Bills and Resolutions

Around 10,000 bills and resolutions are considered by the United States Congress in each two-year session, but of those bills and resolutions only about 400 will become law.

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Congress’s Docket

Coming Up This Week

11 bills and resolutions are on the House and Senate calendars for the coming days. Once bills are scheduled for floor action, they typically have enough support to pass.

S. 954: Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2013

The Senate added the bill to its floor schedule for the following day on May 21, 2013.

H.R. 1949: Improving Postsecondary Education Data for Students Act

The House Majority Leader indicated the bill would be considered in the week ahead on May 20, 2013.

S. 601: Water Resources Development Act of 2013

The Senate added the bill to its floor schedule for the following day on May 18, 2013.

Status: This bill passed in the Senate on May 15, 2013 and goes to the House next for consideration.

H.R. 324: To grant the Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the First Special Service Force, in recognition of its superior service during World War II.

The House Majority Leader indicated the bill would be considered in the week ahead on May 17, 2013.

S. 982: Freedom to Fish Act

The House Majority Leader indicated the bill would be considered in the week ahead on May 17, 2013.

Status: This bill passed in the Senate on May 16, 2013 and goes to the House next for consideration.

S.Con.Res. 16: A concurrent resolution authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center for the unveiling of a statue of Frederick Douglass.

The House Majority Leader indicated the resolution would be considered in the week ahead on May 17, 2013.

Status: This resolution passed in the Senate on May 16, 2013 and goes to the House next for consideration.

H.R. 1911: Smarter Solutions for Students Act

The House Majority Leader indicated the bill would be considered in the week ahead on May 17, 2013.

H.R. 570: American Heroes COLA Act

The House Majority Leader indicated the bill would be considered in the week ahead on May 16, 2013.

H.R. 1412: Improving Job Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2013

The House Majority Leader indicated the bill would be considered in the week ahead on May 16, 2013.

H.R. 1344: Helping Heroes Fly Act

The House Majority Leader indicated the bill would be considered in the week ahead on May 16, 2013.

H.R. 3: Northern Route Approval Act

The House Majority Leader indicated the bill would be considered in the week ahead on May 16, 2013.

Here is a breakdown of all 3,524 bills and resolutions currently before Congress:

Enacted Laws

There are 10 enacted bills and joint resolutions so far in this session of Congress.

Passed Resolutions

There are 143 passed resolutions so far in this session of Congress (for joint and concurrent resolutions, passed both chambers).

At the President

There are 1 bills that are awaiting the president's signature:

H.R. 360: To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley ...

This bill was passed by Congress on May 9, 2013 and goes to the President next.

Active Legislation

There are 60 bills and joint/concurrent resolutions that had a significant vote in one chamber and are likely to get a vote in the other chamber.

Inactive Legislation

There are 3,306 bills and resolutions that have been introduced, referred to committee, or reported by committee and await further action.

Failed Legislation

There are 4 bills and resolutions that failed a vote on passage and are now dead or failed a significant vote such as cloture, passage under suspension, or resolving differences:

H.R. 249: Federal Employee Tax Accountability Act of 2013

This bill is provisionally dead due to a failed vote on April 15, 2013 under a fast-track procedure called "suspension." It may or may not get another vote.
S. 388: American Family Economic Protection Act of 2013

This bill is provisionally dead due to a failed vote for cloture on February 28, 2013. Cloture is required to move past a Senate filibuster or the threat of a filibuster and takes a 3/5ths vote. In practice, most bills must pass cloture to move forward in the Senate.
S. 16: A bill to provide for a sequester replacement.

This bill is provisionally dead due to a failed vote for cloture on February 28, 2013. Cloture is required to move past a Senate filibuster or the threat of a filibuster and takes a 3/5ths vote. In practice, most bills must pass cloture to move forward in the Senate.
S.Res. 5: A resolution amending the Standing Rules of the Senate to provide for cloture to be invoked with less ...

This resolution failed in the Senate on January 24, 2013.

Browse Bills by Subject

Use the Library of Congress’s subject categorization of bills and resolutions to explore pending legislation in Congress.

Search Bills and Resolutions

Search for bills using the search box at the top right of every page, or use the advanced search to screen by status, subject, and other factors.

Track Legislative Events

Use these pages to subscribe to email updates to track bills and resolutions in Congress.

Statistics and Historical Comparison

Here are counts of bills and resolutions by status in the current Congress compared to previous Congresses. Note that the current Congress is not yet finished.

Counts & Percents | Counts Only | Percents Only

Congress	Enacted Laws	Passed Resolutions	At the President	Active Legislation	Inactive Legislation	Failed Legislation	Vetoed Bills	TOTAL
113^th Jan 03, 2013 -present	10 0%	143 4%	1 0%	60 2%	3306 94%	4 0%	0 0%	3524
112^th Jan 05, 2011 -Jan 03, 2013	284 2%	721 6%	2 0%	391 3%	10870 88%	31 0%	0 0%	12299
111^th Jan 06, 2009 -Dec 22, 2010	385 3%	1465 11%	1 0%	598 4%	11201 82%	31 0%	2 0%	13683
110^th Jan 04, 2007 -Jan 03, 2009	462 3%	1432 10%	5 0%	860 6%	11240 80%	36 0%	7 0%	14042
109^th Jan 04, 2005 -Dec 09, 2006	483 4%	1026 8%	3 0%	594 5%	10934 84%	31 0%	1 0%	13072
108^th Jan 07, 2003 -Dec 09, 2004	528 5%	865 8%	5 0%	688 6%	8566 80%	17 0%	0 0%	10669
107^th Jan 03, 2001 -Nov 22, 2002	384 4%	680 6%	6 0%	597 6%	9106 84%	16 0%	0 0%	10789
106^th Jan 06, 1999 -Dec 15, 2000	604 6%	768 7%	8 0%	643 6%	8773 81%	32 0%	12 0%	10840
105^th Jan 07, 1997 -Dec 19, 1998	407 4%	620 7%	4 0%	552 6%	7508 82%	43 0%	7 0%	9141
104^th Jan 04, 1995 -Oct 04, 1996	337 4%	596 7%	6 0%	437 5%	6572 82%	27 0%	16 0%	7991
103^rd Jan 05, 1993 -Dec 01, 1994	473 5%	506 5%	17 0%	488 5%	8322 85%	16 0%	0 0%	9822
102^nd Jan 03, 1991 -Oct 09, 1992	610 5%	584 5%	18 0%	641 5%	10111 84%	29 0%	23 0%	12016
101^st Jan 03, 1989 -Oct 28, 1990	665 6%	598 5%	16 0%	604 5%	9863 84%	20 0%	20 0%	11786
100^th Jan 06, 1987 -Oct 22, 1988	765 7%	347 3%	0 0%	573 5%	9573 85%	4 0%	16 0%	11278
99^th Jan 03, 1985 -Oct 18, 1986	687 6%	332 3%	1 0%	544 5%	10017 86%	3 0%	18 0%	11602
98^th Jan 03, 1983 -Oct 12, 1984	677 6%	334 3%	1 0%	557 5%	10609 87%	3 0%	21 0%	12202
97^th Jan 05, 1981 -Dec 23, 1982	529 4%	368 3%	1 0%	498 4%	11827 89%	0 0%	13 0%	13236
96^th Jan 15, 1979 -Dec 16, 1980	735 5%	827 6%	1 0%	460 3%	12558 86%	1 0%	8 0%	14590

When does Congressional activity occur?

These charts show when during the course of the two-year Congressional sessions activity tends to occur. Note that each Congress starts a few days into January and finishes a few days into January two calendar years later.

This first chart shows when bills and resolutions tend to be introduced. It shows that legislation tends to be introduced early on in the session.

This next chart shows when bills and joint resolutions tend to be enacted (either by being signed by the president or by a veto being overridden). It shows that about half of all legislation that will be enacted is enacted only in the final quarter of the session.

Use the cumulative percent charts to estimate how much has yet to occur in the current session of Congress. For instance, the cumulative percent of bills enacted for December in the first year of a session is 34%, meaning that while the session is half over, only one-third of the number of bills that will be enacted have been enacted by that point.