📜Legislative BranchFiscal Responsibility
Federal Budget Timeliness
How often does Congress pass a budget or appropriations bills before the October 1 deadline?
176 days
days late (FY2024)
vs. prior FY
Updated AnnualHigh data quality
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📜Legislative BranchLegislative Output
Bill Passage Efficiency
What share of introduced bills are enacted into law each Congress?
Updated MonthlyAs of 2024-12-01High data quality
Historical Trend
Data sourced from official government APIsWhat It Measures
The percentage of bills introduced in a given Congress (2-year session) that are ultimately enacted into law. Also tracks total laws enacted and the ratio of substantive legislation to ceremonial or commemorative legislation.
Formula
Enactment Rate (%) = Bills Enacted ÷ Bills Introduced × 100Why It Matters
While a low passage rate is partly by design (vetting function), extremely low rates may indicate legislative gridlock, procedural obstruction, or lack of bipartisan capacity to move legislation. Trends over time reveal changes in legislative productivity.
Data Caveats
- Congress introduces thousands of bills in each session; most are never intended to pass as standalone legislation but are used for messaging or bargaining.
- Major policy provisions often pass as amendments or riders to must-pass bills (omnibus, NDAA), inflating the apparent efficiency of certain vehicles.
- The 2-year Congress cycle means bills die at end of session even if near passage, resetting the count.
Drill-Down Options
- By Congress (session)
- By chamber (House vs. Senate)
- By bill type (legislation vs. resolution vs. commemorative)
- By committee of origin
- By policy area
Suggested Dashboard Layout
Example Visualization
Congress-by-Congress bar chart of bills introduced vs. enacted. Trend line of enactment rate. Breakdown of enacted bills by policy area (using Library of Congress subject headings).
Suggested Chart Types
Bar ChartLine Chart
Related KPIs
📜Legislative BranchLegislative Process
Bipartisan Voting Rate
On what share of recorded votes do majorities of both parties agree?
38%
% of roll-call votes
vs. prior Congress
Updated MonthlyHigh data quality
📜Legislative BranchLegislative Process
Legislative Cycle Time
How long does it take from bill introduction to enactment for major legislation?
186 days
days (median enacted bills)
vs. prior Congress
Updated MonthlyHigh data quality