New Legislative Effectiveness Index Reveals Texas Lawmakers Who Turned Ideas Into Law During the 89th Legislature

AUSTIN, Texas — A new analysis of the 89th Texas Legislature found that legislative success was concentrated among a relatively small group of lawmakers, with just 23 legislators earning the highest recognition level under the newly developed Texas Legislative Effectiveness Index (TLEI), a data-driven system created by the Texas Capital Report to measure legislative performance based on enacted laws rather than bill filings.

The analysis examined 8,716 House and Senate bills, more than 133,000 legislative actions, and 2,359 enacted laws from the 89th Legislature. The project was designed to answer a question frequently asked by voters but rarely measured in a systematic way: Did this legislator actually turn ideas into law?

Top Performers Snapshot

The inaugural Texas Legislative Effectiveness Index identified a small group of lawmakers responsible for a disproportionate share of enacted legislation during the 89th Legislature.

Among House members, Representative Giovanni Capriglione (HD-98), Representative Will Metcalf (HD-16), Representative Terri Leo Wilson (HD-23), Representative David Cook (HD-96), and Representative Lacey Hull (HD-138) ranked among the highest-performing legislators under the TLEI methodology.

In the Senate, Senator Judith Zaffirini (SD-21), Senator Bryan Hughes (SD-1), Senator Tan Parker (SD-12), Senator Charles Perry (SD-28), and Senator Angela Paxton (SD-8) emerged as top-performing lawmakers based on enacted legislation, legislative efficiency, and statewide legislative impact.

Only ten legislators exceeded 40 enacted laws during the session, while just twenty-three lawmakers achieved Platinum Legislative Performer status under the Texas Capital Report recognition framework.

Separate Texas Capital Report analyses will publish the full Top 25 House Members, Top 10 Senators, State Impact Leaders, and Legislatively Vulnerable Member rankings.

Only 10 legislators exceeded 40 enacted laws during the 89th Legislature, and only 23 achieved Platinum Legislative Performer status under the Texas Legislative Effectiveness Index.

For decades, legislative performance has often been judged by press releases, public appearances, campaign messaging, and the number of bills filed during a legislative session. The Texas Capital Report's analysis found that those measures alone provide an incomplete picture of legislative effectiveness. While many lawmakers introduced dozens or even hundreds of bills during the session, only a fraction ultimately became law.

Under the TLEI methodology, legislators were evaluated on legislative activity, movement through the legislative process, law conversion, statewide legislative impact, and legislative efficiency. The system also introduced a Statewide Legislative Share metric, measuring the percentage of all enacted legislation attributable to a particular legislator.

The findings revealed that the average Texas legislator was associated with approximately 13 enacted laws during the session, while the median legislator saw 10 measures become law. At the top of the rankings were lawmakers who consistently advanced legislation through both chambers and secured the Governor's signature. Only 10 legislators exceeded 40 enacted laws, placing them in the highest tier of legislative achievement.

Legislators scoring 95 or above were classified as Platinum Legislative Performers, while legislators scoring below 60 were classified as Legislatively Vulnerable under the TLEI recognition framework.

The study also found significant differences between legislative activity and legislative accomplishment. Some lawmakers filed large numbers of bills but converted relatively few into law. Others introduced fewer measures but achieved substantially higher law-conversion rates. As a result, the TLEI framework places greater weight on enacted legislation than on filing volume alone.

The Texas Capital Report developed the index around a guiding principle: "Do not confuse activity with impact." The methodology intentionally rewards measurable policy outcomes and recognizes legislators who successfully translate legislative proposals into enacted public policy.

The publication's recognition framework classifies legislators into Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Legislatively Vulnerable categories based on overall performance scores. A separate State Impact classification recognizes lawmakers based on the number of enacted laws they produced during the session, ranging from Exceptional State Impact to No Enacted Laws.

The analysis is expected to serve as the foundation for a series of Texas Capital Report rankings, including the Top 25 House Members, Top 10 Senators, State Impact Leaders, and district-level legislative performance reviews.

As lawmakers prepare for future legislative sessions, the results provide Texans with a new way to evaluate legislative performance—not by how many bills are filed, but by how many ideas become law and ultimately shape the future of the State of Texas.