Estimating the cost of new public health legislation
Nick Wilson, Nhung Nghiem, Rachel Foster, Linda Cobiac & Tony Blakely
Volume 90, Number 7, July 2012, 532-539
Table 5. Cost of a government bill in the United States,a 2008–2009
| Cost breakdown | Cost (US$) |
|---|---|
| Judicial and legal component of administration costsa,b | 20 442 and 128 000 |
| Bills enactedc during regular legislative sessions in 2008–2009, |
20 516 |
| Bills enactedc during special legislative sessions in 2008–2009, |
353 |
| Total bills enacted in 2008–2009, no. | 20 869 |
| Average number of bills enacted per state in 2008–2009, no. | 417 |
| Cost per bill, US$ | 979 545 |
US$, United States dollars.
a Costs were derived using the most recent data from 50 state governments in the United States, which were for the fiscal period 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009.21
b Neither the cost of maintaining state government buildings nor the cost of the financial administration of the state government were taken into account.
c A large proportion of state government bills are introduced but not enacted (e.g. 82% in 2009).20