Center for Effective Lawmaking

It is widely believed that members of Congress (and other legislative bodies) are failing to address the most pressing public policy problems. They appear to be unable to formulate coherent policy proposals and advance them through the legislative process and into law. The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) is an organization that promotes legislative effectiveness among lawmakers in legislatures across the U.S. and around the world through research and engagement. The center is currently focused on the U.S. Congress, but over time the work will expand to U.S. state legislatures and to legislative institutions beyond the U.S.The CEL is a joint partnership between the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and Vanderbilt University. It was created in 2017 to advance the generation, communication, and use of new knowledge about the effectiveness of individual lawmakers and legislative institutions in Congress.