Legislating in the Lone Star State: Predicting the Passage of Higher Education Bills in Texas

• In Event: 18.030 - Examining Public Policy in the Lone Star State: Culture, Practice, and Policies

Abstract

Higher education politics research, when compared to political research on K-12 education, is still in its infancy. We hope to contribute to a growing literature on political behavior and higher education by examining the content of proposed bills and the political and demographic characteristics of the legislators who authored each bill in the 84th Texas Legislature. Using a linear probability model we find that bill content largely does not impact the bill’s chances of passing. We do find that the partisanship of a bill’s author and whether the bill is introduced in the House or Senate does predict whether that bill will pass. These findings have important ramifications for issues related to partisanship, political representation, and higher education.

Authors

• Christopher Russell Marsicano, Vanderbilt University - Peabody College

• Anna Drake, The University of Texas at Austin