[This article marks the fifth article of the Young Forwardists’ "Watchdogs of Democracy" series, where we aim to educate the public and hold elected officials accountable by evaluating whether their actions align with the promises they made to their constituents]

As the first openly gay congressman from Illinois, Eric Sorenson (D-IL) represents a district that is very diverse; with not only large parts of rural western Illinois, but also major urban centers like Peoria and Normal. 

Eric Sorenson is a House Representative from the Seventeenth District of Illinois. Over his two terms as a representative, Sorenson has co-sponsored 407 bills, yet only sponsored 16 bills - meaning he has only introduced 45 bills. The distinction in sponsored vs. co-sponsored is significant, as it does not take much effort for a representative to place their name on a bill - they could essentially make a phone call or write a singular email - but introducing a bill requires time, research, and expertise/constituent advocacy for subsequent implementation. Furthermore, when evaluating these ideas, it is important to understand that in a relative lens, while representatives as a whole may fail to introduce many bills, it is the desire of the constituency to enact significant change. 

Representative Sorenson has introduced some bills. But given Sorenson’s low activity in introducing bills himself, his political activity in congress could definitely improve.

Supporting Veterans  & Armed Forces: B+

Related Bills: H.R 4047, 

Over the campaign trail, Sorenson emphasized supporting veterans coming out of the army through promising extensive benefits to support those who died for our country. Furthermore, he also promised to improve the everyday-lives of veterans by advancing wheelchair accessibility.

During Sorenson’s Congressional career, he introduced legislation that would increase the dollar amount that veterans would receive through home health services. Essentially, meaning that veterans that need to make alterations to their home due to a disability would be able to access a bigger fund of thousands of dollars more - which directly reflects his campaign promise.

Yet, though he has accomplished all that he promised in a singular quality bill, the lack of quantity in his legislation to expand such benefits should be noted as essential to better representing his constituents. Nearly 530,000 veterans live in Illinois, and expanding benefits through more programs, and improving accessibility in public spaces as well would significantly improve the day-to-day lives of each and every one of them. In sum, we have yet to see significant legislation that expands benefits for veterans beyond disability accessibility - which can be solved via Sorensen introducing more bills on this topic. 

Utilities & Infrastructure: B

Related Bills: H.R 8032, H.R 7968

In essence, Sorenson promised to both rural and urban Illinoinians that he would improve the quality of everyday utilities, like water - by making the government “work for Illinois”. Given his background as a TV weatherman, he promised to continue to “look out for his neighbors” through his legislation.

During his Congressional session, he did just that. Last year, he introduced legislation implementing a “Low Income Household Water assistance Program” that would improve treatment facilities, foster public works programs that delivered water to homes, and subsidized companies that did so, among many other facets of this bill that would allow low-income families to see cleaner, and more water that they need. Furthermore, he introduced the ONSHORE Act, which would help build more facilities that could transfer critical supplies, that could assist rural, economically disadvantaged, communities - in turn promoting job growth and workforce development. 

However, with Sorenson touching on a broader topic in his campaign, making the government “work for Illinois”, Sorenson should focus on introducing more legislation that promotes all utilities. While water is a crucial necessity for all Illinois, other resources such as electricity and gas are similarly crucial to his constituents and legislation should be addressed accordingly.

Climate Change: A+

Related Bills: H.R 9851, H.R 7391, H.R 5160, 

Given his background as a TV meteorologist for 20 years, Sorenson promised to use his background to promote policies related to weather, climate change and energy. 

During the campaign, Sorenson was able to introduce legislation that fulfilled a lot of those goals. Specifically, he introduced a bill that directed the Department of Energy to analyze how Hydrogen could replace other energy fuels to reduce pollution and emissions in infrastructure projects, and heavy industry - meaning industries like steel and glass. In fact, according to the University of Oxford, 22% of global emissions were attributed to these heavy industries. Furthermore, Sorenson directed the Department of Agriculture to study the impact of Solar Panels on farmland (known as Agrovoltaic systems) and how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (which according to the EPA contributed to 11% of US Carbon emissions.

So, in sum, Sorenson has accomplished a lot in terms of promoting pro-climate change policies, but there is some room for improvement (as always). While these climate change policies may sustain society, and the health of our environment, legislation to support the costs of making such changes such as towards the workforce need to be considered.  According to Forbes, industries like coal-mining and transportation can be impacted by upwards of 2 million American jobs. 

Grade on Issues: B

Sorenson has some room for improvement in various issues promised on the campaign like Veteran’s Benefits Policy, to better represent his constituents in the Seventeenth District - thus giving him a “B”. He is active, but once again can improve. To do so, Sorenson can work on addressing all the specific action points he made on the campaign - like lowering the cost of healthcare and supporting public safety and law enforcement. With constituent advocacy from people like you, from calling his office to talk about legislation to advocating for various policies at events, Sorenson can more adequately support the interests of constituents - in turn increasing transparency between representative and citizen.