Center for Effective Lawmaking

Center for Effective Lawmaking

University of Virginia
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Vanderbilt University

Policy Agendas, Effective Lawmaking, and Women’s Issues in State Legislatures
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Center Affiliates / Faculty Affiliates / Interest & Legislative Effectiveness Scores / Legislative Anaylsis / Legislative Research / Policy Scores / State Legislative Effectiveness Scores / State Legislatures

Policy Agendas, Effective Lawmaking, and Women’s Issues in State Legislatures

Policy Agendas, Effective Lawmaking, and Women’s Issues in State Legislatures Tuesday, August 4, 2026 State legislatures introduce roughly 100,000 bills a year, far outpacing Congress, yet scholars have long lacked a reliable way to sort that volume into policy areas, making it hard to ask basic questions about which issues get attention, which stall, and who succeeds where. In this Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) working paper, the authors take on that challenge directly. It was written by Andrew M.O. Ballard, Associate Professor at Florida State University (and CEL Faculty…

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August 3, 2026
The CEL’s 2026 Award for Best Publication on Effective Lawmaking
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About the CEL / Center Affiliates / Conference / Faculty Affiliates / Legislative Anaylsis

The CEL’s 2026 Award for Best Publication on Effective Lawmaking

The CEL's 2026 Award for Best Publication on Effective Lawmaking Wednesday, July 1, 2026The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2026 Award for the Best Publication on Effective Lawmaking. The recipients of this year’s award are Charles R. Hunt (Boise State University) and Kristina C. Miler (University of Maryland and CEL Faculty Affiliate) for their article in the Journal of Politics, “How Modern Lawmakers Advertise Their Legislative Effectiveness to Constituents.”In the paper, the authors explain how in a complex information environment, members of…

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July 1, 2026
Advancing the Study of Effective Lawmaking: Highlights from CEL’s 8th Annual Research Conference
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About the CEL / Center Affiliates / Conference / Events / Faculty Affiliates

Advancing the Study of Effective Lawmaking: Highlights from CEL’s 8th Annual Research Conference

Group photo outside the UVA Colonnade Club (Photo by John Robinson, Batten School). Advancing the Study of Effective Lawmaking: Highlights from CEL’s 8th Annual Research Conference Tuesday, June 30, 2026Charlottesville, VA – On Monday, June 22nd, 2026, the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) hosted its 8th annual research conference at the University of Virginia (UVA). The conference brought together researchers and practitioners from around the country to share their latest research findings and to discuss trends in effective lawmaking in the U.S. Congress and state legislatures. The morning opened with remarks…

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June 30, 2026
Congressional Bipartisanship Scores by Member and Issue Area, 1983–2024
Center Affiliates / Legislative Anaylsis / Legislative Research

Congressional Bipartisanship Scores by Member and Issue Area, 1983–2024

Congressional Bipartisanship Scores by Member and Issue Area, 1983–2024 Monday, June 15, 2026 Although bipartisanship has often been considered a cornerstone of effective lawmaking, researchers have struggled to measure it consistently across time and issue areas, making it difficult to build off of each other's work and have constructive conversations about the topic. In this Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) working paper, Mackenzie Dobson, Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee (and CEL Graduate Affiliate), and Jacob Lollis, Assistant Professor at the University of Cincinnati, take a step toward solving…

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June 15, 2026
Cover Bills
Center Affiliates / Faculty Affiliates / Legislative Anaylsis / Legislative Research

Cover Bills

Cover Bills Tuesday, April 21, 2026Legislators sometimes vote on bills that fail but, in the process, allow lawmakers to take an extreme position before ultimately voting to compromise. These proposals are commonly known as cover bills. Through two survey experiments featured in a newly published paper in Legislative Studies Quarterly, Assistant Professor and Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) Faculty Affiliate Christian Fong and PhD candidate Nicolas Florez (both of the University of Michigan) show that primary voters are more supportive of a compromiser if that legislator first votes for a cover…

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April 21, 2026
When Process Becomes Power: Rules, Parties, and Legislative Effectiveness
Center Affiliates / Faculty Affiliates / Legislative Research / State Legislative Effectiveness Scores / State Legislatures

When Process Becomes Power: Rules, Parties, and Legislative Effectiveness

When Process Becomes Power: Rules, Parties, and Legislative Effectiveness While majority party success is often shaped by numerical advantages and cohesion, there is academic discussion on the additional causal factors behind it. In this Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) working paper, Nicholas Howard, Assistant Professor at Concordia College, and Tessa Provins, Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona and CEL Faculty Affiliate, examine how chamber rules structure the legislative environment for both parties at each stage of the legislative process. This study argues that chamber rules do more than simply…

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March 31, 2026
Meet our Program Specialist for State Legislatures: Caroline Clements
About the CEL / Center Affiliates

Meet our Program Specialist for State Legislatures: Caroline Clements

Meet our Program Specialist for State Legislatures: Caroline Clements The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) is pleased to introduce Caroline Clements as our new Program Specialist for State Legislatures. In this role, she will work to discover ways to promote good governance at the state level. Prior to joining the CEL, Caroline worked at a boutique public affairs and communications firm in Nashville. In 2023, Caroline graduated magna cum laude from Swanee: The University of the South, where she studied political science with a focus on law, justice, and national…

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February 24, 2026
CEL Summary: A View from the Executive and Legislative Branches
Board of Advisors / Center Affiliates / Events / Video

CEL Summary: A View from the Executive and Legislative Branches

Shuwanza Goff and Craig Volden (from left to right). CEL Summary: A View from the Executive and Legislative Branches Monday, February 16, 2026On Monday, February 9, the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) held a presentation entitled “A View from the Executive and Legislative Branches” as part of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy’s Batten Hour series. The panel discussion featured Shuwanza Goff, a veteran congressional staffer and former director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs under President Joe Biden who now serves on the CEL…

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February 16, 2026
The Money Signal—How Fundraising Matters in American Politics
Board of Advisors / Center Affiliates / Events / Faculty Affiliates / Legislative Anaylsis / Legislative Research / Video

The Money Signal—How Fundraising Matters in American Politics

(l-r) Kevin Kosar, Molly Reynolds, Danielle Thomsen, and Daniel Stid. The Money Signal—How Fundraising Matters in American Politics Thursday, December 11, 2025On Thursday, December 4, 2025, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) held a panel discussion to mark the publication of a book written by Danielle M. Thomsen, Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Irvine and Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) faculty affiliate and advisory board member. Titled “The Money Signal—How Fundraising Matters in American Politics,” the book examines how congressional fundraising has changed over the years and…

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December 11, 2025
Meet our Faculty Affiliate: Melanie Egorin
Center Affiliates / Faculty Affiliates

Meet our Faculty Affiliate: Melanie Egorin

Meet our Faculty Affiliate: Melanie Egorin Thursday, November 6, 2025  The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) is pleased to welcome one of our newest faculty affiliates, Melanie Egorin. Melanie Anne Egorin is a professor of practice in public policy at the University of Virginia Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. A nationally recognized strategic and innovative health policy expert with over 25 years of experience, Dr. Egorin served most recently as assistant secretary for legislation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where she was…

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November 6, 2025

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