Who are we?
We are professors of political science. The goal is not to post partisan opinions, but rather to share our academic research. Learn more. Each post reflects only its author's views.
Buyer beware: Most of our posts discuss ongoing, unpublished research. We may revise our conclusions as we continue our research.
Hear about new posts
-
Recent Posts
Archives
Tag Archives: legislature
Recap: Looking back at the 2013 Utah Legislature
I’ve posted tons of stats about the Utah Legislature in the past couple days. To recap, here’s a quick summary of some of what you can now find here: Do legislators work enough to justify their salary? If you take … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged absenteeism, consensus, legislative life, legislature, measurement, navel gazing, partisanship, rankings, representation, roll call votes
1 Comment
Who missed the most votes in 2013?
With so much going on in such a short session, it may be inevitable that legislators may miss lots of votes Utah’s Constitution limits the Legislature to convening for only 45 days each year. Once you take out the weekends, … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged absenteeism, leadership, legislature, representation, senate president, speaker of the house
3 Comments
Who ran the most bills in the 2013 Legislature?
Legislators vary widely in how many bills that sponsor in the Utah Legislature. Before we proceed, let’s clarify what “sponsoring” and “floor sponsoring” mean: Sponsoring. This means the legislator came up with the idea for the bill and had it … Continue reading
Who voted “nay” most often in the 2013 Utah Legislature?
Perhaps it takes a few terms of service to pick up the “consensus culture.” Although most votes in the Utah Legislature pass with overwhelming 90+% majorities, there are some legislators who really like to vote “nay.” There aren’t enough of … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged consensus, legislature, measurement, rankings, roll call votes
Leave a comment
How quickly were bills passed in 2013?
Something changed around 2009 or 2010 that led legislators to introduce their bills later and, as a result, process them more quickly. In 2013, the Utah Legislature passed more bills than it’s passed since I started keeping track (in 2007). … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged legislative life, legislature, measurement, sponsorship, vetting
Leave a comment
The closest votes in the 2013 Legislature
Most votes in the Utah Legislature pass with an overwhelming bipartisan majority. It has long been tradition that floor votes in the Utah Legislature pass with overwhelming majorities taking the same side. Democrats and Republicans alike tend to get behind … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged consensus, legislature, measurement, partisanship, roll call votes, vetting
Leave a comment
Were Democrats able to pass their bills this year?
The numbers tell a different story: Democratic bills received less favorable treatment than last year. Before the 2013 Utah Legislative session started up, I wrote a post noting that Democrats have seen remarkable success in recent years at passing their … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged backdoor power, democrat, imbalance, leadership, legislature, partisanship, republic, senate president, speaker of the house
Leave a comment
Do Utah Legislators work enough to justify their salary?
It’s not much of a stretch to claim that Utah Legislators earn poverty wages. Since passage of HJR006 early in 2013, Utah Legislators will earn $16,500 per year. It can be difficult to know how many hours legislators put in … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged legislative life, legislature, polls, representation, utah legislator survey
Leave a comment
Legislative Democrats have had more of their bills considered in recent years
Democrats were more successful at getting their bills considered in 2012 than in previous years. Republicans have held a veto-proof supermajority in the Utah Legislature for years. The 2012 elections gave them even more control, bringing us the second most … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged backdoor power, democrat, imbalance, leadership, legislature, partisanship, republican, senate president, speaker of the house
Leave a comment
Context for Sen. Osmond’s proposed rules changes
Bills were introduced later and passed faster in 2012. It seems Sen. Osmond wants to reverse this trend. The news reports that Sen. Aaron Osmond wants to change the legislature’s rules to ban so-called “boxcar” bills, thereby increasing transparency in … Continue reading