Congress wraps up 2021 with a low bill count

Dec. 7—This story has been updated from its original version to update incorrect information.

Congress made plenty of news in 2021, but no one could accuse it of running up the score when it comes to the bill count.

Halfway through its two-year tenure, the 117th Congress is on track to approve the lowest number of bills for any session of Congress dating back 50 years.

Based on information from the congress.gov and govtrack.us websites, a total of 66 bills and four joint resolutions have been signed into law since the 117th Congress convened Jan. 3.

Historically, only about a third of all bills approved during any two-year session are signed into law the first year.

If that holds true this time around, the 117th Congress should approve a total of about 200 bills by the end of 2022. That compares with 344 for the 116th Congress, and a 50-year low of 284 passed by the 112th Congress in 2011-12.

The House and Senate are both scheduled to wrap up work for 2021 by the end of this week.

As noted by govtrack.us, the anemic number of bills so far doesn't necessarily mean Congress is dragging its feet. The long-term trend has been toward fewer, longer bills, but the overall amount of legislation signed into law has remained fairly steady.

"Since World War II (the earliest we have data), Congress has typically enacted 4-6 million words of new law in each two-year Congress," the website noted. "However, these words have been enacted in fewer, but larger bills. Therefore, the generally decreasing number of bills enacted into law doesn't reflect less legislative work is occurring."

The numbers do suggest, though, that House and Senate leaders are more concerned about getting legislation through their respective chambers than they are about sending bills to the president.

As of last week, for example, members of the 117th Congress have introduced a total of 10,919 bills and resolutions. Of those, 760, or 7 percent, have passed at least one chamber — 422 in the House and 338 in the Senate.

However, only 80 bills and resolutions had passed both chambers. That includes four joint resolutions, 10 bills where the House and Senate still need to work out their differences and 66 bills that have been signed into law by the president.

The 66 bills include some heavy hitters, such as the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan stimulus act and $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Congress also passed a $1.9 billion bill providing emergency funding to repair damage done during the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol. The money will also be used to beef up security in the building and reimburse law enforcement and National Guard units for the cost of responding to the Jan. 6 riots.

At least three bills were approved to incrementally fund government operations and prevent a government shutdown. The latest version extends funding to Feb. 18.

Collectively, the four U.S. senators and two U.S. representatives representing southeastern Washington and north central Idaho were the primary sponsors on about 80 bills this year, along with a dozen or so resolutions.

Most of the bills haven't even received committee hearings and none have advanced to the House or Senate floors. However, some of the proposals may have been added to other bills that subsequently passed.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., was the only lawmaker in the region who had legislation enacted directly into law. She sponsored a joint resolution rejecting a proposed rule for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Murray, who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, also sponsored more legislation than any other lawmaker in the region. Among her 27 bills was a proposal to prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from shackling or detaining pregnant women and the Stop Child Hunger Act, which would create an electronic benefits program so school children could still receive free or reduced-cost meals during the summer or during an extended school shutdown.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., sponsored 16 bills, including the Local Journalism Sustainability Act, which would provide federal tax credits for local newspaper subscriptions and for small businesses that advertise in local media outlets.

Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, sponsored 16 bills, including a plan to split the Ninth Judicial Circuit into two circuits covering the western United States and legislation reauthorizing the Secure Rural Schools Act, which provides funding to rural counties that have large tracts of federal lands.

Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, sponsored 18 bills, including a proposal to enhance geothermal energy production on federal lands and the Taiwan Deterrence Act, which recognizes Taiwan as a key economic partner of the U.S. and authorizes $2 billion in grant to help the country improve its military defense capabilities.

Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, sponsored four bills this year, including the Forestry Education and Workforce Development Act and a companion bill to Risch's geothermal energy legislation.

Fulcher spent much of the year battling cancer. However, he recently reported his latest lab tests show he is now cancer-free.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., sponsored nine bills, including legislation directing the Federal Communications Commission to evaluate the opportunities for a 911 emergency system for people with disabilities.

Spence may be contacted at bspence@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-9168.