Who is pivotal? : a case study in changing ideology and tradition in the Texas Senate

Shortly after the Texas Senate gaveled in the 84th Regular Session, they amended the method by which legislation is brought to the floor for full debate. This process, used for approximately seventy years, required two-thirds of the Senators present to support suspending the rules to bring forward a bill. In making this change, the Senators fundamentally altered not only policy development in the state, but also, who was pivotal in making the decision to consider legislation. This research will explore the history of the Senate’s two-thirds tradition and some of the numerous instances in which it was circumvented. Additionally, it will analyze a subset of bills that, but for the rule change, would not have been considered to determine the pivotal players in the Senate. It will then use that analysis to examine specific policy changes related to county and municipal land use planning and authority