The American Geriatrics Society provides leadership to healthcare professionals, policy makers and the public by advocating for and implementing programs in patient care, research, professional and public education, and public policy. With federal elections in 2008, advocates for improving the health, independence and quality of life for older Americans have a chance to make a significant difference in the future of geriatric medicine, funding, research and education.

To help guide this mission, the American Geriatrics Society ("AGS") has produced this Congressional Report Card (the "Report Card") as a guide to evaluate the proceedings of the 110th Congress, which runs throughout 2007 - 2008, and to help AGS members make informed decisions at the ballot box in 2008.

About Congressional Report Cards

Grading

U.S. Senate Report Card

U.S. House of Representatives Report Card

The Report Card contains a detailed description of each bill and initiative on which we assess each lawmaker, and a link to the Library of Congress THOMAS site where you can search the summary of each bill. As new bills and initiatives are developed, we will add them to the Report Card throughout the 110th Congress.

The Report Card also contains a grid in which AGS members may easily locate their Members of Congress and see how they vote on the key bills and whether they participate in key initiatives. If you would like to be directed to your elected official's home page for further information, please click their name in the grid.

AGS will grade Members of Congress on their performance on these bills and initiatives before the federal election in October 2008.

Congressional Positions:
+ = Support for geriatric issue
++ = Introduced Legislation
- = Opposition to geriatric issue
o = Absent for vote

Members of the 110th Congress are chiefly graded on major votes and introduction or co-sponsorship of geriatric-related legislation.

Members were graded on a scale from 0 to 100+. A further description of the scoring methodology is below.

In the Senate Report Card, each vote is worth 12 points. If a Senator voted in favor of geriatric issues for all seven votes, they received 5 extra credit points. Members who introduced AGS priority legislation received 12 extra credit points. Co-sponsors received 5 extra credit points. In our grading system, a Senator can only receive a mark in the A-range if they co-sponsored or introduced legislation.

For the House of Representatives Card, each vote is worth 14 points. If a Representative voted in favor of geriatric issues for all seven votes, they received 5 extra credit points. Members who introduced AGS priority legislation received 11 extra credit points. Co-sponsors received 5 extra credit points. In our grading system, a Representative can only receive a mark in the A-range if they co-sponsored or introduced legislation.

There were additional exceptions, which are detailed in the footnotes of each report card.

AGS acknowledges that some Members with poor or fair voting records still remain supportive of many of these issues. We also recognize that some Members of Congress were absent for important votes for reasons beyond their control. AGS has tried to make this Report Card as accurate as possible, but, like any grading system, it cannot reflect all aspects of each legislator's position on each of the key bills. We encourage our members to contact their own Representatives and Senators' offices if they have further questions regarding their voting records.

Please note: it may take a few moments for the report cards to download. If you have questions or comments regarding the AGS Congressional Report Cards, please contact Caitlin Connolly at cconnolly@americangeriatrics.org or 212-308-1414.