Author Archives: Adam Brown

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.

Naysayers in the 2016 Utah Legislature

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Adam Brown

Even more so than Representatives, Senators really don’t like voting “nay.” Utah legislators don’t like voting no. Well, most of them don’t. Only 3% (House) and 1% (Senate) of floor votes held in 2016 failed, and that was consistent with past … Continue reading →

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Who missed the most votes in the 2016 Utah Legislature?

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Adam Brown

The perfect attendance award goes to Rep. Michael Kennedy, the only legislator to miss zero votes. Utah Legislators had only 45 days to consider 819 bills, passing 475 of them. The Legislature moves at such a breakneck pace that falling ill … Continue reading →

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The closest votes of the 2016 Legislature

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Adam Brown

Two of the session’s closest Senate votes came 45 minutes apart, voting on the same bill, within an hour of adjournment, with opposite results. The Utah Legislature loves consensus. Bills seldom pass on party-line votes. Instead, votes routinely pass with both … Continue reading →

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Unanimity remained the rule in the 2016 Utah Legislature

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Adam Brown

Utah’s Republicans and Democrats vote together more often than they vote against each other. Last fall, House Minority Leader directed a scathing op-ed at his Republican counterparts. Near the end of the 2016 session, Utah’s legislators approved changes to the (traditionally bipartisan) … Continue reading →

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The 2016 Legislature: Slowing down while speeding up

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Adam Brown

Legislators introduced 177 bills in the session’s final three weeks. Despite being limited to only 45 lawmaking days, Utah’s Legislature sure passes a lot of bills–2 to 3 times as many bills per year as Congress. After last year’s record … Continue reading →

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Recap: The 2015 Utah Legislature

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Adam Brown

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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Which legislators missed the most votes in 2015?

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Adam Brown

When it comes to healthy legislators, Greg Hughes set a new record this year for missing votes Utah Legislators considered 831 bills during the seven-week 2015 General Session, passing 528 of them. Debating so many bills in so little time … Continue reading →

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Who sponsored the most bills in 2015?

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Adam Brown

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?

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Adam Brown

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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The closest votes in the 2015 Utah Legislature

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Adam Brown

The Legislature governs by consensus. Most bills pass overwhelmingly, with Democrats and Republicans voting together. But close votes do happen. Because 84% of Utah’s legislators are Republicans, the closest votes arise when Republicans are divided among themselves. Among other matters, this year’s … Continue reading →

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