"Dead" Bills: Political Dynamics and Strategic Revival of Unsuccessful Bills

• In Event: Poster Session: Legislative Studies & American Political Economy
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Legislative Studies

Abstract

The study of Members of Congress' (MCs) legislative agenda has always been a central topic in American politics. However, relatively little attention has been given to those bills that fail to become laws ("dead" bills). In this paper, we focus on these bills, especially the reintroduction of the dead bills in the new Congress and argue that dead bills are more likely to be reintroduced when they are of high legislative importance and cost-effective. To be specific, we hypothesize that bills that are central to the legislator's agenda are more likely to be reintroduced in future Congresses. We also expect that a bill has a higher chance of being reintroduced if it has a better chance of advancing through the lengthy legislative process. By collecting and comparing all bill summaries from the 110th through the 116th Congresses, we find evidence supporting both of these expectations. Our analyses contribute to a deeper understanding of both legislative politics and effective representation.

Authors

• Fred Gui, Louisiana State University

• Yu Ouyang, Purdue University Northwest

• Leo Yang, University of California San Diego