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Declining prestige of legislative bodies has recently prompted inquiries looking to self-appraisal and reform in Congress and in legislatures of a number of the states. Dissatisfaction with the traditional organization and procedure of state legislatures has grown among legislators, who undertake the perplexities of present-day law-making with inadequate assistance and ineffective machinery. Legislation was seldom a simple problem, but it is today more difficult than at any time in our national history. As the responsibilities thrust upon legislatures are increased, so must the tools and processes of legislation be improved if the quality of legislation is to meet the needs which call it forth.To assist in the reappraisal and review of state legislative organization and procedure, twelve general suggestions for strengthening state legislatures have been reported to the Council of State Governments by a committee of state officials. Appointed in November, 1945, by the Board of Managers of the Council, the Committee on Legislative Processes and Procedures developed its report after broadly surveying legislative theory and practice and selecting for recommendation to the states those measures of most general application. Dealing with the problems of state legislatures generally, the committee decided at an early date to direct its attention to the strengthening of state legislatures as presently constituted. Questions of reapportionment, of representation in the legislature, proportional representation, unicameralism, and certain mechanics of procedure such as electrical voting were not treated in the final report.

This paper is an experiment in what John Rawls recently called "Kantian constructiivism". It seeks to establish a "suitable connection between a particular conception of the person and first principles of [morality] by means of a procedure of construction. Yet, it differs from Rawls' similar efforts in a number of ways. The emphasis is morality generally, not justice in particular. The construction attempts to be more "realistic" especially in substituting external procedures for Rawls' "veil of ignorance". These differences are, I hope, at least suggested by substituting "the moral legislature" for Rawls' "original position". Section I of this paper explains further what motivates the sort of construction proposed, sections II-V describe the moral legislature itself, explaining as well why it makes sense to construct it as I do and how it differs from some obvious alternatives. Section VI concludes with an example of how the moral legislature might be used, the sketch of an argument for the claim that positive law cannot in in generally be morally obliging.

Friday, June 7, 1811. At 12 o'clock, His Excellency the Governor, attended by His Honor the Lieutenant Governor, and the Honorable Council, (completely attired in cloth of American manufacture,) met the two branches of the legislature in the Representatives' Chamber, and delivered the following speech. Title from content of speech. Signed (page 15): E. Gerry. Last page blank. ; Florida Atlantic University Libraries' Marvin and Sybil Weiner Spirit of America Collection, Pamphlets: Speeches B9F11 ; Florida Atlantic Digital Library Collections

LEGISLATURES ARE UBIQUITOUS AND HAVE CONSEQUENCES FOR POLITICAL SYSTEMS. THE FOCUS OF ANALYSIS HAS TYPICALLY BEEN THE ROLE OF THE LEGISLATURE IN AFFECTING POLICY OUTCOMES IN AN ESTABLISHED POLITY. OPPORTUNITIES FOR ANALYZING THE ROLE OF LEGISLATURES IN REGIME TRANSITIONS HAVE BEEN LIMITED. THE TRANSITION FROM COMMUNIST REGIMES TO NEW DEMOCRACIES IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE PROVIDES A RICH FIELD FOR ANALYSIS. THIS PAPER PROVIDES THE FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYSIS, IDENTIFYING TWO KEY VARIABLES IN CONSTITUTION MAKING THE SPECIFIC EXPERIENCES OF A NATION AND BORROWING FROM FOREIGN PRACTICE AND THREE SETS OF VARIABLES IN DETERMINING LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY: THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT, INTERNAL CHARACTERISTICS, AND POLICY ATTRIBUTES.

Every two years American voters turn out to elect several thousand representatives to state legislatures. Only now in Representation in State Legislatures do we have a detailed examination of how these officials perceive their jobs and how they attempt to do them. To provide answers to these questions, Malcolm E. Jewell conducted intensive interviews with 220 members of houses of representatives in nine selected states. He asked each legislator how he kept in touch with his constituents, how he resolved matters of policy, how he sought government resources for his district, and what services

1. Introduction -- 2. The dividends of good governance -- 3. Strategies to curb corruption : the role of the legislature -- 4. The effectiveness of legislative oversight : the case of Ghana and Nigeria in comparative perspective -- 5. Legislative corruption, public trust, and political will -- 6. Legislative ethics -- 7. Political finance -- 8. Conclusions.

Reprint of pages 67-87 of the Daily Journal of March 23, 1945. ; At head of title: California Legislature, 56th session, 1945. ; Mode of access: Internet.

The existence of noticeable 'unified' parties is central to the theory and practice of democracy in general, and to parliamentary democracy in particular. However, legislative studies scholars have good reason to cease treating parties as monolithic, unitary actors, for they evidently are not. The first step in this direction is to ask why one of the distinguishing features of modern political parties is their legislative unity. Do parties enter parliament as unified actors, or are they moulded into this model by the legislature? The answer depends on whether one is looking at cohesion or at d

Interior portrait of 8 men sitting and standing in two rows. Identified as Franco Americans in the Massachusetts legislature in 1906. 5.25" x 4" ; https://digitalcommons.assumption.edu/usjb-photographs/1030/thumbnail.jpg

No. 10 in a series of 37 monographs. ; "May 1947." ; "One of a series of monographs prepared . under the general coordination of the Governor's Committee on Preparatory Research for the New Jersey Constitutional Convention Convention of 1947." ; Title from cover. ; Mode of access: Internet.

"This book investigates parliaments' role in curbing corruption. In addition to discussing the definition, causes, and costs of corruption and the role that parliaments have in reducing corruption, the authors consider contemporary issues that parliamentarians - and others - need to be aware of. These include the importance of broad-based coalitions to fight corruption and networking at the country, regional and global level, the importance - and difficulties - of establishing parliamentary codes of ethics/conduct, legislative oversight tools and mechanisms, and regional/international conventions against corruption. Attention will also be given to parliaments and anti-money laundering. Corruption and Legislatures presents a non-technical review of contemporary issues and recent developments in curbing corruption, and concludes with practical advice as to what can be done to ensure more effective parliamentary involvement in curbing corruption"--

Lawmaking provides many opportunities for proposals to be altered, amended, tabled, or stopped completely. The ideal legislator should assess evidence, update his or her beliefs with new information, and sometimes be willing to change course. In practice, however, lawmakers face criticism from the media, the public, and their colleagues for "flip-flopping." Legislators may also only appear to change positions in some cases as a means of voting strategically. This book presents a systematic examination of legislative indecision in American politics. This might occur via "waffling"--where a legislator cosponsors a bill, then votes against it at roll call. Or it might occur when a legislator votes one way on a bill, then switches her vote to the other side. In Indecision in American Legislatures, Jeffrey J. Harden and Justin H. Kirkland develop a theoretical framework to explain indecision itself, as well as the public's attitudes toward indecision. They test their expectations with data sources from American state legislatures, the U.S. Congress, and survey questions administered to American citizens. Understanding legislative indecision from both the legislator and citizen perspectives is important for discussions about the quality of representation in American politics