Tag Archives: rankings

Analysis of voting patterns in the 2018 Utah Legislature

The Utah Legislature concluded its 45-day General Session last Thursday at midnight. Once again, I’ve scraped the voting records to produce this statistical summary. Update (3/14/2018): The Utah Legislature’s website initially showed HB457 as having passed. Their records were corrected … Continue reading

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How corrupt is Utah?

On the whole, Utah has lower-than-average levels of political corruption. At length, former Utah Attorney General John Swallow is finally scheduled to face a jury this week. No matter how Swallow’s story ends, however, it marks an aberration. Federal statistics show … Continue reading

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Recap: The 2015 Utah Legislature

Last Thursday, the Utah Legislature concluded its seven-week annual lawmaking session. The state’s major newspapers have already published several excellent recaps of the major policy changes coming out of the session. So now I’ll give my annual recap of the session’s trends … Continue reading

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Who sponsored the most bills in 2015?

Sen. Bramble has been the most active bill sponsor for 5 of the past 6 legislative sessions, introducing a total of 158 bills and resolutions over the past 6 years. The Utah Legislature considered 831 bills during the 2015 General Session, … Continue reading

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The naysayers: Which Utah legislators vote “no” the most?

I’ve heard Rep. Dan McCay called Dan McNay. It seems his claim to that nickname is secure. The Utah Legislature governs by consensus. In the Legislature’s 2015 General Session, the typical floor vote saw 92% (House) or 95% (Senate) of legislators voting … Continue reading

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Update: The 2015 Legislature will be Utah’s 2nd most Republican since the Depression

The 2015 Legislature has the second largest Republican majority in 88 years, since the 96.8% majority of 1927. Two weeks ago, preliminary results showed Democrats picking up one seat in the Utah House and holding steady in the Utah Senate. … Continue reading

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Recap: The 2014 Utah Legislature

I’ve just posted several items about the recently concluded legislative session. Here’s a quick overview: The 2014 Legislature: Slow out of the gate, frantic in the stretch. Legislators considered 786 bills, but a procedural change caused a major crunch in … Continue reading

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Who sponsored the most bills in the 2014 Utah Legislature?

Legislators vary widely in how many bills they introduce. Presiding officers (Speaker and Senate President) seldom sponsor bills, and that was the case again this year. Neither Speaker Lockhart nor President Niederhauser introduced any legislation. (Lockhart’s education technology initiative was … Continue reading

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Once again, consensus voting reigns in the Utah Legislature

Legislators don’t like to vote “no,” even for bills sponsored by the opposing party. Utah legislators really don’t like to vote “no.” If a bill comes to a vote, you can be all but certain that it will succeed. The … Continue reading

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What kind of Republican is Spencer Cox?

Spencer Cox is about as run-of-the-mill of a Republican as Utah can produce. Governor Gary Herbert has nominated Spencer Cox to replace Greg Bell as Utah’s new Lieutenant Governor. Few outside the Legislature had heard Cox’s name before the governor’s … Continue reading

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