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Can Congress Be Productive--Again?

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Last year was Congress’s year.

For the first time since 2011, both chambers of Congress were led by the same party. Leaders of both the House and Senate worked together on legislation instead of against each other. It was an about face.

In the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell encouraged relationships across the aisle by liberally allowing more minority-sponsored amendments on the floor, which reduced the threat of filibusters. In fact, the Senate voted on more amendments in the single month of January 2015 than it did in all of 2014.

With the end of his second term approaching, President Obama had an incentive to end on a high note. With a view to bolstering his legacy, President Obama was more willing in 2015 to compromise on certain legislative pieces.

Public opinion might not be so glowing; Congress’s public approval rating rarely is. But in 2015 meaningful legislation repeatedly cleared both chambers of Congress and became law. Americans welcome this change back to a functioning Congress.

First, Congress found a permanent solution to a huge physician payment problem that has plagued health delivery and repeatedly defied Congressional attempts to remedy since my years in Congress. The “doc fix” ends the need for annual patches to prevent irrational cuts to physicians’ Medicare reimbursement rates. For over a decade, since a 1997 Medicare reform law resulted in unintended consequences for doctors, legislators have sought a solution. In April, President Obama signed the law and praised Republican House Speaker John Boehner and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi for negotiating the legislation.

Remarkably and to the surprise of most, the Senate also successfully acted on a potentially contentious, far reaching education bill. With strong bipartisan leadership from the Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was reformed and replaced with the Every Student Succeeds Act. This is the first major federal K-12 education overhaul since NCLB was signed into law in 2002.

In addition Congress passed the longest duration surface transportation funding bill since 1998, which provides state and local governments with financial certainty for critical transportation projects such as highways and transit lines. Trade promotion authority was extended, something that hadn’t been in effect since the end of the George W. Bush Administration. And tax credits that are vital to American manufacturing and innovation as well as to low-income families – the research and development tax credit and the earned income tax credit (EITC) – were permanently extended after decades of short-term extensions. We even saw the passage of the first bicameral budget in six years.

But will this long-awaited and productive trend continue into 2016, and beyond?

Unfortunately, election years are notoriously less-productive because members spend much of their time campaigning and fundraising to secure their seats. Furthermore, leadership is more likely to put messaging bills on the floor to demonstrate the key differences between the parties. These are then used in campaign materials and TV commercials. Such legislation isn’t designed to become law, it’s meant to make a statement to appeal to voters.

But voters also like to see material progress, and thanks to bipartisan efforts in 2015, both parties will be able to point to legislative victories. President Obama will remain committed to his legacy, and so compromise will still be a priority.

2015 doesn’t have to be an exceptional anomaly. With bipartisan commitment, we can continue to reap the benefits of a Congress that has gotten back to doing the people’s work.