Cleveland.com reports Portman’s explanation of his impressive tenure in Washington:
Read what he has to say about his record, as well as how much his colleagues praise it.
"I think over the past Congress, we got 69 bills introduced," Portman, said on a recent press conference call when the Northeast Ohio Media Group asked about a potential Democratic opponent. "Fifteen were actually signed into law. I would ask you to ask any other Senate office to compare to that."
He added, "In the first Congress, I’m looking here, we had 10 bills that became law. Thirty-two bipartisan bills and 38 bills total. That’s something I’m going to keep doing."
Cleveland.com did their homework, and they discovered how much other senators appreciate Sen. Portman’s initiative and leadership. Consider a bill Portman fought for that halted an unnecessary and costly EPA regulation:
The office of Republican Sen. Patrick Toomey of Pennsylvania characterized Portman as one of four principal sponsors behind a successful bill to halt an EPA requirement that would have forced fire departments to buy millions of dollars worth of new fire hydrants and parts. The EPA said that lead paint on old hydrants might poison people who drank hydrant water when it was diverted for household use in emergencies — an "onerous" and "nonsensical" proposition, Portman said. Plenty of experts agreed.
Sen. Toomey’s office described how instrumental Portman was to the bill’s passage:
"This was a great bill — a real example of ridiculous regulations," said Elizabeth Anderson, Toomey’s communications director. "Indeed Sen. Portman was an important part of this effort and is right to claim victory. The four principal sponsors worked on the bill together and worked well. That’s key of course in the Senate to get to 60 in a bipartisan fashion."
This bill is just one of many examples of Portman’s conservative principles in action. See the Cleveland.com article for more information.