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NBC
News
Outta Here: How
Congress's Year at Work So Far Compares to Yours
By Frank Thorp V and Carrie Dann
They’re gone ‘til November.
After swiftly dispatching with their labors of keeping the government
funded and authorizing the training of Syrian rebels, Congress headed
home Thursday night for its scheduled break for the rest of the month.
And next month. And part of the NEXT month.
The U.S. House has been in session for roll call votes a total of 92
days in 2014 – or 35% of the year up until now. (They had "pro forma"
sessions - without any legislative business - for an additional 25
days.)
The Senate’s been working slightly less, holding roll call votes on
just 87 days this year, with an additional 30 days of "pro forma'
sessions, when most lawmakers aren't in Washington.
Those of us working a typical 5-day work week, with public holidays,
would have been clocking in for a total of somewhere around 181 days
during that time.
Congress always takes a hefty break from legislating to go about
campaigning. Members up for re-election need time to court their
constituents, the logic goes. And – frankly – not that much useful
legislating gets done when pesky controversial votes could be used in
last-minute political ads.
But this Congress has done even less work in the pre-election doldrums
than it did in the last two election cycles.
In that time, the House held 515 roll call votes. In 2012 – a
presidential election year – it held 603 votes before the fall break.
And in the midterm cycle in 2010, the House mustered 565 votes.
So far this year, Congress has passed just 163 bills into law. At the
same time in the 112th Congress, 173 bills had made it to the
president's desk.
Their next chance to pick up the pace? When they get back to work -- on
November 12.
For this article and more, go to NBC News
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