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Representative Kevin S. Garn
Utah legislator profile

Years served in the Utah legislature

First session in legislature: 1991
Most recent year of service for which data are available: 2010
Total sessions served in Utah House as of 2010: 14
Total sessions served in Utah Senate as of 2010: 0

How to read the statistical profile

I present a variety of statistics about Rep. Kevin S. Garn's service in the Utah legislature. I highlight differences from chamber averages using little green and red arrows. The number of arrows is statistically determined. More arrows indicate a larger difference compared to the chamber average, in relation to how much diversity there is among legislators on this metric. If all legislators introduce exactly 5 bills, then a legislator who introduces 10 is very different; if legislators vary wildly in how many bills they introduce (but the average is still 5), then a legislator who introduces 10 bills may be less different from average. The standard deviation measures this diversity.

Rep. Garn's statistical profile

2007200820092010
Service summary. Service prior to 2007 (if any) is not shown here. My database goes back only to 2007.
  Chamber HouseHouseHouseHouse
  District H16H16H16H16
  Party RRRR
Leadership NoneNoneMajLdrMajLdr
Years in chamber 11121314
Years comparison HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
2007200820092010
Bills sponsored (learn more) Bills written and promoted by the legislator in his/her own chamber.
Introduced by Garn 3564
Chamber average 6.16.15.96.1
Difference -3.1-1.1+0.1-2.1
Comparison Lower====Lower
 
2007200820092010
Bill passage rate (learn more). What percent of Rep. Garn's sponsored bills pass and are officially "enrolled"? (I ignore whether the governor signed or vetoted the bill.)
Bills introduced 3564
Bills passed 3564
Passage rate 100%100%100%100%
Chamber average 51%53%60%61%
Difference +49+47+40+39
Comparison HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
2007200820092010
Bills floor sponsored. A "floor sponsor" is like a secondary sponsor of a bill. After a bill passes the sponsor's chamber, its sponsor needs to find a "floor sponsor" in the other chamber to usher it through the other chamber.
Total floor sponsored 311149
Chamber average 3.13.22.82.8
Difference -0.1+7.8+11+6.2
Comparison ==HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
2007200820092010
Missed votes (learn more). Usually missed votes occur because of competing obligations within the legislature, not because the legislator has left the capitol.
Missed votes 686787122
Total votes held 602616600614
Absentee rate 11%11%15%20%
Chamber average 8.3%8.3%6.0%6.8%
Difference +2.7+2.7+9.0+13
Comparison HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
2007200820092010
"Nay" votes (learn more). Most floor votes pass by overwhelming majorities, since unpopular bills get weeded out long before they reach the floor. As a result, "nay" votes are rare.
"Nay" votes 26263020
Total votes held 602616600614
"Nay" rate 4.3%4.2%5.0%3.3%
Chamber average 7.2%6.0%8.1%7.4%
Difference -2.9-1.8-3.1-4.1
Comparison LowerLowerLowerLowerLower
 
2007200820092010
Winning side rate (learn more). What percentage of the time (excluding near-unanimous votes) is the legislator on the winning side of a floor vote?
Winning side rate 79%75%70%87%
Chamber average 67%69%66%69%
Difference +13+6.1+3.4+18
Comparison HigherHigher==HigherHigher
 
2007200820092010
Ideology score (NOMINATE method) (learn more). Using W-NOMINATE algorithm developed by Congressional scholars, I calculate each legislator's relative ideology after each General Session. I describe the method here. Scores have no intrinsic meaning. They are only relative: A legislator with a higher score is to the right ideologically of a legislator with a lower scale. Scores may be compared only within a single chamber and a single year. In most years, a conservative Republican will have a score above 0; a score close to 100 is extreme.
Contact me for scores. They get misinterpreted often enough that I now provide them only to political scientists.
 
2007200820092010
Party support score (overall) (learn more). How consistently does Rep. Garn support his/her party? That is, what percentage of the time does the legislator vote with the majority of the other members of his/her party? Scores are usually easily above 90%.
Score (overall) 97%97%96%97%
Chamber average 95%95%94%95%
Difference +2.1+1.5+1.8+2.7
Comparison HigherHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
2007200820092010
Party support score (party-line only) (learn more). This is the same as the "raw" party support score, but we look only at party-line votes when calculating this. A "party-line" vote occurs when the majority of Democrats votes against the majority of Republicans. Although party-line votes are rare, looking at the legislator's party support score in this setting can be revealing.
Score (party-line only) 88%95%89%92%
Chamber average 79%82%81%84%
Difference +9.1+13+7.3+7.2
Comparison HigherHigherHigherHigherHigher

Votes on Rep. Garn's bills

Many votes have been held on bills sponsored by Rep. Garn. In the interest of space, I display only the most and least divisive votes held on Rep. Garn's bills.

Rep. Garn's most divisive bills

Listed below are the 10 votes on bills sponsored by Rep. Garn that had the closest vote margin (as a percent of the total votes cast). When there are ties, I list the most recent bills first.

Year Sponsor Bill Ayes Nays Margin
(as % of total votes)
Type of vote
2008 Garn HB0426S04 19 10 31% Senate/ pass 2nd & 3rd (Suspension)
2009 Garn HB0430 59 15 59% House/ concurs with Senate amendments
2010 Garn HB0221S01 56 13 62% House/ passed 3rd reading
2008 Garn HB0005 23 5 64% Senate/ pass 2nd & 3rd (Suspension)
2009 Garn HB0402 60 13 64% House/ concurs with Senate amendments
2010 Garn HB0221S01 64 8 78% House/ concurs with Senate amendment
2009 Garn HB0402 64 7 80% House/ passed 3rd reading
2009 Garn HB0430 24 1 92% Senate/ pass 2nd & 3rd (Suspension)
2009 Garn HB0402 24 1 92% Senate/ pass 3rd
2008 Garn HB0005 24 1 92% Senate/ pass 2nd & 3rd (Suspension)

Rep. Garn's least divisive bills

Listed below are the 10 votes on bills sponsored by Rep. Garn that had the widest vote margin (as a percent of the total votes cast). When there are ties, I display the most recent bills first.

Year Sponsor Bill Ayes Nays Margin
(as % of total votes)
Type of vote
2010 Garn HR0009 71 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2010 Garn HB0267S01 71 0 100% House/ concurs with Senate amendment
2010 Garn HB0267S01 28 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2010 Garn HB0221S01 22 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2010 Garn HB0215 72 0 100% House/ concurs with Senate amendment
2010 Garn HB0215 24 0 100% Senate/ passed 3rd reading
2010 Garn HB0215 28 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd reading
2010 Garn HB0215 71 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2009 Garn HJR021 26 0 100% Senate/ pass 2nd & 3rd (Suspension)
2009 Garn HJR021 72 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading