2025: A Year in Review
As 2025 draws to a close, we at the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) wanted to take the time to reflect on our accomplishments this year. These included, but were not limited, to the following:
- Updating our Legislative Effectiveness Scores for the 118th Congress (including for issue areas) and sharing our congressional New Member Guide with every newly elected member of the House and Senate, as well as at regularly held briefings and sessions with congressional staff.
- Announcing the release of our State Legislative Effectiveness Scores, with individual reports on California, Georgia, Illinois, Montana, Nevada, New York, and Pennsylvania.
- Announcing the recipients of our 2025-2026 small grant awards.
- Welcoming new members of our Center Faculty Affiliate team, including Melanie Egorin, SoRelle Wyckoff Gaynor, Amy D. Meli, Connor Halloran Phillips, Tessa Provins, and Steven Rogers.
- Introducing our new post-doctoral fellow for the 2025-2026 Academic Year, Kisoo Kim.
- Welcoming new members of our Board of Advisors: Leigh Ann Caldwell, Shuwanza Goff, and Jill Tolles.
- Introducing our new Program Director for State Legislatures, Paige Higginson-Rollins.
- Hosting our First Annual Research Conference on Effective Lawmaking in American State Legislatures and our 7th Annual Research Conference on Effective Lawmaking, where we presented the 2025 Award for Best Publication on Effective Lawmaking.
- Presenting our latest additions to our Conversations with Lawmakers series, featuring interviews with U.S. Representatives Gus Bilirakis and Darren Soto; State Senators Katrina Shealy and Mimi Stewart; Speaker of the Nevada Assembly Jason Frierson; and State Representatives Steve Fitzpatrick and Amy Paulin.
- Presenting our scholarship at a panel at the annual American Political Science Association (APSA).
- Presenting our scholarship and insights to the Charlottesville chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW).
- Serving as the keynote speakers at the 3rd Annual Gallagher Dialogues in Reno, NV.
- Co-hosting a discussion panel on Capitol Hill with the Program on Legislative Negotiation (PLN) and the Partnership for a Secure America (PSA) entitled “A Guide to Effective Lawmaking and Legislative Negotiations.”
- Presenting our scholarship and insights to the LEGIS Congressional Fellowship program at the Brookings Institution.
- Generating and sharing new insights through the CEL Working Paper Series.
For more information, also see the Center for Effective Lawmaking Annual Report for 2025.
As always, we would like to thank all of you who have supported us over the years; all of this would not have been possible without you and we look forward to continuing these ventures in 2026.
Please consider including the Center in your charitable giving this year; go here.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
