Recap: What have we learned about the 2012 Utah legislature?

In case the whirlwind of posts analyzing the 2012 legislative session has been overwhelming, here’s a quick recap. I’ll be slowing down from here out.

Who sponsored the most bills in 2012? Quick answer: Sen. Curt Bramble, any way you measure it. 2012 was his third straight year as the legislator who introduced the most bills, and his second as the legislator who brought the most bills to a vote.

Poll: Should Utah schools teach about contraception? 58% say yes. The only group opposed was self-identified “strong Republicans.” Of course, our caucus-convention system gives plenty of reason for Republican officials to listen only to that group.

Bills were introduced later, passed faster in 2012 session. The legislature spent less time looking at bills this year (and also in 2011) compared to previous years. It’s possible that this means that the legislature is vetting bills less carefully than in the past.

Consensus voting is still the norm in the Utah legislature. Most votes pass by overwhelming margins, with Republicans and Democrats alike joining on the same side. Bills rarely reach a floor vote unless they have been amended to attract broad appeal.

The Utah legislature’s 20 closest votes in 2012. Yep. It’s a list of the closest votes held this year.

Utah legislators with the best and worst attendance records of 2012. Representatives Fred Cox and Val Peterson and Senator Stuart Reid had the best attendance. I’ll let you click through to see who had the worst attendance.

Who voted “no” in the 2012 Utah legislature? Some legislators enjoy voting “no” more than others, and it’s not a partisan thing. The most “no” votes in each chamber actually came from members of the Republican majority (Rep. John Dougall and Sen. Casey Anderson).

Party support scores for the 2012 Utah legislature. Legislators vary widely in how often they vote with their party’s majority. In party line votes, one Republican representative (Kraig Powell) was as likely to vote with the Republicans as with the Democrats.

I’ve still got a couple more things I may post later on, but expect things to quiet down here for a while.

Possibly related posts:

Possibly related posts (automatically generated)

About Adam Brown

Adam Brown is an associate professor of political science at Brigham Young University and a research fellow with the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy. You can learn more about him at his website.
This entry was posted in Everything and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

1 Response to Recap: What have we learned about the 2012 Utah legislature?

  1. Pat Mellor says:

    Mr. Brown, thank you for posting this website! I love being able to get unbiased, straight facts. I hope you are available again next year when the legislature meets (or, from the looks of the voting record, at least SOME of them meet.) Thanks again.

Comments are closed.