Top three laws’ page share by October 15: 40% (2018), 70% (2026)
Source. National Archives, public law listings; laws approved by October 15 of year two; *in progress
Method and data
Method. For each Congress, take laws approved on or before October 15 of its second year, sum the pages of the three longest, and divide by all pages in those laws. Law counts and page totals for the 112th–118th agree with Brookings Table 6-4. Earlier Congresses are omitted because listings for the 103rd–111th do not reconcile to Brookings. At this cutoff the three longest were all NDAAs or appropriations acts only in the 115th and 116th.
| Label | Laws by the cutoff | Pages by the cutoff | Top three’s share by the cutoff (%) | Other law in the top three, by the cutoff | Median pages per law |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 112th | 195 | 3,378 | 48.4 | P.L. 112-141: Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act | 2 |
| 113th | 185 | 3,178 | 46.9 | P.L. 113-79: Agriculture Act of 2014 | 2 |
| 114th | 244 | 4,121 | 47.6 | P.L. 114-94: Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act | 2 |
| 115th | 268 | 6,042 | 39.8 | 2 | |
| 116th | 169 | 4,065 | 56.6 | 2 | |
| 117th | 200 | 4,667 | 64.6 | P.L. 117-58: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act | 2 |
| 118th | 106 | 2,705 | 67 | P.L. 118-63: FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 | 2 |
| 119th* | 124 | 3,081 | 70 | P.L. 119-21: To provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14. | 2 |
