(Washington, DC) - Congressman Baron Hill has been ranked the third least-partisan Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressional Quarterly (CQ) Weekly.  The publication scored various votes from the second session of the 110th Congress to determine the rankings.

“I believe my voting record accurately reflects my constituency in Southern Indiana,” Hill said.  “Hoosiers are common-sense people that make decisions based on how their lives and their community will be impacted.”

The article accompanying the party unity charts, “2008 Votes Studies: Party Unity — Parties Dig In Deep on a Fractured Hill,” notes that the average House Democrat voted with the majority of the caucus 92 percent of the time.  The author attributes this high percentage to “the increasing propensity of individual lawmakers to vote with their fellow partisans.” In contrast, Hill’s score came in at 72 percent, the lowest among the Hoosier Members of the U.S. House of Representatives.  Last year, the National Journal ranked Hill as the third most-centrist Democrat in the House.

Hill’s ranking is due to his votes for and against various bills brought forth by the Democratic leadership.  For example, Hill voted against the Financial Industry Bailout package both times it came before the House.  On the other hand, he voted for Democratic proposals aimed at improving the lives of Americans, such as mental health parity legislation to require insurers to treat mental illness the same as other medical issues.

“It is my responsibility to look at each and every piece of legislation in terms of how it will affect the folks in my district,” Hill said.  “And, not base my decisions simply upon which party introduced it.  I’m sick of the partisanship in Washington, and I know my constituents are too.”