Dem
47
GOP
53
The job of any legislature is to pass legislation—you know, laws. Congress is basically incapable of it, even when one party holds the trifecta. Many members introduce bills but they go nowhere. Here is a comparison of Congress vs. the state legislatures:
The states with the largest number of bills passed last year were Texas (3,242), New York (2,301), Virginia (1,738), Tennessee (2,057) and Georgia (1,720). Some states had a very high enactment rate as a percentage of bills introduced. The leaders here are Colorado (74%), Louisiana (69%), Virginia (61%), Georgia (60%) and Utah (60%). Note that in all except Virginia, one party holds the trifecta. Nevertheless, in some states where there is a trifecta, the passage rate is very low, especially Missouri at 0.9% and Massachusetts at the very bottom of the list at a dismal 0.1%. Why anyone would want to serve in the Massachusetts legislature is beyond us, since even Congress makes it look good and that is not easy. So while Congress does nothing, the real action these days is in the states, and that tends to fly below the radar. (V)