Information Sources in State Legislative Decision Making.

This paper explores how the structure of the legislative process influences the sources of information that state legislators use to make law. A micro- and macro-level model of law making is developed which identifies three macro-level subprocesses: the development of legislation, persuasion, and the voting decision. These subprocesses are distinguished by differing needs and opportunities for a legislator to search for information. Legislators are hypothesized to use information from different sources in these different subprocesses. This hypothesis is confirmed by examination of the written information used by members of the Massachusetts, Oregon, and Indiana houses of representatives in their 1989 regular sessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]