Having completed the first session of the 114th Congress, many in Washington are quickly turning toward the 2016 elections. In the coming year, the headlines will undoubtedly be dominated by electioneering but, after a surprisingly productive 2015, Congress heads toward 2016 with a variety of issues on the docket and the potential to achieve legislative achievements before the political world's attention firmly shifts to the election.

In 2015 we witnessed significant legislation in a variety of issue areas, including cybersecurity, transportation, trade and health care. 2015 also set the stage for future legislation on international affairs, mental health and the military health care system. However, perhaps the most important development was passage of The Bipartisan Budget Act, which set the congressional budget for both the FY2016 and FY2017 appropriations cycles and suspended the debt limit until March 2017. The budget act set the top-line numbers from which appropriators can determine how federal spending is allocated.