Tester Turns Multiple New Bipartisan Bills into Law, Continues to Rack Up Wins for Montana

Senator authored laws to protect hunter safety courses and extend critical VA services;

Remains the only lawmaker with multiple bills signed into law this Congress

U.S. Senator Jon Tester continues to be the most effective lawmaker during the 118^th Congress after successfully turning two new bipartisan bills into law. Tester’s bipartisan legislation to protect funding for hunter safety courses and his bipartisan legislation to extend critical Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) services and programs have both been signed into law by the President this month.

Tester is the only lawmaker out of all 535 Members of Congress to have multiple bills signed into law this Congress.

“When I’m out on the farm, I can’t sit back and expect someone else to get the work done for me – I have to roll up my sleeves and make it happen. That’s the approach I bring with me to the Senate to fight for Montanans every single day,” said Tester. “There’s a lot of dysfunction in Washington, but I’m proud to work with Republicans and Democrats to cut through the noise and deliver meaningful bipartisan solutions that honor our nation’s veterans and protect our Montana way of life.” 

In a divided Congress with a Republican majority in the House and a Democratic majority in the Senate, only 19 bills have successfully been signed into law by the President. Tester’s latest bills signed into law by the President during the 118^th Congress are:

• The Defending Hunters Education Act: Tester’s bipartisan legislation to restore school districts’ ability to use federal resources for school archery, gun safety, and hunter education programs.
• The Fiscal Year 2024 VA Extenders Legislation: Tester’s bipartisan legislation to extend critical VA services and programs relied upon by the nation’s veterans and their families.

Other Tester bills signed into law by the President this Congress include:

• The Veterans’ COLA Act of 2023: Tester’s bipartisan legislation to increase VA compensation benefits for veterans with service-connected disabilities and military survivors.
• The Fiscal Year 2023 Veterans Affairs Major Medical Facility Authorization Act: Bipartisan legislation authored by Tester to approve several VA construction projects to better serve veterans nationwide, including at the Fort Harrison VA Facility in Montana.

Tester has been the most effective lawmaker thus far during the 118^th Congress.

The Common Ground Scorecard, a nonpartisan organization that measures how much elected officials work across party lines to find common ground,recently recognized Tester as one of the most effective Members of Congress and as the most bipartisan member of Montana’s congressional delegation for his successful work defending Montana and fighting on behalf of our nation’s veterans.

Additionally, Tester was ranked the 4th most effective Senator among all 100 Republicans and Democrats in the 117th Congress by the non-partisan Center for Effective Lawmaking for his successful work defending Montana and fighting on behalf of our nation’s veterans. The rating is based on the combination of fifteen metrics regarding the bills that each member of Congress sponsors, how far they move through the lawmaking process, and how substantial their policy proposals are. Tester was also ranked as the #1 Senator out of 100 who has been the most “continually effective” across multiple Congresses.