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Introduction Acknowledgements Executive Summary Scope and Purpose of Report Background Methodology Legislator Information Explanations of Legislative Process Legislative Tracking and Monitoring Legislative Administration State Resources Statements Addressing User Expectations Site Design Site Navigation Conclusion Overview of State Legislatures State Legislative Resource Websites Federal Territories Practices of Note

Plugged In, Tuning Up (March 2001) LEGISLATIVE ADMINISTRATION Background Individual legislators represent a citizen's main point of contact within the state legislature. Each body as a whole, however, has an administrative structure that provides key operational support, maintenance, and accountability— within and across each chamber, to other branches of government, and the public as well. Items Examined State legislative websites were evaluated in terms of whether links to the following items were present: on the home page or major entry page Majority party leadership Minority party leadership Caucuses Clerk's Office Oversight body Legal, Ethics, or Legislative Affairs Library and legislative Research Special Bodies and Task Forces Summary Findings by State State Majority Minority Caucus Clerk Oversight Legal Affairs Legislative Research Special Bodies Alabama Yes No No Yes No No No No Alaska Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No No Arizona Yes Yes No No Yes No No No Arkansas No No No No No No No No California Yes Yes No No No No No No Colorado No No No No No No No No Connecticut No No Yes Yes No No No No Delaware Yes No Yes No No No No No Florida Yes No No No No No No No Georgia No No No No No No No No Hawaii No No No No No No No No Idaho Yes Yes No Yes No No No Yes Illinois No No No No No Yes No No Indiana No No Yes No No No No No Iowa Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No No Kansas No No No No No No Yes No Kentucky No No No No No Yes Yes No Louisiana No No Yes No No No No No Maine Yes Yes No No No Yes Yes No Maryland No No No No No No No No Massachusetts No No No No No No No No Michigan Yes Yes Yes No No Yes No No Minnesota No No No Yes No No Yes No Mississippi No No No No No No No No Missouri Yes Yes No No No No No No Montana Yes Yes No No No Yes No No Nebraska Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes No Nevada Yes Yes No No No Yes Yes No New Hampshire No No No Yes Yes Yes No No New Jersey Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No Yes New Mexico Yes Yes No No No No No No New York (Senate) No No No No No No No No New York (Assembly) No No No No No No No Yes North Carolina No No No No Yes No Yes Yes North Dakota No No No No No No Yes No Ohio Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Oklahoma Yes Yes No No No No No No Oregon Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No No Pennsylvania Yes Yes No Yes No No No No Rhode Island No No No No No No No No South Carolina No No Yes No No No Yes No South Dakota Yes Yes No No No No No No Tennessee Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Texas No No No No Yes No Yes No Utah Yes Yes No No No No No No Vermont No No No No No No No No Virginia No No No No No Yes No Yes Washington Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes West Virginia Yes Yes No Yes Yes No No Yes Wisconsin No No No No No Yes No Yes Wyoming Yes Yes No No No No No No 67% provide information on the state's legislative research body 51% of the websites provided links to majority leadership 45% provided links to minority leadership 31% provided contacts for legal, legislative affairs, or ethics matters 24% linked to the oversight body 18% linked to the office of the clerk 18% featured information on special bodies and task forces 16% featured information on caucuses Considerations There is a definite lack of online information regarding the administrative bodies within state legislatures. None of the states, for example, provided access to all of the features outlined above. Only twenty-six sites provided links to the majority party leadership, and three of those did not provide visibility to the minority party leadership. Michigan, Tennessee, and Washington were the only states, moreover, to provide access to the majority, minority, and caucus structures. New Hampshire is the only state that provides links to the clerk, oversight body, and legal/ethics/legislative affairs offices-- arguably the chief administrative structures of a state legislative body. Recommendations Those entities that provide operational guidance and oversight also represent the public's interest in the overall legislative process, especially when actors and their actions run counter to that very process. To ensure and/or increase accountability, therefore, the public should have information on and access to key leadership, oversight, and organizing bodies within the legislature. This should include contact information, descriptions of the responsibilities with which the entities are charged, and the authority under which they exist and operate. Because a good amount of legislative business is also conducted within party structures, and possibly through ideological lines or issue areas through caucuses, citizens need to better understand the presence and functions of these bodies as well.