According to a 2012 report from USA Today, Congress passed only 61 laws at the time of the article's publication (August 14-15, 2012), and could possibly be the least productive congress since 1947.
Here's a chart and following it is my take on those numbers:
Fewer laws have been passed by this Congress than by any other in the last 65 years. Number of laws passed each year by Congress since 1947:
2012: 61; 2011: 90; 2010: 258; 2009: 125; 2008: 280; 2007: 180; 2006: 313; 2005: 169; 2004: 300; 2003: 198; 2002: 241; 2001: 136; 2000: 410; 1999: 170; 1998: 241; 1997: 153; 1996: 245; 1995: 88; 1994: 255; 1993: 210; 1992: 347; 1991: 243; 1990: 410; 1989: 240; 1988: 473; 1987: 240; 1986: 424; 1985: 240; 1984: 408; 1983: 215; 1982: 328; 1981: 145; 1980: 426; 1979: 187; 1978: 411; 1977: 223; 1976: 383; 1975: 205; 1974: 404; 1973: 245; 1972: 383; 1971: 224; 1970: 505; 1969: 190; 1968: 391; 1967: 391; 1966: 461; 1965: 349; 1964: 408; 1963: 258; 1962: 484; 1961: 401; 1960: 417; 1959: 383; 1958: 620; 1957: 316; 1956: 638; 1955: 390; 1954: 492; 1953: 288; 1952: 339; 1951: 255; 1950: 481; 1949: 440; 1948: 511; 1947: 395
Source: House Clerk's Office
30 years, 8,269 laws passed, and none of them prevented the housing crisis, the decline of the dollar, gave us Federal Reserve transparency, undid the money monopoly at the Fed, prevented war, limited executive power. (I start counting 30 years at 1977 and end at 2007--when the housing crisis was really evident.)
Will any law passed in 2012 and beyond the article's publication date prevent the next crisis? Limit executive power? Decentralize economic power?
