WASHINGTON — The last Congress came close to being the least productive since the days of Harry Truman, outdone only by the Congress that preceded it. New research suggests that maybe if there had been more women on Capitol Hill, legislators could have gotten more done.
According to an analysis by Quorum, a new startup in D.C. that offers data on legislators, Senate women have been more likely than their male colleagues over the last six years to introduce legislation. Since the 111th Congress, which was sworn in in 2009, the average female senator submitted 96.31 bills, while the average male senator only submitted 70.72.
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During the federal government shutdown later that same year, it was the leadership of Senate women that helped end the partisan bickering to negotiate a deal. Afterward, Time published a story titled “Women Are The Only Adults Left In Washington.”