Legislative Productivity: 115Th Congress And Lawmaking Success

The 115th United States Congress lasted from January 3, 2017, to January 3, 2019. During this period, 442 public laws were enacted, the most since the 110th Congress (2007-2009). Of these laws, 69% were substantive, while the remaining 31% were ceremonial in nature.

The 115th Congress was the first in over a decade to have Republicans controlling both the House and the Senate, with a Republican president (Donald Trump) in the White House. Despite the legislative activity, the 115th Congress ended without funding large parts of the federal government for the 2019 fiscal year, leading to a partial government shutdown.

Some of the significant laws enacted by the 115th Congress include:

- The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which reduced income taxes for individuals and businesses and repealed the tax enforcing the Affordable Care Act's mandate.

- The First Step Act, an overhaul of the federal criminal justice system.

- A new five-year farm bill.

- A law to address the opioid crisis by expanding access to addiction treatment.

- The Music Modernization Act, which updated music copyright and royalty rules for the digital age.

- A sanctions bill targeting Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

- A bill overhauling and extending veterans' educational benefits.

- The first comprehensive NASA authorization bill in more than six years.

The 115th Congress lasted from January 3, 2017, to January 3, 2019

The 115th United States Congress lasted from January 3, 2017, to January 3, 2019. It was the first Congress in over a decade in which Republicans controlled both the House and the Senate, with a Republican President (Donald Trump) in the White House.

The 115th Congress was more legislatively active than its recent predecessors, enacting 442 public laws—the most since the 110th Congress (2007-2009). Of these laws, 69% were deemed substantive, while nearly a third were ceremonial in nature. The ceremonial measures included renaming post offices, courthouses, and other federal facilities, accounting for a quarter of the Congress' total legislative output.

The 115th Congress notably ended without funding large portions of the federal government for the 2019 fiscal year, as only five of the 12 regular appropriations bills were passed. This, along with Congress' and President Trump's inability to agree on a temporary funding measure, led to a partial government shutdown.

Despite the high number of laws passed, the 115th Congress was not without its distractions, including an impeachment, a contentious election, and its aftermath. Additionally, conflicts between the Democratic-majority House and the Republican-controlled Senate may have contributed to the relatively low level of productivity.

Some of the more significant legislation enacted by the 115th Congress included:

• The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which reduced income taxes on individuals and businesses and repealed the tax mandate of the Affordable Care Act.
• The First Step Act, an overhaul of the federal criminal justice system.
• A new five-year farm bill.
• A law to address the opioid crisis by expanding access to addiction treatment.
• The Music Modernization Act, which updated music copyright and royalty rules for the digital age.
• A sanctions bill targeting Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
• A bill overhauling and extending veterans' educational benefits.
• The first comprehensive NASA authorization bill in more than six years.

The 115th Congress enacted 442 public laws and ratified 6 treaties

The 115th Congress, which lasted from January 3, 2017, to January 3, 2019, was a highly productive legislative session. During this period, 442 public laws were enacted, the highest number since the 110th Congress from 2007 to 2009.

The 115th Congress was the first in over a decade to have a Republican majority in both the House and the Senate, with a Republican president in the White House. Despite this unity, the proportion of substantive and ceremonial legislation did not differ significantly from the previous Congress, which had a Republican-controlled House and Senate facing a Democratic president, Barack Obama.

The 115th Congress passed notable legislation, including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which reduced taxes for individuals and businesses and repealed the Affordable Care Act's mandate that most Americans carry health insurance. Other significant laws included the First Step Act, an overhaul of the federal criminal justice system; a new five-year farm bill; a law addressing the opioid crisis; the Music Modernization Act, which updated music copyright and royalty rules for the digital age; and a bill providing benefits and educational assistance to veterans.

In addition to the 442 public laws, the 115th Congress also ratified six treaties.

The 115th Congress was the first in over a decade to have Republicans controlling both the House and Senate, with a Republican president

The 115th US Congress, which lasted from January 3, 2017, to January 3, 2019, was the first in over a decade to have Republicans controlling both the House and the Senate, with Republican President Donald Trump also in office.

The 115th Congress was marked by a number of notable events and legislative accomplishments. In January 2017, the House of Representatives condemned the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, and a joint session counted and certified the electoral votes of the 2016 presidential election. The Senate also took its first steps to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The 115th Congress also saw the confirmation of several key political appointments. On February 7, 2017, Vice President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education—a first in US history. In April 2017, the Senate invoked the "nuclear option" to weaken Supreme Court filibusters, and Neil Gorsuch was confirmed the next day.

In terms of legislation, the 115th Congress enacted a range of laws, including the GAO Access and Oversight Act of 2017, the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017, the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, the America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018, and the FIRST STEP Act, among others.

Despite unified Republican control, some political scientists described the legislative accomplishments of the 115th Congress as modest. Notably, the House approved legislation to "repeal and replace" the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but this effort ultimately failed in the Senate.

The 115th Congress concluded amid a dispute between Congress and the White House over funding for a wall along the US-Mexico border, leading to a partial government shutdown that extended into 2019.

The 115th Congress was the most legislatively active Congress since the 110th Congress (2007-2009)

The 115th Congress, which lasted from January 3, 2017, to January 3, 2019, was the most legislatively active Congress since the 110th Congress (2007-2009). During this period, 442 public laws were enacted, the highest number since the 110th Congress.

The 115th Congress was the first in over a decade in which Republicans controlled both the House and the Senate, with a Republican president, Donald Trump, in the White House. Despite this, the proportion of substantive to ceremonial legislation was similar to that of the previous Congress, in which a Republican-controlled House and Senate faced a Democratic president, Barack Obama.

The 115th Congress passed a number of significant laws, including the $1.5 trillion Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the First Step Act (an overhaul of the federal criminal justice system), a new five-year farm bill, and a law to address the opioid crisis. Additionally, they passed a sanctions bill targeting Russia, Iran, and North Korea, and the Music Modernization Act, which updated music copyright and royalty rules for the digital age.

While the 115th Congress was active in terms of the number of laws passed, it is worth noting that nearly a third of these laws were ceremonial in nature, including 109 that renamed post offices, courthouses, and other federal facilities.

The 115th Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which reduced income taxes on individuals and businesses

The 115th United States Congress, which lasted from January 3, 2017, to January 3, 2019, passed numerous bills that became public laws. One of the most significant pieces of legislation enacted during this period was the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was introduced in the 115th Congress as Senate Bill 2254. Proposed by Senator Menendez (D-NJ) on December 19, 2017, the TCJA focused on preventing unfair double taxation by preserving the deduction for state and local taxes. The bill aimed to reduce the tax burden on individuals and businesses, ensuring they were not subject to reduced or eliminated deductions.

The TCJA included various provisions to achieve its goals. One key aspect was addressing certain foreign branch losses transferred to specified 10-percent owned foreign corporations. The Act stipulated that if a domestic corporation transferred the assets of a foreign branch to such an entity, it would need to include the transferred loss amount in its gross income for the taxable year. This provision ensured that corporations could not avoid taxation by shifting losses offshore.

Additionally, the TCJA introduced rules regarding tax benefits and base erosion payments. It specified that any base erosion tax benefit associated with a base erosion payment, subject to tax under specific sections, would not be considered when computing modified taxable income or the base erosion percentage. However, there was an exception to this rule, where the amount not considered in the computation would be reduced under certain conditions.

The 115th Congress's passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act had a significant impact on taxation policy, alleviating the tax burden on individuals and businesses by addressing double taxation concerns and clarifying rules related to foreign transactions and base erosion payments. This Act was part of a broader legislative agenda during that congressional session, which included other notable bills such as the Financial CHOICE Act, the Health Savings Act, and the Drone Federalism Act.

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