Promotional Words: The Effect of Legislative Speech on Legislative Outcomes

• In Event: Legislative Effectiveness and Policy Outcomes

Abstract

One-minute speeches, delivered at the start of the legislative business day in the U.S. House of Representatives, provide an opportunity for all members of Congress to weigh in on any topic of their choosing, regardless of minority status, party membership, or institutional tenure. These speeches provide members, staff, party leaders, and congressional observers with information about other members' agendas, party messages, and cues about the legislative day ahead (see Pearson and Dancey 2011a,b), and are used by members who wish for more freedom to express themselves outside the confines of a recorded vote (Maltzman and Sigelman 1996; Morris 2001; Rocca 2007). Members understand the value of one-minute speeches, with the house allocating more time for this so-called non-legislative speech in recent sessions of Congress. However, even with the ubiquitous nature of one-minute speeches in the House, there is little work exploring the effect of speeches on legislative outcomes. This research explores the effect of substantive speeches, which advocate the support or opposition for a piece of legislation, on legislative success. Using a novel database of over 20,000 one-minute speeches delivered between 2005 and 2014, I first explore when members choose to deliver a substantive speech. Second, I examine the conditions under which substantive one-minute speeches affect policy outcomes. This research has implications for studies of representation, legislative behavior, and legislative effectiveness in the U.S. House.

Author

• Nicole Kalaf-Hughes, Bowling Green State University