Legislative Effectiveness – Center for Effective Lawmaking

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 18, 2025

Announcing the Release of the 82nd Nevada General Assembly State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

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State Legislative Effectiveness Scores / State Legislatures

Announcing the Release of the 82nd Nevada General Assembly State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 82nd Nevada General Assembly 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 82nd Nevada General Assembly (2023–2024). 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…

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October 31, 2025

Conversations with Lawmakers

Discussing Effective Lawmaking with Representative 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

State Legislative Effectiveness Scores / State Legislatures

Announcing the Release of the 2023-2024 California State Legislature State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 2023-2024 California 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 2023-2024 California 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 of…

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October 23, 2025

State Legislative Effectiveness Scores / State Legislatures

Announcing the Release of the 103rd Illinois General Assembly State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 103rd Illinois General Assembly 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 103rd Illinois General Assembly (2023–2024). 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…

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October 8, 2025

State Legislative Effectiveness Scores / State Legislatures

Announcing the Release of the 207th Pennsylvania General Assembly State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 207th Pennsylvania General Assembly 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 207th Pennsylvania General Assembly (2023–2024). 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…

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October 1, 2025

Conversations with Lawmakers

Discussing Effective Lawmaking with Nevada Speaker Jason Frierson

Discussing Effective Lawmaking with Nevada Speaker Jason Frierson Speaker Jason Frierson has had an expansive career in public service, including his roles as a state legislator, a federal prosecutor, and as a committed advocate for community engagement. A Democrat, Speaker Frierson served in the Nevada Assembly from 2011 to 2014 and again from 2016 to 2022, where he served as Speaker of the Assembly from 2017 to 2022. In 2022, Speaker Frierson was nominated by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as the United States…

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September 18, 2025

Conversations with Lawmakers

Discussing Effective Lawmaking with South Carolina State Senator Katrina Shealy

Discussing Effective Lawmaking with South Carolina State Senator Katrina Shealy Senator Katrina Shealy has been a trailblazer in South Carolina politics, bringing both grit and compassion to her twelve years of service in the state Senate. First elected in 2012 as a petition candidate—making history as the only woman in the chamber at the time—she went on to become the first Republican woman to chair a standing committee in the Senate. Over the course of her tenure, Shealy shaped policy across a wide range of issues, from family and veterans’…

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September 4, 2025

Legislative Anaylsis / Legislative Research

On the Decline of Elite-Educated Republicans in Congress

On the Decline of Elite-Educated Republicans in Congress Tuesday, September 2, 2025In a published paper in Perspectives on Politics, Co-Directors Craig Volden (University of Virginia) and Alan Wiseman (Vanderbilt University), and Associate Professor Jonathan Wai, (University of Arkansas) identify a rise in educational polarization among members of the U.S. Congress mirroring the educational polarization in the American mass public. Over the past half century, the percent of Republican Representatives who attended elite educational institutions declined from 40% to 15%. In the Senate, elite education among Republicans declined from 55% to 35%, while the…

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September 2, 2025

Blog / Legislative Anaylsis / Legislative Research

High Hurdles: Legislative Professionalism and the Effectiveness of Women State Legislators

High Hurdles: Legislative Professionalism and the Effectiveness of Women State Legislators Thursday, August 7, 2025For numerical gains in American state legislatures to translate into substantive representation, women legislators need the ability to advocate for their constituents. In this forthcoming published paper in The Journal of Politics, Associate Professor Robert McGrath (George Mason University), Associate Professor Josh Ryan (Utah State University), and Assistant Professor Jatia Wrighten (Virginia Commonwealth University) examine the determinants of legislative effectiveness in state legislatures, theorizing that women in more professional legislatures will be subject to electoral selection…

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August 2, 2025