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A public record of legislative judgment119th Congress · Method full_text_v4
The Quiet LedgerBeyond the noise. On the record.
Methodology · full_text_v4 · Frozen

The standard is written down. It does not move.

8 criteria. 90 points. The same questions for every bill. What appears here is the same set of constants the grader runs.

  1. I

    Constitutionality

    Is there a clear enumerated-powers basis? Does the bill respect constitutional limits (due process, separation of powers, 1st/4th/5th/10th Amendment)? Weighted double: the foundation.

    20Weighted double
  2. II

    Stated purpose vs. actual scope

    Does the operative text match the stated intent, or does it smuggle in unrelated or overbroad provisions?

    10Points
  3. III

    Real-world benefit

    Concrete, measurable benefit to ordinary people vs. benefit concentrated in narrow interests.

    10Points
  4. IV

    Beneficiary financial integrity

    Who receives the money or advantage, and are recipients held accountable for how it is used?

    10Points
  5. V

    Enforceability & oversight

    Does it have teeth: enforcement mechanisms, audits, reporting, and sunset/review provisions?

    10Points
  6. VI

    Open two-way accountability

    Transparency to the public and meaningful recourse for those the bill governs.

    10Points
  7. VII

    Fiscal integrity (CBO)

    Honest cost, credible pay-fors, and alignment with the CBO score; no hidden or deferred liabilities.

    10Points
  8. VIII

    Wealth transfer

    Net direction of wealth movement and whether it is fair and disclosed (upward vs. downward).

    10Points
Total available90

From points to a letter.

The total is divided by 90. The share sets the letter. The cut points are fixed.

A90% and above81 to 90
B80% to 89%72 to 80
C70% to 79%63 to 71
D60% to 69%54 to 62
FBelow 60%0 to 53

What the grader does not read.

Not the sponsorWho wrote the bill is not an input.
Not the partyParty is never read and never weighed.
Not the titleThe title is tested against the text. It earns nothing alone.

Each grade records the method version that produced it, and TQL grades a bill's operative text: not the lawmaker, not an outcome, and not a political recommendation. A bill grade is analysis of legislation, not an endorsement.

How a score becomes a grade.

Three assessments
Each bill is assessed three times; criterion scores aggregate deterministically into one published result.
Deterministic transform
Anchored per-criterion levels map to points by a fixed rule, with no discretionary rounding.
Boundary flag
When a score sits within the boundary half-width of a letter cut, the grade is flagged borderline with the neighbouring letter and the point distance.
Assessment stability
Separate from the boundary: how much the three assessments agreed, and what letter each would have produced alone.

Historical legislation and versioning.

Grades are versioned
Every grade stores the methodology version it was produced under; a bill graded under an earlier version keeps that version and is never silently relabeled.
Historical bills may have no grade
The record includes bills from earlier Congresses for research; the current methodology (full_text_v4) did not exist when they were introduced, so they appear as not graded rather than assigned a retroactive grade.
Not graded is not a failing grade
It means no TQL grade record exists: never F, never neutral-quality.
Retrospective analysis is labeled
Any future evaluation of historical legislation would be presented explicitly as retrospective analysis, with its methodology and calculation date, distinct from a contemporaneous grade.

See which Congresses and data classes are covered · Browse graded bills

Methodology: The Quiet Ledger · The Quiet Ledger