Is Congress getting things done?
The number everyone quotes — laws passed — is misleading in two specific ways. A third of them rename post offices, and members can file as many bills as they like, so the “success rate” falls for reasons that have nothing to do with gridlock. Here is the honest version.
Laws passed, Congress by Congress
Dark is substantive legislation. Brass is commemorative — post office namings, medals, and days of recognition.
| Congress | Bills filed | Substantive laws | Commemorative | Share that became law | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 113th 2013–2015 | 9,083 | 242 | 54 | 3.3% | |
| 114th 2015–2017 | 10,223 | 261 | 68 | 3.2% | |
| 115th 2017–2019 | 11,414 | 346 | 97 | 3.9% | most productive |
| 116th 2019–2021 | 14,340 | 264 | 80 | 2.4% | |
| 117th 2021–2023 | 15,232 | 283 | 82 | 2.4% | |
| 118th 2023–2025 | 16,565 | 193 | 81 | 1.7% | |
| 119th 2025–2027 | 15,924 | 101 | 3 | 0.7% | still sitting |
Which party passed more
Counted by the party of the member who wrote the bill. This mostly tracks who held the majority, because the majority decides what reaches a vote.
Where bills die
Of every bill filed in the 115th Congress, this is how far each one got. Most never leave the committee they were sent to.
Every bill and joint resolution introduced. Filing a bill requires no support from anyone else.
346 substantive and 97 commemorative.
Median days from introduction to signature.
Share of bills that attracted at least one co-sponsor from the other party. Co-sponsoring is easy, so read this as a floor.
| How far it got | Bills reaching this point | Share of all bills | Stopped here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filed, and went no further | 11,414 | 100.0% | 5,698 |
| Survived its committee | 5,716 | 50.1% | 4,416 |
| Passed one chamber | 1,300 | 11.4% | 857 |
| Passed both chambers | 443 | 3.9% | 0 |
| Signed into law | 443 | 3.9% | 443 |
What they actually passed
Laws from the 115th Congress, ordered by how much support they attracted.
| Law | What it does | Written by | Co-sponsors | Days to pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 115-310 | Anwar Sadat Centennial Celebration Act | Chris StewartRepresentative · Republican · Utah · district 2 | 157 D · 134 R | 681 |
| 115-344 | Preventing Maternal Deaths Act of 2018 | Jaime Herrera BeutlerRepresentative · Republican · Washington · district 3 | 141 D · 51 R | 659 |
| 115-194 | Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 2018 | Chris CollinsRepresentative · Republican · New York · district 27 | 114 D · 74 R | 515 |
| 115-164 | Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 | Ann WagnerRepresentative · Republican · Missouri · district 2 | 61 D · 114 R | 373 |
| 115-51 | Global War on Terrorism War Memorial Act | Mike GallagherRepresentative · Republican · Wisconsin · district 8 | 64 D · 95 R | — |
| 115-23 | Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the final rule submitted by S… | Diane BlackRepresentative · Republican · Tennessee · district 6 | 1 D · 146 R | — |
| 115-45 | Wounded Officers Recovery Act of 2017 | Joe BartonRepresentative · Republican · Texas · district 6 | 74 D · 54 R | — |
| 115-48 | Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 | David P. RoeRepresentative · Republican · Tennessee · district 1 | 85 D · 36 R | — |
| 115-8 | Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Soc… | Sam JohnsonRepresentative · Republican · Texas · district 3 | 1 D · 119 R | — |
| 115-233 | National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act of 2018 | Chris StewartRepresentative · Republican · Utah · district 2 | 53 D · 62 R | 468 |
| 115-119 | RAISE Family Caregivers Act | Gregg HarperRepresentative · Republican · Mississippi · district 3 | 70 D · 43 R | 131 |
| 115-170 | Admiral Lloyd R. "Joe" Vasey Pacific War Commemorative Display Establishment Act | Colleen HanabusaRepresentative · Democrat · Hawaii · district 1 | 73 D · 17 R | 180 |
| 115-302 | Action for Dental Health Act of 2018 | Robin L. KellyRepresentative · Democrat · Illinois · district 2 | 70 D · 13 R | 575 |
| 115-135 | Taiwan Travel Act | Steve ChabotRepresentative · Republican · Ohio · district 1 | 29 D · 52 R | 427 |
| 115-225 | National Flood Insurance Program Extension Act of 2018 | Todd YoungSenator · Republican · Indiana | 39 D · 35 R | 439 |
| 115-165 | Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act of 2018 | Sam JohnsonRepresentative · Republican · Texas · district 3 | 41 D · 34 R | 129 |
| 115-241 | Dr. Benjy Frances Brooks Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2018 | Gene GreenRepresentative · Democrat · Texas · district 29 | 37 D · 38 R | 180 |
| 115-104 | African American Civil Rights Network Act of 2017 | Wm. Lacy ClayRepresentative · Democrat · Missouri · district 1 | 68 D · 4 R | — |
| 115-5 | Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of the Interior known as the Stream Protection Rule. | Bill JohnsonRepresentative · Republican · Ohio · district 6 | 0 D · 71 R | — |
| 115-7 | Inspiring the Next Space Pioneers, Innovators, Researchers, and Explorers (INSPIRE) Women Act | Barbara ComstockRepresentative · Republican · Virginia · district 10 | 16 D · 52 R | — |
| 115-256 | Sam Farr and Nick Castle Peace Corps Reform Act of 2018 | Ted PoeRepresentative · Republican · Texas · district 2 | 44 D · 18 R | 526 |
| 115-406 | BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act | Susan M. CollinsSenator · Republican · Maine | 36 D · 19 R | 420 |
| 115-339 | No Hero Left Untreated Act | Stephen KnightRepresentative · Republican · California · district 25 | 19 D · 37 R | 673 |
| 115-330 | Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018 | James P. McGovernRepresentative · Democrat · Massachusetts · district 2 | 44 D · 11 R | 624 |
| 115-180 | Childhood Cancer STAR Act | Jack ReedSenator · Democrat · Rhode Island | 32 D · 21 R | 488 |
What Congress spends its time on
Subject areas by number of bills filed in the 115th Congress, and how many of those became law.
| Subject | Bills filed | Became law | Success rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health | 1,313 | 27 | 2.1% |
| Taxation | 970 | 2 | 0.2% |
| Armed Forces and National Security | 968 | 45 | 4.6% |
| Government Operations and Politics | 915 | 123 | 13.4% |
| Crime and Law Enforcement | 746 | 29 | 3.9% |
| Public Lands and Natural Resources | 689 | 37 | 5.4% |
| Finance and Financial Sector | 544 | 15 | 2.8% |
| International Affairs | 514 | 28 | 5.4% |
| Education | 506 | 4 | 0.8% |
| Transportation and Public Works | 460 | 16 | 3.5% |
| Immigration | 369 | 4 | 1.1% |
| Science, Technology, Communications | 331 | 16 | 4.8% |
| Environmental Protection | 325 | 4 | 1.2% |
| Labor and Employment | 308 | 6 | 1.9% |
| Energy | 304 | 15 | 4.9% |
Where committee referrals go
The 115th Congress's busiest committees, and how many of their referred bills became law.
| Committee | Referrals | Enacted |
|---|---|---|
| Energy and Commerce Committee (House) | 1,561 | 45 |
| Ways and Means Committee (House) | 1,443 | 15 |
| Judiciary Committee (House) | 1,375 | 41 |
| Education and the Workforce Committee (House) | 810 | 13 |
| Natural Resources Committee (House) | 786 | 56 |
| Finance Committee (Senate) | 733 | 4 |
| Oversight and Accountability Committee (House) | 697 | 114 |
| Financial Services Committee (House) | 663 | 20 |
| Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (House) | 546 | 34 |
| Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (Senate) | 534 | 21 |
Why not rank members by bills passed here?
Ranking members by raw output rewards volume, and filing is free. The Members page scores each member's sponsored bills by how far they actually travelled through the process — with the full arithmetic shown for every member.
Sponsor records for this Congress: 552 members. Data generated 2026-08-21 21:14:06.