Center for Effective Lawmaking

Center for Effective Lawmaking

University of Virginia
+
Vanderbilt University

Watch: Batten Hour with Representatives Goodlatte & Skaggs
Conversations with Lawmakers / Events / Video

Watch: Batten Hour with Representatives Goodlatte & Skaggs

Watch: Batten Hour with Representatives Goodlatte and Skaggs On April 15, 2019, The Center for Effective Lawmaking hosted a conversation with former Congressmen Bob Goodlatte (R-VA06) and David Skaggs (D-CO02). During this Batten Hour program, Co-Director Craig Volden moderated questions about bipartisanship, Congressional oversight, the role of the media in politics and more. Watch the entire event here: Transcript as follows:Craig Volden:                   00:00                  The mission of the center is to advance the generation communication and use of new knowledge about the effectiveness of individual lawmakers, and legislative institutions. As part of that…

Comments Off on Watch: Batten Hour with Representatives Goodlatte & Skaggs
April 15, 2019
Highlights from the New 115th Congress Legislative Effectiveness Scores
Legislative Effectiveness Scores

Highlights from the New 115th Congress Legislative Effectiveness Scores

Highlights from the New 115th Congress Legislative Effectiveness Scores The Center for Effective Lawmaking is pleased to announce the release of the Legislative Effectiveness Scores (LES) for the recently completed 115th Congress (2017-18).  As in all previous releases, the scores are based on the combination of fifteen metrics regarding the bills that members of Congress sponsor, how far they move through the lawmaking process, and how important their policy proposals are.  The scores are normalized to an average value of 1.0 in each the House and the Senate.  More on…

1 Comment
February 27, 2019
Re-Thinking How We Vote
Legislative Anaylsis

Re-Thinking How We Vote

Re-Thinking How We Vote In today’s political arena, it is tempting to vote for candidates with the best slogan. But perhaps, we could build a better Congress if we voted for leaders who delivered results.Every two years, ineffective members of Congress are re-elected to their positions – sometimes effortlessly. And while this year voter turnout surpassed previous highs [i], simply just turning out to vote does not exhaust the extent of our civic duties. Robust civic engagement demands that we do our due diligence before we step in the booth.This…

Comments Off on Re-Thinking How We Vote
November 29, 2018
2019 Research Grant Recipients
Legislative Research

2019 Research Grant Recipients

2018-2019 Grant Recipients in the Field of Legislative Effectiveness This fall, the Center for Effective Lawmaking, announced its first round of grant recipients.The CEL’s funding and support for research grants is consistent with its commitment to advancing the generation, communication, and use of new knowledge about the effectiveness of individual lawmakers and legislative institutions in Congress. A defining feature of the Center is its emphasis that research and understanding yield new opportunities to improve lawmaking effectiveness. The 2019 research grant recipients:Hanna K. Brant – University of MissouriAndrew Clarke – Lafayette…

Comments Off on 2019 Research Grant Recipients
November 26, 2018
Your Role in Building a Better Congress
Events

Your Role in Building a Better Congress

Your Role in Building a Better Congress Research commissioned by the Congressional Institute shows that less than 1 in 5 voters believes their voice is being heard. So, how can individuals citizens begin to express their views in Congress?The best method of constituent expression stems from the power of the vote.  Voter registration and participation in all elections is the best way to influence your representative bodies. According to a September 2017, Gallup News poll the congressional approval rating is at an abysmal 16 percent. In order to remedy this problem I recommend…

Comments Off on Your Role in Building a Better Congress
November 5, 2018
D or R > X or Y: Party trumps sex in the contemporary Congress
Legislative Anaylsis

D or R > X or Y: Party trumps sex in the contemporary Congress

D or R > X or Y: Party Trumps Sex in the Contemporary Congress When Republican Senator Susan Collins took to the Senate floor last week to announce whether she would vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, Democrats and Republicans alike held their breath. Collins’s vote would be pivotal; it would determine whether one of the most controversial Supreme Court nominees of all time would receive a lifetime appointment.It wasn’t the first time Collins found herself in the spotlight. One of the few remaining moderates in an…

Comments Off on D or R > X or Y: Party trumps sex in the contemporary Congress
October 23, 2018
John McCain, Effective Lawmaker
Legislative Anaylsis

John McCain, Effective Lawmaker

John McCain: Effective Lawmaker A self-described Maverick, John McCain became one of America’s most well known, liked and respected politicians during his almost four decades in Congress. It’s difficult to find anyone who doesn’t know that there was something unique about the Senator from Arizona.Senator McCain was also one of the most effective lawmakers of the Contemporary Congressional Era. He scored in our highly effective category for both of his terms as a US House Representative, setting the stage for a long and successful senatorial career. He then went on…

Comments Off on John McCain, Effective Lawmaker
September 3, 2018
Who’s using Legislative Effectiveness Scores?
Legislative Effectiveness Scores

Who’s using Legislative Effectiveness Scores?

Who's Using Legislative Effectiveness Scores? The Center for Effective Lawmaking seeks to make our legislative effectiveness scores widely available to members of the academic community, voters, lawmakers, and the public at large. Since the Center launched in September 2017, the following organizations have referenced legislative effectiveness scores and the Center.  Good Governance GroupsLeg Branch, The Lugar Center, Duke's Polis Center and the AEI have all used legislative effectiveness scores to promote their good governance missions.Congressional Offices  Senator Orrin Hatch and Congressman Eliot Engel’s communication staffers sent out press releases to constituents…

Comments Off on Who’s using Legislative Effectiveness Scores?
July 31, 2018
Helpful Tools for Engaged Voters
Legislative Research

Helpful Tools for Engaged Voters

Helpful Tools for Engaged Voters Many observers and scholars of politics would argue that as a whole, American citizens lack some basic knowledge that is often needed to manage a democracy. In June of 2016, Forbes found that only 34% of Americans can name the three branches of our federal government (executive, judicial, and legislative).This is a major issue at election time, as a recent University of Pennsylvania study reveals that most Americans do not know which party controls the House and the Senate. There seems to be a fundamental knowledge…

Comments Off on Helpful Tools for Engaged Voters
July 25, 2018
No Labels: A Look at a New Initiative from the Problem Solvers Caucus
Legislative Research

No Labels: A Look at a New Initiative from the Problem Solvers Caucus

No Labels: A Look at a New Initiative from the Problem Solvers Caucus In an era where intensely partisan politics is the new normal and party rhetoric takes precedent over policy proposals, a coalition of lawmakers formed a caucus challenging the status quo. This group of lawmakers organized themselves in 2017 into the Problem Solvers Caucus, as an offshoot of the political organization No Labels’ effort to create effective bipartisan cooperation among members of Congress. Since No Labels first started its initiative in 2013, the group has advanced a variety…

Comments Off on No Labels: A Look at a New Initiative from the Problem Solvers Caucus
May 25, 2018

End of content

No more pages to load

← Newer Posts
Older Posts →
Close Menu
Verified by MonsterInsights