Which statement describes who enacts statutory law?

• A. The executive branch.
• B. The legislature.
• C. Administrative agencies.
• D. The judiciary.

Answer: (B)

Statutory law is created by the legislative branch. The legislature drafts bills, debates them, and votes to pass them. Once a bill is approved, it typically goes to the chief executive to be signed into law (or the veto is overridden). After signing, the statute becomes the written law enacted by the government. The executive branch enforces these statutes and may issue regulations or orders to implement them, but it does not enact statutes itself. Administrative agencies adopt regulations to carry out statutes, giving them practical effect, yet those regulations come from the statutes’ authorization, not from the agencies creating new law. The judiciary’s role is to interpret and apply statutes in disputes and, if necessary, rule on constitutional issues, but it does not enact statutes. So the body that enacts statutory law is the legislature.