Center for Effective Lawmaking.
The center is a nonpartisan collaboration between the University of Virginia’s Batten School and Vanderbilt University.
Researchers there used 15 indicators of effectiveness to calculate scores for lawmakers who served from January 2023 to 2025. The metrics gauge how many bills a lawmaker sponsored, how substantial the policy proposals within were, and how far those ideas moved though the legislative process.
Then, they identified the top two performers — a Republican and Democrat — across 21 policy areas. The results were published last week.
Braun was named the most effective Senate Republican on housing policy. He got points for sponsoring two “substantive” pieces of housing-related legislation, one of which passed the Senate chamber, but didn’t become law.
Houchin was named the most effective House Republican on education matters. She sponsored one “substantive and significant” education proposal that became law, plus two “substantive” bills that died early on.
Committee chairs are often among best performers, but neither Braun nor Houchin led committees handling their respective top policy areas.
A broader analysis of the 118th Congress, released in March, identified Braun as the ninth-most effective lawmaker in the Senate, as well as the chamber’s fourth-best Republican.
He was lauded for introducing 116 bills, seven of which passed the Senate and four of which became law. Braun was also listed among first-term senators “exceeding expectations” by outperforming a benchmark.
“With Sen. Braun concluding his service in the Senate to become Governor of Indiana in January 2025, it is clear that there will be one less effective lawmaker among the more senior ranks in the Senate moving forward,” researchers wrote at the time.
All members of the 118th Congress, including the rest of Indiana’s delegation, are scored in an online database. They’re ranked by party.
Sen. Todd Young was lower than Braun despite sponsoring nearly three-dozen bills; one passed the Senate but it didn’t become law.
Rep. Larry Bucshon, who retired from the House in January, was the most effective Hoosier overall in that chamber. He was followed by Houchin and former U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, who has since won Braun’s seat in the Senate.
Former Rep. Greg Pence and current Rep. Jim Baird are next. Reps. Rudy Yakym and Victoria Spartz were near the bottom of the 228 Republicans.
Indiana’s two Democratic lawmakers, Reps. Frank Mrvan and André Carson, were also near the bottom of the 220 Democrats.
State lawmakers plan to meet in December to consider redrawing Indiana’s congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Those efforts will target Mrvan and Carson.
