Blue Spot

Congress.org Vito is #365.
He's ranked 26th out of 29 NY representatives and 133rd in his party. The site uses the following criteria to determine the rank:

Our project team identified key characteristics of power. These characteristics were then measured and weighted to determine the relative power or potential power demonstrated by Members of Congress heading into 2007. We grouped those characteristics into three broad categories.

1) Position: How much power might the legislator wield through his/her position in the Congress by virtue of tenure, new committee assignments or new leadership position? This Power Category includes some new weightings for all committees, subcommittees, and leadership positions, taking into consideration the new majority or minority party status of the member.

2) Indirect Influence: How much power has the legislator demonstrated or may be capable of demonstrating to influence the congressional agenda or outcome of votes through the media or congressional caucuses.

3) Legislative Activity: How much power has the legislator demonstrate through the passage of legislation or shaping legislation through amendments thus far? The team eliminated from that data items which did not substantially change the bill or existing law. These included amendments dealing with technical changes or bills of a ceremonial or commemorative nature such as naming of post offices or other public buildings, or non-binding resolutions that expressed the "sense of the Congress."

Labels: Congress, Fossella, Local