This article examines legislative oversight activity at the state level. The interaction between a state's capacity to conduct oversight and the forces motivating oversight activity are analyzed in three states-Missouri, Tennessee, and Florida. Findings substantiate the proposition that oversight activity in legislatures in which review procedures have been institutionalized is similar to other lawmaking functions-motivated by constituency and partisan concerns. On the other hand, oversight activity in legislatures not so equipped is more a function of individual lawmakers' own norms concerning oversight.
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