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Tester ranked high for transparency

The website GovTrack.us has named Montana Sen. Jon Tester as the Senate’s strongest supporter of government transparency issues.

According to Tester’s report card on the site, the Democrat supports all eight Senate transparency-related bills GovTrack has identified in the current congressional session.

Tester either introduced or supported the following bills:

“Government works best when we hold it accountable, and I will keep fighting to make sure government is open and honest with Montanans and all Americans,” Tester said in a written statement.

In that statement, Tester boasted that he was the first senator to post his daily schedule online* and that he is a member of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee and leads the panel’s subcommittee on government oversight.

Also on Tester’s GovTrack report card:

  • He is ranked in the lowest 30 percent among all senators for missed votes. Tester missed 1 out of 291 votes in the 2013 session.
  • Tester introduced 37 bills and resolutions in 2013.
  • Tester co-sponsored 182 bills and resolutions introduced by other members of Congress in 2013.

Meanwhile, the GovTrack report card for Sen. Max Baucus included:

  • He ranked first among long-serving senators for getting powerful co-sponsors for his bills and resolutions.
  • Baucus missed 2 out o 291 votes in 2013.
  • He was ranked in the top 20 percent of all senators for leadership.
  • On transparency, Baucus was ranked 15th out of all senators.

And Daines:

  • He was ranked first among House freshman for getting bills out of committee.
  • He ranked second among HOR freshmen for getting powerful co-sponsors on his bills and resolutions.
  • He was ranked sixth lowest among HOR freshman for joining bipartisan bills; 37 lowest of all representatives.
  • Daines tied with 352 other reps at the bottom of the ranking for government transparency.

*Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York claims that she was “the first member of Congress ever to post their official daily meetings online every day.” Her postings began in 2006, when she was elected to the House of Representatives. Gillibrand was appointed to fill in for Sen. Hillary Clinton when she was nominated for Secretary of State.