Arizona's 20:1 Bill Passage Ratio Shows Extreme Partisanship, Center for Effective Lawmaking Report Finds

Study Puts Arizona in Class of Its Own

A new report from The Center for Effective Lawmaking finds Arizona's legislature operates with extreme partisanship, where a lawmaker's party affiliation determines whether their bills get heard at all.

In the 2023 and 2024 sessions, Republicans saw 442 of their bills signed into law, compared to just 20 for Democrats. This creates an approximately 20:1 ratio that the report describes as significantly out of proportion to the number of seats each party holds.

During the 2023-24 session, Republicans held 48 seats compared to 42 for Democrats. The lopsided results reflect the strong partisanship that presides at the Arizona Capitol, according to the report.

The center, a collaboration of Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia, analyzes the track record of lawmakers in all 50 states. It awards points to those who successfully guide their bills through the legislative process and get them signed into law.

"Heavier weight is given to bills deemed substantial or significant, which means sponsoring lots of specialty license plate bills won't get you a high score," the report stated.

Tenure and Committee Power Drive Success

The study found that experience matters. A key common denominator for effective lawmakers is tenure. The data show that the longer a person is in office, the more effective they are.

Rep. David Livingston, R-Surprise, and Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, had the highest scores in the 2023-24 review. Each has been in the Legislature for more than a decade. Livingston has served 14 years and Kavanagh has served 20 years.

Both lawmakers chair the key appropriations committee in their respective chambers. Leading the appropriations committees gives them a significant advantage because the budget bills carry the name of the chair. This adds up to an automatic 16 bills when successfully passed.

"Tenured lawmakers tend to have more friends, underscoring the importance of personal relationships in lawmaking," Kavanagh said.

Narrow Focus Pays Off

The center's research also showed that developing expertise in a subject can pay off. Lawmakers who focus their policy agendas on one issue tend to be notably more successful.

"Go too far, too fast, and a bill can quickly die," Kavanagh said. "But a more patient, step-by-step approach can revive a bill."

Kavanagh points to the state's universal school voucher program as the poster child for incremental legislation. It started in 2011 as a program for children with disabilities. In the following years, other categories of eligible children were added, culminating in the expansion to all Arizona students in 2022.

"The critics claimed it was a slippery slope," Kavanagh said of the original legislation. "And they were right!"

Water Policy Expert Ranks Second

Rep. Gail Griffin, a legislative veteran from Hereford, was ranked second after Livingston in effectiveness in the House. The center also recognized her as the Arizona lawmaker who most exceeded expectations by getting substantial wins in six consecutive legislative years.

"The reason the whole state is not an Active Management Area, that's because of Gail," said lobbyist Kevin DeMenna, referring to restrictions on how much groundwater a given area can pump. "She is the queen of water."

Griffin chairs the House committee that deals with water legislation and plays a vital gatekeeper role on which bills get a hearing and which get sidelined.

Freshman Rep. Makes Exception

Rep. Selina Bliss, R-Prescott, ranked as the third most effective House lawmaker in her freshman term. This links to her background as a nurse as well as a voice for rural Arizona.

The report ranked the Democrats separately from the Republicans, given the partisan disparity in getting a bill heard. The top three in the House were all three-term veterans, which speaks to the value of tenure.

One of those lawmakers, former Rep. Jennifer Longdon of Phoenix, said there's more to being effective than getting a bill signed into law regardless of the study's focus.

"Being a minority member, that may not be the strongest and most effective measure," Longdon said. "I think learning how to move effectively behind the scenes is just as important."

The 21 Hurdles to Success

Lawmakers' bills face a treacherous path to get to the governor's desk. Legislation has to clear 21 potential hurdles to get to the finish line, according to Kavanagh.

That's where experience helps, he said. Tenured lawmakers tend to have more friends and better relationships across party lines.

Livingston said bipartisan support is key, especially in the current era of divided government with a Democratic governor and a Republican-controlled Legislature.

"I don't run too many hot topic issues," Livingston said, although his sponsorship of pro-Israel bills have drawn heated debate. "I tend to focus on my niche of pension and insurance policy issues, keeping the scope limited so they can be easily understood and win votes."

Study Focuses on Method, Not Merit

This is not to say that the most effective lawmakers author the most beneficial legislation, the report noted. The study focuses on the people and the methods that get a policy signed into law, not whether the legislation is deemed good or bad.

Alan Wiseman, one of the study's authors, said while each state has its own idiosyncrasies, there are some shared traits.

A key common denominator is experience. While there are lots of arguments for term limits, which exist in 16 states including in modified form in Arizona, Wiseman said the data show the longer a person is in office, the more effective they are.

The center's research also showed that developing expertise in a subject can pay off. Lawmakers who focus their policy agendas on one issue tend to be notably more successful.

"They've cultivated some background information on that issue and probably have organized their staff around that," Wiseman said.

Moderate Approach Works Surprisingly

And surprisingly, lawmakers who are seen as moderate, which Wiseman cautions is a relative term, fare better. They have track records of working across party lines.

"Even when you're in the majority party, you tend to do better when you recruit minority members as co-sponsors," Wiseman said.

Red and blue states aren't very different when it comes to gauging effectiveness. It comes down to the numbers and the simple fact that the majority rules, regardless who is in charge, Wiseman said.

Minority Perspective Matters

The report ranked the Democrats separately from the Republicans, given the partisan disparity in getting a bill heard. The top three in the House were all three-term veterans, which speaks to the value of tenure.

One of those lawmakers, former Rep. Jennifer Longdon of Phoenix, said there's more to being effective than getting a bill signed into law, regardless of the study's focus.

"Being a minority member, that may not be the strongest and most effective measure," Longdon said. "I think learning how to move effectively behind the scenes is just as important."

Longdon said lawmakers overall performance can also be gauged by how much time they spend meeting with constituents, helping them navigate government and explaining what is happening at the Capitol.

Plus, there is no metric for measuring how much a minority party member might have influenced legislation from behind the scenes, she noted.

The study's findings underscore the structural advantages that majority party members have in the legislative process, while also highlighting the behind-the-scenes work that lawmakers in the minority party must do to have any impact at all.