Mr Pillsbury, who left business for the Senate in the 1970s, decided to work for reforms after he saw the lopsided power of conference committees and noted how muddled the legislature was compared with the corporate world.

ECONOMIST: State legislatures

Speaking at his monthly media conference, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the world may need another 1, 000 nuclear power stations to bolster energy security and fight climate change.

BBC: Ministers plot UK nuclear future