Legislative Research – Center for Effective Lawmaking

Building Effective Legislation in the Commonwealth

Building Effective Legislation in the Commonwealth On Friday, March 27, 2026, the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) co-hosted a seminar along with the Virginia chapter of the Scholars Strategy Network (SSN) titled “Building Effective Legislation in the Commonwealth.” Scholars from the University of Virginia (UVA) and across the state enjoyed a day of discussion and skill-building, focused on how to strengthen their policy engagement and impact. The event was held at Garrett Hall, which houses the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at UVA.The seminar opened with an introduction…

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April 7, 2026

State Highlights / State Legislative Effectiveness Scores / State Legislatures

Announcing the Release of the 68th North Dakota Legislative Assembly (2023-2024) and the 2023-2024 Rhode Island General Assembly Legislative Sessions State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 68th North Dakota Legislative Assembly (2023-2024) and the 2023-2024 Rhode Island General Assembly Legislative Sessions 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 68th North Dakota Legislative Assembly (2023-2024) and the 2023-2024 Rhode Island General Assembly legislative sessions. 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…

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April 2, 2026

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

State Highlights / State Legislative Effectiveness Scores / State Legislatures

Announcing the Release of the 56th Arizona Legislature (2023-2024), the 2023-2024 Idaho Legislature, and the 2023-2024 Vermont Legislature Legislative Sessions State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 56th Arizona Legislature (2023-2024), the 2023-2024 Idaho Legislature, and the 2023-2024 Vermont Legislature Legislative Sessions 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 56th Arizona Legislature (2023-2024), the 2023-2024 Idaho Legislature, and the 2023-2024 Vermont Legislature legislative sessions. 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…

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March 26, 2026

State Highlights / State Legislative Effectiveness Scores / State Legislatures

Announcing the Release of the 123rd Indiana General Assembly and the 102nd Michigan Legislature State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 123rd Indiana General Assembly and the 102nd Michigan 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 the 123rd Indiana General Assembly and the 102nd Michigan Legislature legislative sessions (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,…

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March 19, 2026

State Highlights / State Legislative Effectiveness Scores / State Legislatures

Announcing the Release of the 74th Colorado General Assembly, the 2023-2024 Hawai‘i State Legislature, and the 152nd Delaware General Assembly State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 74th Colorado General Assembly, the 2023-2024 Hawai‘i State Legislature, and the 152nd Delaware General Assembly State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES) Update: 3/17/2026 – We have recently become aware of an inconsistency in the data source from which we were collecting our data for the calculation of our State Legislative Effectiveness Scores, which affects how we calculated our scores for the most recent legislative sessions in the state of Colorado. This inconsistency would potentially contribute to a miscalculation of some legislators’ scores. To engage with this…

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March 12, 2026

Blog / Conference / Events / Legislative Research

From Statehouses to Scholarship: The Effective Lawmaking in American State Legislatures Second Annual Conference

From Statehouses to Scholarship: The Effective Lawmaking in American State Legislatures Second Annual Conference Nashville, TN – On Friday, February 27th, the Center for Effective Lawmaking hosted its second annual Effective Lawmaking in American State Legislatures conference at Vanderbilt University. As part of the Center for Effective Lawmaking’s mission to generate and advance research in legislative effectiveness in American state legislatures, thirty-one practitioners and researchers from institutions around the country were invited to Vanderbilt University to discuss timely topics in state legislative effectiveness. Topics included:The development and impact of party…

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March 10, 2026

State Highlights / State Legislative Effectiveness Scores / State Legislatures

Announcing the Release of the 90th Iowa General Assembly, the 2023-2024 Florida State Legislature, and the 2023-2024 Connecticut State Legislature State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 90th Iowa General Assembly, the 2023-2024 Florida State Legislature, and the 2023-2024 Connecticut 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 the 90th Iowa General Assembly, the 2023-2024 Florida State legislative session, and the 2023-2024 Connecticut State 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…

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March 5, 2026

State Highlights / State Legislative Effectiveness Scores / State Legislatures

Announcing the Release of the 2023-2024 Wisconsin State Legislatures State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 2023-2024 Wisconsin State Legislatures 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 2023-2024 Wisconsin 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…

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February 19, 2026

Announcing the Release of the 2020-2023 Louisiana State Legislatures State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

The Louisiana State Capital in Baton Rouge..Art Deco Architecture by Weiss, Dreyfous and Seiferth and completed in 1932.

State Highlights / State Legislative Effectiveness Scores / State Legislatures

Announcing the Release of the 2020-2023 Louisiana State Legislatures State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 2020-2023 Louisiana State Legislatures 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 2020-2023 Louisiana 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…

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February 12, 2026