The Bipartisan Policy Center's History
More Than Ten Years of Fighting in the Arena for Bipartisan Policy
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The National Commission on Energy Policy (NCEP) is Founded
While BPC was formally launched in March 2007, the organization’s roots trace back to 2002, when the National Commission on Energy Policy (NCEP), predecessor to BPC’s current Energy Project, was founded.
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Working Together to Reform the U.S. Health System
On June 17, 2009, BPC’s Leaders Project on the State of American Health Care” released a report, Crossing Our Lines: Working Together to Reform the U.S. Health System. The report, which came at the height of the health care reform debate in the United States, laid out plans to help states establish insurance exchanges and lower costs. Former Senate Majority Leaders and BPC Co-Founders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, and Bob Dole crafted the report.
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Restoring America's Future
On November 17, 2010, BPC’s “Debt Reduction Task Force” released its report, Restoring America’s Future, in an effort to influence the debate over the national debt. The Task Force, led by former Senate Budget Committee Chairman Pete Domenici and former White House Budget Director and Federal Reserve Vice Chair Alice Rivlin, was a bipartisan group of former White House and Cabinet officials, Senate and House members, governors and mayors, and business and labor leaders. Their report was released two weeks prior to that of President Obama’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.
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The Housing Commission Launches
On October 26, 2011, BPC launched the Housing Commission, a bipartisan effort led by Kit Bond, Henry Cisneros, Mel Martinez, and George J. Mitchell. The Commission released its final recommendations to reform the nation’s housing policy in 2013, which included views on the most effective role of the federal government in helping to shape the nation’s future housing landscape.
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A Century of Service
On March 21, 2012, BPC hosted “A Century of Service” at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. The event was a tribute to BPC founders and former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker and Bob Dole. Speakers included Vice President Joe Biden, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, and Senators Pat Roberts and Lamar Alexander. Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a BPC founder, and former Leaders Trent Lott and Bill Frist, both BPC Senior Fellows, also made remarks. To highlight the accomplishments and contributions of the honorees, BPC unveiled two short films that offer a glimpse into the respective careers of Baker and Dole.
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The Commission on Political Reform Launches
In 2013, BPC launched the Commission on Political Reform to investigate the causes and consequences of America’s partisan political divide. Senators Tom Daschle, Trent Lott and Olympia Snowe along with Secretary Dan Glickman and Governor Dirk Kempthorne announced a set recommendations in June 2014. Over the course of 18 months, the commission, a group of thirty Americans from all political stripes, engaged concerned citizens across the country through townhall events and national surveys to develop the reforms.
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The Congressional Patriot Award is Created
In 2015, BPC announced the creation of the Congressional Patriot Award, a biennial recognition given to two current or former members of the U.S. House of Representatives—one Democrat and one Republican—who have performed patriotic deeds worthy of remembrance. The first awards were given to Representative Sam Johnson (R-TX) and Representative John Lewis (D-GA) in a ceremony at the Library of Congress on March 15, 2016.
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BPC Celebrates Ten Years
In March 2017, BPC celebrated its tenth anniversary at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. During the event, former Vice President Joe Biden was honored with the organization’s Patriot Award.
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The American Congressional Exchange Begins
In January, 2018, BPC started the American Congressional Exchange program. In the program, Members of Congress agree to visit, for one weekend, a Member of the opposite party in that Member’s district. That member, in turn, reciprocates the following year or when schedules permit.
