Logo image
State legislative committee creation and the politics of tribal/state relations
Journal article   Peer reviewed

State legislative committee creation and the politics of tribal/state relations

Richard Witmer, Frederick Boehmke and Joshua Johnson
Journal of legislative studies
08/08/2026
DOI: 10.1080/13572334.2026.2713345

View Online

Abstract

We examine the creation of new state legislative committees established to meet the demands of federal policy devolution. Specifically, we examine the reaction of state legislatures in the U.S. to the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988. Using event history analysis, we examine the impact of state-specific political measures, gaming, Native population measures, and the amount of Native American legislation in a state on new committee creation. Our results suggest that the establishment of dedicated legislative committees for Native American issues appears to respond to the relevant policy demands, increasing with the size of the Native population matters and the volume of Native American legislation and decreasing in states that allow commercial gaming.
Committee creation policy devolution state/tribal relations

Details

Metrics

1 Record Views
Logo image