State Legislatures Today

Politics under the Domes

By (author) Peverill Squire University of Missouri, Gary Moncrief

Publication date:

19 July 2019

Length of book:

280 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Dimensions:

237x161mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781538123355

A concise and provocative introduction to state legislative politics, State Legislatures Today is designed as a supplement for state and local government courses and upper level courses on legislative politics. The book examines state legislatures and state lawmakers, putting them in historical context, showing how they have evolved over the years, and differentiating them from Congress. It covers state legislative elections (including the impact of redistricting, candidate recruitment, etc.), the changing job description of state legislators, legislatures as organizations, the process by which legislation gets produced, and the influences upon legislators.

Preface
Chapter 1: Ninety-Nine Chambers and Why They Matter
Chapter 2: State Legislative Campaigns and Elections
Chapter 3: The Changing Job of State Legislator
Chapter 4: Legislative Organization across the States
Chapter 5: The Legislative Process in the States
Chapter 6: The Legislative Context
Chapter 7: Are State Legislatures Representative Institutions?
Appendix

The first edition of this comparative study of US state legislatures appeared in 2010, and the third edition incorporates some changes and challenges that have arisen since the publication of the second edition (CH, Nov'15, 53-1540). The book's organization remains the same. Squire (Univ. of Missouri) and Moncrief (Boise State Univ.) begin with a presentation of the historical development of state legislatures. The next five chapters consider the campaigns and elections that produce the members of state legislatures, the job of the state legislator, organizational structures, legislative processes, and the influence of actors outside the legislature, especially public opinion, other state government actors, and direct democracy. The concluding chapter examines the role of legislatures as representative institutions. This new edition incorporates electoral changes evident in the 2018 presidential midterm elections. Those elections produced a more diverse US Congress, and this increased diversity appeared in state legislatures as well. The authors also consider challenges state legislatures face with cultural issues, such as the #MeToo movement. Finally, this new edition reviews the impact changing federal-state relations have had on the work and working of the 99 state legislatures.

Summing Up: Recommended. . . Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers.