Who are we?
We are professors of political science sharing academic research relevant to Utah. Posts are not peer reviewed and may discuss work in progress that is subject to future revision. Learn more. Each post reflects only its author’s views.
Hear about new posts
Twitter @poliARB
Archives
Tag Archives: legislature
The closest votes of the 2016 Legislature
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
Posted in Everything
Tagged consensus, legislature, roll call votes
Comments Off on
The closest votes of the 2016 Legislature
Unanimity remained the rule in the 2016 Utah Legislature
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
The 2016 Legislature: Slowing down while speeding up
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
Posted in Everything
Tagged legislative life, legislature, vetting
Comments Off on
The 2016 Legislature: Slowing down while speeding up
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
Posted in Everything
Tagged absenteeism, consensus, legislative life, legislature, measurement, rankings, representation, roll call votes
Comments Off on
Recap: The 2015 Utah Legislature
Which legislators missed the most votes in 2015?
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
Posted in Everything
Tagged absenteeism, greg hughes, leadership, legislative life, legislature, roll call votes, speaker of the house
3 Comments
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
Posted in Everything
Tagged legislature, rankings, sponsorship
Comments Off on
Who sponsored the most bills in 2015?
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
Posted in Everything
Tagged consensus, legislature, rankings, roll call votes
Comments Off on
The naysayers: Which Utah legislators vote “no” the most?
The closest votes in the 2015 Utah Legislature
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
Posted in Everything
Tagged consensus, legislature, roll call votes
Comments Off on
The closest votes in the 2015 Utah Legislature
The 2015 Legislature passed 528 bills in 45 days
Though there were 87 more bills introduced in 2015 than 2008 overall, there were 84 fewer introductions within the first two weeks. By the time the Utah Legislature concluded its seven-week General Session last Thursday, legislators had passed 528 bills (including resolutions). I’ve … Continue reading
King v. Burwell: What Should Utah Do If the Plaintiffs Win?
Though the public is split on whether the solution should come from Congress or from the state, most Utah voters clearly prefer some sort of action to preserve access to health insurance subsidies. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged legislature, obamacare, orrin hatch, U.S. Supreme Court
Comments Off on
King v. Burwell: What Should Utah Do If the Plaintiffs Win?