Explaining Bill Introductions: Lessons from Michigan and Minnesota.

The article reports on findings of a preliminary study aimed to examine patterns of bill introduction in the lower houses of the Michigan and Minnesota legislatures during the 2003-2004 session. In terms of legislators' personal attributes, gender and seniority have the strongest impact on the number of bills filed as well as the content of these proposals. The strongest support in terms of district characteristics is found for the hypothesis that links bill content to the existence of a large elderly population in a legislator's district.