WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) has ranked first among Members of Congress in number of bills sponsored that were enacted into law during the 116th Congress with a total of 20, according to GovTrack. By these metrics, Sen. Cornyn has passed the 11th most laws (54) of all Senators since the 93rd Congress beginning in 1973.
“In addition to confirming a Supreme Court Justice and nearly 150 additional judicial nominees, I’m proud of the bipartisan legislation we have passed here in the Senate over the past two years,” said Sen. Cornyn. “I look forward to continuing to work on behalf of Texans and seeing what we can accomplish during the 117th Congress.”
Bills sponsored by Sen. Cornyn that were enacted into law as standalone bills or part of other legislation during the 116th Congress include:
- Secure 5G and Beyond Act: Required the President to develop a strategy to ensure the security of next-gen mobile telecommunications systems and infrastructure in the United States, as well as assist allies in maximizing the security of their systems, infrastructure, and software. It was signed into law on March 23, 2020.
- Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains Act: Helps local jurisdictions improve the recording and reporting of missing persons and unidentified remains found along the U.S.-Mexico border and was signed into law on Dec. 31, 2020.
- Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry Act: Authorized grants to allow law enforcement to partner with mental health providers in the community on treatment and crisis stabilization services for incarcerated individuals and promote community-based care upon reentry. It was signed into law on Dec. 31, 2020.
- Protecting Families of Fallen Servicemembers Act: Provides assistance to the families of veterans that are wounded or critically injured in battle by allowing them to terminate certain binding contracts for services, such as cell phones, internet, and cable TV. It became law on Jan. 5, 2021.
- Emancipation National Historic Trail Act: Signed into law on Jan. 27, 2020, it authorizes a national historic trail between Houston and Galveston to commemorate Juneteenth and the end of slavery in America.
- North American Development Bank Improvement Act: Increased funding and resources for the North American Development Bank, which finances border infrastructure projects, and was signed into law on Jan. 29, 2020.
- Transit Infrastructure Vehicle Security Act: Protects national security and American manufacturing by prohibiting the use of federal funds to purchase rail cars and buses manufactured by Chinese government-controlled companies. It became law on Dec. 20, 2019.
- DHS Opioid Detection Resilience Act: Provides Department of Homeland Security officials with new tools and a strategy to detect dangerous narcotics crossing the border. It was signed into law on Dec. 23, 2020.
- Advancing Research to Prevent Suicide Act: Authorizes new research grant funding to improve mental health and suicide research and was signed into law Jan. 13, 2021.
- President George H.W. Bush and First Spouse Barbara Bush Coin Act: Authorized the immediate issuance of coins honoring President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush and was signed into law on Jan. 27, 2020.
In addition to these, Sen. Cornyn had 12 other bills substantially incorporated into other legislation that was signed into law, including:
- Debbie Smith Act: Reauthorized the Debbie Smith Act and gave much-needed resources to state and local law enforcement agencies to complete forensic analyses of crime scenes and untested rape kits. It was signed into law on Dec. 30, 2019.
- CHIPS for America Act: Provisions from this legislation to help restore semiconductor manufacturing back to American soil were included in the National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed into law on Jan. 1, 2021.
- Veteran STEM Scholarship Improvement Act: Helps veterans take full advantage of the scholarship provided to veterans studying science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM fields) and was signed into law on July 31, 2019.
- LEADING Act: Incentivizes research and development of carbon capture technology for natural gas to ensure a reliable, affordable, and environmentally sound energy supply. It was signed into law as part of the omnibus funding bill on Dec. 27, 2020.
- Save Our Stages Act: Signed into law as part of the omnibus funding bill on Dec. 27, 2020, it provides Small Business Administration grants for independent live music venues, live performance arts organizations, or motion picture theatres affected by COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.
- Military Voting Protection Act: Ensures service members are provided with ballots and registration cards necessary to vote while deployed overseas along with instruction from trained personnel on how to cast their vote in their registered state. It was into law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act on Dec. 20, 2019.