Celebrating her first six months in the U.S. Senate, Shelley Moore Capito hosted aconference call with reporters on Wednesday to provide a recap of her time and accomplishments in the chamber.

Citing the passage of several bipartisan bills, the junior senator said the early months of the year have provided clarity on a number of issues ranging from health care to the federal budget.

“We made a major fix to a health care issue,” said Capito, R-W.Va., referring to the passage of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015.

The bipartisan, $214 billion bill, which was signed by President Barack Obama in April, established a new way to pay doctors who treat Medicare patients, as well as renewed the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which is designed to help children of families whose income is too high to qualify for Medicaid.

“We’ve also moved forward in passing the first balanced budget in over nine years,” Capito said, adding that the Senate has once again become the deliberative body that the country’s forefathers envisioned.

Touching on the four key elements she highlighted during her maiden speech on the chamber floor in March, Capito reiterated what she views as top priorities during Wednesday’s media call.

The senator said her priorities include the passage of a long-term transportation funding bill, the need for increased access to broadband Internet, improving care for the country’s veterans and having reasonable energy policies.

She also briefly mentioned the necessity of tackling the state’s ongoing battle against drugs.

“The statistics just keep on growing,” Capito said.

While discussing the need for a new transportation bill, Capito said the government must step up and provide states like West Virginia more certainty.

“The federal government has to come in and has to come in big,” she said.

Congress must pass a new federal highway funding transportation bill before the latest version expires on July 31.

Although lawmakers have introduced a bill that would provide transportation funding until 2021, questions remain over exactly how it would be funded.

With federal highway programs funded through an 18.4-cent federal gas tax, one option would be to raise the tax.

But Capito, along with many other lawmakers, said she would be opposed to such a move.

“We’re hoping to have some answers in the next few weeks,” she said.

Capito, who served seven two-year terms in the U.S. House, said she feels her voice is much more focused as she serves in the upper chamber.

“It’s louder and I think I do have a much greater ability to make an impact,” she said.

Although there have been some bumps along the way — Capito only recently moved into her official office after spending several months working in a temporary space — she is finally comfortable.

Each Wednesday, Capito said she has been hosting West Virginians in her office. This week, the group included about 15 people who helped provide local experiences to Capito while she works in Washington, D.C.

“It’s really been a wonderful experience the first six months,” she said.