Legislative Effectiveness – Page 3 – Center for Effective Lawmaking

From Statehouses to Scholarship: The Effective Lawmaking in American State Legislatures Second Annual Conference

From Statehouses to Scholarship: The Effective Lawmaking in American State Legislatures Second Annual Conference Nashville, TN – On Friday, February 27th, the Center for Effective Lawmaking hosted its second annual Effective Lawmaking in American State Legislatures conference at Vanderbilt University. As part of the Center for Effective Lawmaking’s mission to generate and advance research in legislative effectiveness in American state legislatures, thirty-one practitioners and researchers from institutions around the country were invited to Vanderbilt University to discuss timely topics in state legislative effectiveness. Topics included:The development and impact of party…

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March 10, 2026

State Highlights / State Legislative Effectiveness Scores / State Legislatures

Announcing the Release of the 90th Iowa General Assembly, the 2023-2024 Florida State Legislature, and the 2023-2024 Connecticut State Legislature State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 90th Iowa General Assembly, the 2023-2024 Florida State Legislature, and the 2023-2024 Connecticut State Legislature State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES) The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) is proud to announce the release of our State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES) for the 90th Iowa General Assembly, the 2023-2024 Florida State legislative session, and the 2023-2024 Connecticut State legislative session. This initiative is part of our broader effort to measure the lawmaking effectiveness of individual legislators in all 99 state legislative chambers in the United States. These scores capture lawmaking effectiveness by tracking the number of…

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March 5, 2026

State Highlights / State Legislative Effectiveness Scores / State Legislatures

Announcing the Release of the 2023-2024 Wisconsin State Legislatures State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 2023-2024 Wisconsin State Legislatures State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES) The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) is proud to announce the release of our State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES) for the 2023-2024 Wisconsin legislative session. This initiative is part of our broader effort to measure the lawmaking effectiveness of individual legislators in all 99 state legislative chambers in the United States.These scores capture lawmaking effectiveness by tracking the number of bills legislators sponsor, how far those bills advance through the legislative process, and the substantive significance…

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February 19, 2026

Announcing the Release of the 2020-2023 Louisiana State Legislatures State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

The Louisiana State Capital in Baton Rouge..Art Deco Architecture by Weiss, Dreyfous and Seiferth and completed in 1932.

State Highlights / State Legislative Effectiveness Scores / State Legislatures

Announcing the Release of the 2020-2023 Louisiana State Legislatures State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 2020-2023 Louisiana State Legislatures State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES) The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) is proud to announce the release of our State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES) for the 2020-2023 Louisiana legislative session. This initiative is part of our broader effort to measure the lawmaking effectiveness of individual legislators in all 99 state legislative chambers in the United States.These scores capture lawmaking effectiveness by tracking the number of bills legislators sponsor, how far those bills advance through the legislative process, and the substantive significance…

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February 12, 2026

State Highlights / State Legislative Effectiveness Scores / State Legislatures

Announcing the Release of the 2020-2023 Mississippi State Legislature State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 2020-2023 Mississippi State Legislatures State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES) The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) is proud to announce the release of our State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES) for the 2020-2023 Mississippi legislative session. This initiative is part of our broader effort to measure the lawmaking effectiveness of individual legislators in all 99 state legislative chambers in the United States.These scores capture lawmaking effectiveness by tracking the number of bills legislators sponsor, how far those bills advance through the legislative process, and the substantive significance…

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February 5, 2026

Conversations with Lawmakers / State Legislatures

Discussing Effective Lawmaking with North Dakota Senator Judy Lee

Discussing Effective Lawmaking with North Dakota Senator Judy Lee Judy Lee has represented North Dakota’s 13th Senate District since 1994, making her one of the longest-serving members of the chamber. She is a senior Republican lawmaker with extensive institutional knowledge and experience navigating long-term policy change. She is currently the chair of the Human Services Committee and was the President Pro Tempore in 2007. She has also served on, or been associated with, committees related to healthcare, human services, long-term care, and regulatory policy.Senator Lee is widely recognized for her…

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January 29, 2026

Conversations with Lawmakers / State Legislatures

Discussing Effective Lawmaking with Montana Representative Steve Fitzpatrick

Discussing Effective Lawmaking with Montana Representative Steve Fitzpatrick Representative Steve Fitzpatrick, a Republican member of the Montana State House of Representatives, has been serving in the Montana state legislature since 2011. He first served three terms in the Montana House of Representatives, representing District 20 from 2011–2017, followed by two terms in the Montana Senate, representing District 10, from 2017-2025. In 2025, he returned to the House as the Representative for District 24. His colleagues have consistently elevated him into leadership roles, including his service as House Majority Whip from…

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December 18, 2025

About the CEL / Interest & Legislative Effectiveness Scores / Legislative Anaylsis / Legislative Effectiveness Scores / Legislative Research

Highlights from the New 118th Congress Interest & Legislative Effectiveness Scores

Highlights from the New 118th Congress Interest & Legislative Effectiveness Scores By Craig Volden and Alan Wiseman, Co-Directors, Center for Effective LawmakingWednesday, November 19, 2025The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) is pleased to announce the release of the Interest & Legislative Effectiveness Scores (ILES) in each of 21 different issue areas for the 118th Congress (2023-25). These categories are based on issue area codes from the Comparative Agendas Project with bill issue codings drawn from www.congress.gov. The methodology that we employed to construct these issue-based scores is the same as…

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November 19, 2025

Center Affiliates / Faculty Affiliates / Legislative Anaylsis / Legislative Research

The Legislative Success of “Giant Killers” in the U.S. House

The Legislative Success of “Giant Killers” in the U.S. House Monday, November 3, 2025In modern congressional elections, fewer than 10% of candidates who run against sitting members of Congress win and yet they comprise as much as 30% of the House in any given congress. In this forthcoming paper in Political Science Quarterly, Sean Theriault, Professor at The University of Texas at Austin and Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) Faculty Affiliate, along with Jared Hrebenar and Isabel Reyna, examine the legislative effectiveness of those relatively rare challengers who knock off…

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November 3, 2025

Conversations with Lawmakers

Discussing Effective Lawmaking with Representative Darren Soto

Discussing Effective Lawmaking with Representative Soto Congressman Darren Soto has built a distinguished career in public service through his dedication to environmental stewardship, economic opportunity, and representation for Florida’s communities. A Democrat representing Florida’s 9th Congressional District since 2017, Congressman Soto made history as the first person of Puerto Rican descent elected to Congress from Florida. Before his time in Washington, he served in both the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate, where he championed bipartisan efforts to strengthen disaster preparedness, expand access to higher education, and protect…

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October 28, 2025