Deirdre Shesgreen

WASHINGTON – Is Rep. Billy Long a backbencher in Congress, or a mover and shaker? Is Sen. Claire McCaskill a consensus-builder or a sharp-elbowed partisan?

It can be hard to tell how effective Springfield-area lawmakers are in Washington, especially at a time when Congress is deadlocked and hyper-partisan. Few bills — no matter how savvy the sponsor — have made it to the president's desk to be signed into law.

But even in a "polarized and unproductive" Congress, lawmakers are still tackling some substantive issues, said Craig Volden, professor of public policy and politics at the University of Virginia.

"(The) most effective members find ways to reach across the aisle and find bipartisan support" for their proposals, Volden said.

Here are a few yardsticks for how active, bipartisan, and powerful the region's lawmakers were in 2013, based on data from govtrack.us, a government transparency website.

The data provides only a snapshot of legislative activity. It doesn't, for example, reflect amendments that area lawmakers successfully attached to bills that later stalled. It also doesn't include lawmakers' efforts to hold federal agencies or industry leaders accountable. And the data only looks at the first half of the 113th Congress, so some local lawmakers could see their legislative priorities become law before the end of this year.

"Measuring a lawmaker's success in this way is like judging a carpenter's success based only on how many nails they hammered," said John LaBombard, a spokesman for McCaskill. "It ignores how projects come together as a whole, as well as all of the other tools in the toolbox."

McCaskill, for example, has used her two subcommittee chairmanships to grill federal officials and corporate executives about consumer protection concerns and other issues. She and Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., led a probe into allegations that an acting inspector general used official resources for personal business, among other charges. The official, Charles K. Edwards, who was charged with overseeing the Homeland Security Department, resigned under pressure from the lawmakers.

And last summer, Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, called on the Interior Department to rescind a federal order designating the White River and its watershed part of the National Blueways System. The initiative aimed to promote a "whole river" approach to the watershed's conservation, recreation and economic opportunities.

The department withdrew the controversial designation in July 2013 after Smith, Long and other Missouri lawmakers highlighted the objections of local residents, who feared it would lead to new federal regulations and infringe on local property rights.

What they have done

Rep. Billy Long, R-Springfield

Missed votes: 0 of 641

Legislation introduced: Five bills and resolutions. He tied with 11 colleagues as 169th-most active among House Republicans.

Bipartisan bills: Of the 217 bills Long cosponsored in 2013, 20, or about 9 percent, were introduced by a Democrat.

Bills signed into law: 0

Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville

Missed votes: 14 of 641

Legislation introduced: Six bills and resolutions. Tied with 23 colleagues as 145th-most active among House Republicans.

Bipartisan bills: Of the 175 bills Hartzler cosponsored, 17, or 9.7 percent, were introduced by a Democrat.

Bills signed into law: 0

Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem

Missed votes: 3 of 444

Legislation introduced: One bill. Tied with five colleagues for 224th-most active among House Republicans.

Bipartisan bills: Of the 77 bills Smith cosponsored, 10, or 13 percent, were introduced by a Democrat.

Bills signed into law: 0 (Smith was sworn in June 5, 2013, after winning a special election to represent Missouri's 8th district.)

Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.

Missed votes: 19 of 291

Legislation introduced: Fourteen bills and resolutions. Tied with two colleagues for 25th-most active among Senate Republicans.

Bipartisan bills: Of the 209 bills Blunt cosponsored, 147, or about 70 percent, were introduced by a Democrat or an independent.

Bills signed into law: No Blunt-sponsored bills passed as standalone measures in 2013. But he did win passage of several amendments included in broader bills. For example, a Blunt amendment allowing federal property in Kansas City to be transferred to a new owner and redeveloped was included in a Defense Department policy bill that became law at the end of December 2013. Another Blunt provision included in that law requires the Pentagon to complete work on a special ejection seat for the B-2 bombers used at Whiteman Air Force Base.

A few bills Blunt introduced in 2013 became law this year. One measure grants Congressional Gold Medals to men and women — dubbed the "Monuments Men" — who protected cultural artifacts during World War II. Another creates a pilot program allowing community mental health centers to snag more federal funding if they provide certain mental health services to patients.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.

Missed votes: 11 of 291

Legislation introduced: Sixteen bills and resolutions. Tied with one other lawmaker for 38th-most active among Senate Democrats.

Bipartisan bills: Of the 84 bills McCaskill cosponsored, 45, or 53.5 percent, were introduced by a Republican or an independent.

Bills signed into law: In June 2013, McCaskill and other Missouri and Illinois lawmakers won passage, of a proposal to rename the I-70 bridge over the Mississippi River the "Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge." She also won passage of amendments included in broader bills. For example, a McCaskill-crafted package of reforms requiring the Pentagon to crack to down on sexual assault was included in a Defense Department policy bill that became law at the end of December 2013. Also included in that measure: a McCaskill amendment requiring the Defense Department to fix problems in its POW/MIA recovery program.