Chart the Data

Number of Bills Introduced and Laws Enacted in Minnesota, 1849-present

Compiled by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library

The Legislature introduces many bills every year, but only some bills become law. Bills that pass both houses of the Legislature must be signed by the governor before they are enacted. If a governor vetoes a bill passed by the Legislature, the Legislature may attempt to override the veto in order to enact the law. This page compares the number of bill introductions in the House and Senate with the total number of laws enacted each session. 

Prior to 1989, bills passed by the legislature and sent to the governor were assigned a chapter number when the governor filed them with the Secretary of State. Vetoed bills were not given chapter numbers; generally, the number of "laws enacted" is equivalent to the number of session law chapters prior to 1989. 

Beginning in 1989, vetoed bills were given chapter numbers (see Laws of Minnesota 1988, chapter 479). Therefore, the number of "laws enacted" may be less than the number of session law chapters if there were full vetoes that were not overridden. Consult veto information for further details.

The total number of laws enacted may also vary because chapter numbers were not assigned, and data may be uncertain for some years. Consult footnotes for further explanation.

This data was compiled by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library from House Index Department statistical summaries, session laws, journals, and other sources. While efforts have been made to verify this information in more than one source, the library cannot guarantee the accuracy of sources; errors are possible. Please report any errors to the Library staff.