📜Legislative BranchLegislative Output
Bill Passage Efficiency
What share of introduced bills are enacted into law each Congress?
4.8%
% enacted
vs. prior Congress
Updated MonthlyHigh data quality
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How long does it take from bill introduction to enactment for major legislation?
The median number of days from a bill's introduction in either chamber to its enactment into law, for bills that are ultimately enacted. Excludes bills that die in committee (the large majority). Also tracks "age at enactment" — how many Congresses a bill waited before passing.
Long cycle times can delay policy responses to urgent problems. However, extended deliberation also reflects the complexity of building consensus. Tracking both the distribution and the trend of cycle times reveals legislative process health.
Example Visualization
Box plot of bill cycle times by Congress showing median and distribution. Scatter plot of enactment time vs. bill complexity. Histogram of enacted bills by age at enactment.
What share of introduced bills are enacted into law each Congress?
How often does Congress pass a budget or appropriations bills before the October 1 deadline?