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 116th 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.
264 substantive and 80 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 | 14,340 | 100.0% | 8,842 |
| Survived its committee | 5,498 | 38.3% | 4,403 |
| Passed one chamber | 1,095 | 7.6% | 742 |
| Passed both chambers | 353 | 2.5% | 9 |
| Signed into law | 344 | 2.4% | 344 |
What they actually passed
Laws from the 116th Congress, ordered by how much support they attracted.
| Law | What it does | Written by | Co-sponsors | Days to pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 116-136 | CARES Act | Joe CourtneyRepresentative · Democrat · Connecticut · district 2 | 201 D · 168 R | 428 |
| 116-23 | Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 | Mark TakanoRepresentative · Democrat · California · district 41 | 203 D · 130 R | 168 |
| 116-34 | Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Vict… | Carolyn B. MaloneyRepresentative · Democrat · New York · district 12 | 236 D · 96 R | 154 |
| 116-94 | Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 | Bill Pascrell Jr.Representative · Democrat · New Jersey · district 9 | 179 D · 125 R | 270 |
| 116-141 | Never Again Education Act | Carolyn B. MaloneyRepresentative · Democrat · New York · district 12 | 206 D · 96 R | 484 |
| 116-72 | PACT Act | Theodore E. DeutchRepresentative · Democrat · Florida · district 22 | 216 D · 85 R | 306 |
| 116-60 | Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support Act of 2019 | Christopher H. SmithRepresentative · Republican · New Jersey · district 4 | 127 D · 46 R | 235 |
| 116-330 | Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 | Barbara LeeRepresentative · Democrat · California · district 13 | 151 D · 17 R | 658 |
| 116-153 | Veteran Treatment Court Coordination Act of 2019 | Charlie CristRepresentative · Democrat · Florida · district 13 | 98 D · 37 R | 556 |
| 116-108 | Securing American Nonprofit Organizations Against Terrorism Act of 2019 | Bennie G. ThompsonRepresentative · Democrat · Mississippi · district 2 | 86 D · 18 R | 267 |
| 116-326 | Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act | Christopher H. SmithRepresentative · Republican · New Jersey · district 4 | 58 D · 29 R | 741 |
| 116-142 | Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 | Dean PhillipsRepresentative · Democrat · Minnesota · district 3 | 56 D · 30 R | 10 |
| 116-105 | Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act | John ThuneSenator · Republican · South Dakota | 42 D · 40 R | 348 |
| 116-291 | Henrietta Lacks Enhancing Cancer Research Act of 2019 | Elijah E. CummingsRepresentative · Democrat · Maryland · district 7 | 69 D · 9 R | 649 |
| 116-130 | Broadband DATA Act | Roger F. WickerSenator · Republican · Mississippi | 32 D · 35 R | 285 |
| 116-250 | ALS Disability Insurance Access Act of 2019 | Sheldon WhitehouseSenator · Democrat · Rhode Island | 36 D · 29 R | 664 |
| 116-112 | President George H.W. Bush and First Spouse Barbara Bush Coin Act | John CornynSenator · Republican · Texas | 17 D · 48 R | 349 |
| 116-145 | Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 | Marco RubioSenator · Republican · Florida | 31 D · 33 R | 34 |
| 116-13 | Recognizing Achievement in Classified School Employees Act | Dina TitusRepresentative · Democrat · Nevada · district 1 | 43 D · 14 R | 94 |
| 116-76 | Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 | Marco RubioSenator · Republican · Florida | 26 D · 29 R | 167 |
| 116-111 | Emancipation National Historic Trail Study Act | Sheila Jackson LeeRepresentative · Democrat · Texas · district 18 | 52 D · 3 R | 382 |
| 116-171 | Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 | Jon TesterSenator · Democrat · Montana | 34 D · 18 R | 584 |
| 116-327 | Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act of 2020 | Peter A. DeFazioRepresentative · Democrat · Oregon · district 4 | 27 D · 24 R | 685 |
| 116-140 | Student Veteran Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 | Mark TakanoRepresentative · Democrat · California · district 41 | 43 D · 6 R | 36 |
| 116-253 | Fallen Journalists Memorial Act | Grace F. NapolitanoRepresentative · Democrat · California · district 32 | 45 D · 4 R | 547 |
What Congress spends its time on
Subject areas by number of bills filed in the 116th Congress, and how many of those became law.
| Subject | Bills filed | Became law | Success rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health | 1,844 | 18 | 1.0% |
| Armed Forces and National Security | 1,217 | 47 | 3.9% |
| Taxation | 1,150 | 3 | 0.3% |
| Government Operations and Politics | 1,148 | 92 | 8.0% |
| Crime and Law Enforcement | 813 | 20 | 2.5% |
| International Affairs | 696 | 11 | 1.6% |
| Education | 694 | 5 | 0.7% |
| Transportation and Public Works | 635 | 7 | 1.1% |
| Public Lands and Natural Resources | 624 | 26 | 4.2% |
| Finance and Financial Sector | 599 | 15 | 2.5% |
| Commerce | 560 | 8 | 1.4% |
| Science, Technology, Communications | 491 | 17 | 3.5% |
| Immigration | 437 | 4 | 0.9% |
| Labor and Employment | 414 | 3 | 0.7% |
| Environmental Protection | 389 | 7 | 1.8% |
Where committee referrals go
The 116th Congress's busiest committees, and how many of their referred bills became law.
| Committee | Referrals | Enacted |
|---|---|---|
| Energy and Commerce Committee (House) | 2,036 | 27 |
| Ways and Means Committee (House) | 1,670 | 15 |
| Judiciary Committee (House) | 1,546 | 31 |
| Education and the Workforce Committee (House) | 1,123 | 10 |
| Finance Committee (Senate) | 933 | 3 |
| Financial Services Committee (House) | 852 | 17 |
| Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (Senate) | 806 | 13 |
| Oversight and Accountability Committee (House) | 787 | 75 |
| Natural Resources Committee (House) | 784 | 34 |
| Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (House) | 755 | 13 |
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: 546 members. Data generated 2026-08-21 21:14:06.