SENATORS AS POLITICAL ENTREPRENEURS - USING BILL SPONSORSHIP TO SHAPELEGISLATIVE AGENDAS

Theory: The interaction of individual legislators with their instituti onal environment is explored in a study of how and why United States s enators use bill sponsorship to help construct their legislative agend as. Hypothesis: A senator's use of bill sponsorship is a function of i nstitutional and political variables including seniority, proximity of reelection, size of state economy, staff size, committee membership a nd committee positions. Methods: Regression analysis and interviews wi th Senate legislative staff are used to predict and explain the number of bills senators introduce. Results: Senators are constrained in the ir use of bill sponsorship by a combination of institutional and polit ical forces. This research suggests that current views of the Senate a s a place that lacks structure and predictability in its operations ma y be overstated.