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Senator Wayne A. Harper
Utah legislator profile

Years served in the Utah legislature

First session in legislature: 1997
Most recent year of service for which data are available: 2024
Total sessions served in Utah House as of 2024: 16
Total sessions served in Utah Senate as of 2024: 12

How to read the statistical profile

I present a variety of statistics about Sen. Wayne A. Harper'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.

Sen. Harper's statistical profile

200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Service summary. Service prior to 2007 (if any) is not shown here. My database goes back only to 2007.
  Chamber HouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseSenateSenateSenateSenateSenateSenateSenateSenateSenateSenateSenateSenate
  District H43H43H43H43H43H43S6S6S6S6S6S6S6S6S6S6S16S16
  Party RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Leadership NoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNone
Years in chamber 111213141516123456789101112
Years comparison HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLower====HigherHigherHigherHigher
 
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Bills sponsored (learn more) Bills written and promoted by the legislator in his/her own chamber.
Introduced by Harper 201816161713221622202619201722223128
Chamber average 6.16.15.96.16.36.411111110119.6109.79.49.61110
Difference +14+12+10+9.9+11+6.6+11+5.4+11+9.9+15+9.4+9.8+7.3+13+12+20+18
Comparison HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Bill passage rate (learn more). What percent of Sen. Harper's sponsored bills pass and are officially "enrolled"? (I ignore whether the governor signed or vetoted the bill.)
Bills introduced 201816161713221622202619201722223128
Bills passed 14911101112171114152316181419192825
Passage rate 70%50%69%63%65%92%77%69%64%75%88%84%90%82%86%86%90%89%
Chamber average 51%53%60%61%55%54%65%70%68%68%74%83%78%70%71%71%72%72%
Difference +19-2.8+9.1+2.1+10+38+12-0.7-4.2+7.4+14+0.7+12+12+15+15+18+17
Comparison Higher========HigherHigherHigher======Higher==HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
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 9875739812131511161517212524
Chamber average 3.13.22.82.83.33.1111112131314141312131516
Difference +5.9+4.8+4.2+2.2+3.7-0.1-2.1-3.5-0.3+0.2+1.6-3.2+2.4+1.7+4.6+7.6+9.8+7.5
Comparison HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher====Lower============HigherHigherHigherHigher
 
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
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 383646485231532031226545282534323062
Total votes held 6026166006146516519408409518609139269759109199311,0581,069
Absentee rate 6.3%5.8%7.7%7.8%8.0%4.8%5.6%2.4%3.3%2.6%7.1%4.9%2.9%2.7%3.7%3.4%2.8%5.8%
Chamber average 8.3%8.3%6.0%6.8%7.1%5.7%11%12%12%14%10%13%11%11%8.0%12%13%13%
Difference -2.0-2.5+1.7+1.0+0.9-0.9-5.5-9.1-8.4-11.4-3.3-8.2-8.3-8.8-4.3-8.8-10.3-7.0
Comparison ==LowerHigher======LowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLower
 
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
"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 473844564951434067394243252344383230
Total votes held 6026166006146516519408409518609139269759109199311,0581,069
"Nay" rate 7.8%6.2%7.3%9.1%7.5%7.8%4.6%4.8%7.0%4.5%4.6%4.6%2.6%2.5%4.8%4.1%3.0%2.8%
Chamber average 7.2%6.0%8.1%7.4%8.4%7.8%3.7%3.6%4.8%3.7%2.8%3.2%2.7%2.5%4.0%2.6%3.4%3.9%
Difference +0.6+0.2-0.8+1.7-0.9+0.0+0.9+1.2+2.2+0.8+1.8+1.4-0.1+0.0+0.8+1.5-0.4-1.1
Comparison ======Higher====HigherHigherHigher==HigherHigher====HigherHigher====
 
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
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 66%63%66%66%76%65%59%59%57%59%64%67%71%73%70%65%83%85%
Chamber average 67%69%66%69%69%67%69%67%68%67%68%68%70%71%70%71%74%74%
Difference -0.3-5.7-0.5-3.1+7.2-3.0-9.3-8.5-11.1-7.8-3.8-1.5+0.5+2.3+0.4-5.4+9.3+11
Comparison ==Lower====Higher==LowerLowerLowerLower==========LowerHigherHigher
 
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
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.
 
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Party support score (overall) (learn more). How consistently does Sen. Harper 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) 93%95%94%92%93%93%96%95%94%97%95%96%98%98%96%96%98%98%
Chamber average 95%95%94%95%94%94%97%97%96%97%98%97%98%98%97%98%98%98%
Difference -1.8-0.4-0.1-2.5-0.6-1.1-0.6-1.6-2.3-0.6-2.5-1.4-0.3-0.4-1.3-1.9-0.7-0.3
Comparison Lower====Lower==Lower==LowerLower==LowerLowerLower====LowerLowerLowerLower==
 
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
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) 80%85%83%84%90%86%80%80%65%83%85%87%86%92%89%92%93%96%
Chamber average 79%82%81%84%85%83%85%84%83%87%86%85%92%91%88%92%94%94%
Difference +1.0+2.8+1.5-0.7+5.1+3.0-4.6-4.1-17.3-4.1-1.5+1.3-5.4+0.8+0.7+0.3-1.1+1.9
Comparison ========Higher==LowerLowerLowerLowerLower====LowerLower========Higher

Votes on Sen. Harper's bills

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

Sen. Harper's most divisive bills

Listed below are the 10 votes on bills sponsored by Sen. Harper 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
2023 Harper SB0291 12 13 4.0% Senate/ failed
2023 Harper SB0133S02 35 38 4.1% House/ substitute adoption failed from # 2 to # 3
2010 Harper HB0176 38 34 5.6% House/ passed 3rd reading
2021 Harper SB0092S05 33 37 5.7% House/ failed
2021 Harper SB0113S05 29 35 9.4% House/ failed
2018 Harper SB0136S06 40 32 11% House Conference Committee - Final Passage
2018 Harper SB0136S06 15 12 11% Senate/ passed 3rd reading
2013 Harper SB0226 15 12 11% Senate/ passed 3rd reading
2008 Harper HB0188S01 30 38 12% House/ failed
2007 Harper HB0378S01 29 38 13% House/ failed

Sen. Harper's least divisive bills

Listed below are the 10 votes on bills sponsored by Sen. Harper 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
2024 Harper SJR011 72 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2024 Harper SJR011 26 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2024 Harper SB0235S04 28 0 100% Senate/ concurs with House amendment
2024 Harper SB0235S04 73 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2024 Harper SB0235S04 25 0 100% Senate/ passed 3rd reading
2024 Harper SB0227 23 0 100% Senate/ passed 3rd reading
2024 Harper SB0227 26 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd reading
2024 Harper SB0182S05 26 0 100% Senate/ concurs with House amendment
2024 Harper SB0182S05 25 0 100% Senate/ passed 3rd reading
2024 Harper SB0182S05 24 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd reading