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Fixed-interval work habits of Congress
1University of Alabama.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
|April 1, 1972
Summary
Congress bill passage follows a predictable pattern. Bill passage rates are low early in legislative sessions, then rapidly increase until adjournment, a consistent trend observed over decades.
Area of Science:
- Political Science
- Legislative Studies
- American Politics
Background:
- Understanding legislative productivity is crucial for analyzing government function.
- The dynamics of bill passage rates within legislative sessions remain an area of interest.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and describe the temporal pattern of bill passage rates in the U.S. Congress.
- To analyze the consistency of this pattern across multiple legislative sessions and Congresses.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of bill passage data from eight U.S. Congresses (1947-1968).
- Examination of legislative data across both regular sessions for each Congress.
Main Results:
- A consistent 'scalloped' pattern in bill passage rates was identified.
- Bill passage rates were low in the initial 3-4 months, followed by accelerated growth until adjournment.
- This pattern was uniform across all sampled Congresses and sessions.
Conclusions:
- The legislative process in Congress exhibits a predictable, fixed-interval pattern of bill passage.
- This temporal structure in legislative output is a stable characteristic of the U.S. Congress.
- Findings suggest a consistent rhythm in congressional productivity tied to the legislative calendar.
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