CEL co-directors Craig Volden and Alan Wiseman with Representative Colin Allred (from left to right).
Future Forum Caucus Briefing
The co-directors of the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL), Craig Volden and Alan Wiseman, paid a visit to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, November 14, to engage members of the Future Forum Caucus. The caucus is a group of young Members of Congress who are focused on issues important to younger Americans. Their three core principles are: “Bridging the divide between young Americans and their government, engaging with and empowering young voters, and inspiring the next generation of leaders in public service.”
Professors Volden (of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia), and Alan Wiseman (of the Department of Political Science at Vanderbilt University), discussed the CEL’s mission and the different programs that the CEL advances, which might be of interest and use to members of the Future Forum, including our generation and distribution of Legislative Effectiveness Scores, our publication of our “New Members’ Guide,” our “Office Hours” program, and the ways that we engage with other groups to provide research-backed insights on the efficacy of potential institutional reforms in Congress.
Representatives Maxwell Alejandro Frost and Darren Soto (from left to right).
The members of the caucus engaged Volden and Wiseman, and discussed their own perspectives on the legislative process, noted how they appreciated the efforts and activities of the Center, and they also pointed to other ways in which the CEL might seek to measure legislative activity in Congress, in order to better understand what factors contribute to (or detract from) effective lawmaking. At the conclusion of their presentation, the co-directors recorded a brief message for the Future Forum Caucus on the ways in which the CEL is leading efforts to help provide data-driven guidance on how members of Congress might seek to become highly effective lawmakers; which can help them to represent the interests of younger Americans. See the video here.
The CEL was honored to have the opportunity to engage with the Future Forum Caucus at their policy luncheon; and we look forward to collaborating with this group and other groups within Congress that are interested in understanding what constitutes best practices for effective lawmaking in the future.
