Overcoming Legislative Gridlock in the U.S. Congress: How Procedural Rules Affect Legislative Obstructionism

Authors

Molly Jackman, Brookings Mountain West

Document Type

Lecture

Publication Date

10-2-2013

Publisher

Brookings Mountain West

Abstract

More than 90 percent of bills introduced in the U.S. House never make it to a floor vote, and far fewer are enacted into law. Since legislative gridlock is much more common than legislative action, in order to understand policy outcomes, it is critical to know why bills are obstructed. Gridlock occurs when a legislator (or group of legislators) wants to block a bill, and has the procedural right to do so. Using new data on the procedural rules in the U.S. states, this presentation will identify the chambers in which legislators can block bills from the legislative agenda. Then, Jackman will demonstrate that there is an explicit link between the presence of legislative rules that allow for obstructionism and the policies that the states ultimately enact. In drawing this connection between procedural rules and policy outcomes, Jackman will focus on two policy domains: state spending and gun regulation.

Keywords

Bills; Legislative; Parliamentary practice; Policy sciences; Political science; United States. Congress. House

Disciplines

American Politics | Law | Legal History | Legislation | Political Science | Public Administration | Public Policy | Second Amendment

File Format

pdf

File Size

1.141 KB

Streaming Media

Language

English

Comments

Video File size: 140 megabytes

Attached file: 33 PowerPoint slides

Repository Citation

Jackman, M. (2013). Overcoming Legislative Gridlock in the U.S. Congress: How Procedural Rules Affect Legislative Obstructionism.
Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/brookings_lectures_events/59