Wisconsin lawmakers write lots of bills but pass few into law

It isn’t that Wisconsin lawmakers aren’t getting any work done. It is just that it is an exercise in futility. Despite their short legislative session our representatives in Madison have kept busy writing a record number of bills. I suppose that is evidence they are getting something done in Madison, but a large majority of these pieces of legislation have no chance of becoming law. Wisconsin lawmakers in the Senate and Assembly introduced a record number of bills in their most recent session, just over 2300. But a very small percentage of the bills that make it to the floor for a vote ever end up becoming law. Just 12% of those 2300 bills were actually enacted, according to a report by The Badger Institute. That is down from about 25% just a few years ago. Some may argue that is good news, given that not passing new laws means less intrusion into our lives. But it is also a sign of severe gridlock. So why write so many bills if they aren’t going anywhere? Part of it is political gamesmanship. They force a vote on an issue knowing it won’t pass, but they will be able to boast about their vote on the campaign trail. So it appears our lawmakers have been working hard based on the number of bills they wrote, they just aren’t being very productive when it comes to getting those bills across the finish line.