Do bipartisan bills pass?
How often bills became law, by who signed on.
- In the 117th Congress, 4.6% of bills with a cosponsor from the other party became law, compared with 0.9% of other bills.
- In the 118th Congress, 3.4% of bills with a cosponsor from the other party became law, compared with 0.5% of other bills.
- In the 119th Congress, 1.1% of bills with a cosponsor from the other party became law, compared with 0.6% of other bills.
By type of cosponsorship
| Congress | Cosponsors | Number of bills | Became law | Law rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 117th | Has a cosponsor from the other party | 5985 | 274 | 4.6% |
| 117th | Only same-party cosponsors | 6267 | 47 | 0.7% |
| 117th | No cosponsors | 2979 | 40 | 1.3% |
| 118th | Has a cosponsor from the other party | 6629 | 224 | 3.4% |
| 118th | Only same-party cosponsors | 6789 | 38 | 0.6% |
| 118th | No cosponsors | 3146 | 12 | 0.4% |
| 119th | Has a cosponsor from the other party | 6901 | 74 | 1.1% |
| 119th | Only same-party cosponsors | 6522 | 34 | 0.5% |
| 119th | No cosponsors | 3631 | 29 | 0.8% |
Controlling for majority or minority party
Law rate of bills with and without an other-party cosponsor, split by whether the sponsor's party held the majority in the sponsor's chamber.
| Congress | Sponsor | Bills with other-party cosponsor | Law rate | Bills without | Law rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 117th | Majority party sponsor | 3853 | 4.5% | 5155 | 1.1% |
| 117th | Minority party sponsor | 2132 | 4.6% | 4091 | 0.7% |
| 118th | Majority party sponsor | 3702 | 3.7% | 5631 | 0.7% |
| 118th | Minority party sponsor | 2927 | 2.9% | 4304 | 0.3% |
| 119th | Majority party sponsor | 3709 | 1.6% | 5067 | 1.1% |
| 119th | Minority party sponsor | 3192 | 0.4% | 5074 | 0.1% |
By number of cosponsors
Law rate and number of bills in each group.
| Congress | 0 cosponsors | 1-9 cosponsors | 10-24 cosponsors | 25+ cosponsors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 117th | 1.3% of 2,979 | 2.4% of 8,184 | 2.4% of 2,325 | 4.1% of 1,743 |
| 118th | 0.4% of 3,146 | 1.6% of 9,383 | 2.4% of 2,368 | 3.4% of 1,667 |
| 119th | 0.8% of 3,631 | 0.8% of 9,680 | 0.9% of 2,303 | 0.7% of 1,451 |
This is a comparison, not proof that bipartisan support causes passage. Bills that leaders already plan to move tend to attract cosponsors from both sides, and bills from the majority party pass at higher rates no matter who signs on, which is why the second table splits sponsors by majority or minority party. Parties are assigned as in the rest of the site: independents who caucus with a party count as part of it. Only bills and joint resolutions are counted, and a bill counts as becoming law only if it was enacted as its own bill; text folded into another bill does not count. The 119th Congress is still in progress, so its rates are incomplete and will rise.