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Plugged In, Tuning Up (March 2001)
EXPLANATIONS OF LEGISLATIVE PROCESS
Background
In order to facilitate a higher degree of civic participation, citizens need to have access
to information about the overall legislative process and how it functions. This ensures that content
is presented in a manner that is both relevant and useful to audiences.
Items Examined
The following website elements were evaluated:
- Frequently Asked Questions about the legislative procedures and/or legislative
information on the site
- State Constitution, Code of Laws, and Regulations
- Legislative Primer, or similar explanation of the process
- Glossary or listing of legislative terms
- Rules of the full legislature and individual bodies
Summary Findings by State
| State |
Common Questions |
State Laws |
Legislative Primer |
Glossary |
Rules of Body |
| Alabama |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Alaska | No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Arizona | Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Arkansas |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
| California |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Colorado |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
| Connecticut |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
| Delaware |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| Florida |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| Georgia | No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
| Hawaii | No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
| Idaho | No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Illinois |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
| Indiana | No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
| Iowa | No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| Kansas | No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
| Kentucky |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| Louisiana |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Maine | No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Maryland |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| Massachusetts |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
| Michigan |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Minnesota |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Mississippi |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| Missouri |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Montana | No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| Nebraska |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| Nevada | No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| New Hampshire |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
| New Jersey |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
| New Mexico |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| New York (Senate) |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No | Yes |
| New York (Assembly) |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No | Yes |
| North Carolina |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| North Dakota |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| Ohio | No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Oklahoma |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
| Oregon | Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| Pennsylvania |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
| Rhode Island |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| South Carolina |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| South Dakota |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
| Tennessee |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| Texas | Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Utah | No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| Vermont | Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
| Virginia |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Washington |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| West Virginia |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| Wisconsin |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
| Wyoming | No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
- 84% of the sites linked to state constitution
- 76% provide a guide or primer on the legislative process
- 65% provide access to the rules of the legislature and those of individual chamber
- Only 12%, however, provided a listing of the most frequently asked questions regarding
the legislative process
- Moreover, 49% did not provide a glossary, or listing of definitions, to the most
common legislative terms and phrases.
Considerations
- Only three states-- Louisiana, North Carolina, and Virginia-- provided information in each
of the categories examined. Only five states- Arizona, California, Delaware, Oregon,
and Texas-- provided a listing of frequently asked questions, a primer on the legislative
process, and a glossary of key legislative terms.
- More surprisingly, eight states did not provide a link to their state constitution, or even
the basic laws that define the authority and rules under which the legislative body derives
its existence and responsibilities. Seven states (Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas,
New Hampshire, and Oklahoma) provided no background information on the legislative process
at all.
- Moreover, some states only provide a partial explanation of their legislative processes.
The New York Assembly site, for example, contains both the rules for that chamber and the
New York Senate, but the New York Senate site does not contain rules for itself, much less the
full legislature. Texas, meanwhile, lists the rules for its House only, within an Adobe Acrobat
PDF document.
- As a side note, a number of states provided primers and materials aimed at
younger audiences to explain the legislative process. In the case of South Dakota, this is
accomplished by a graphic depicting the legislative process, in Adobe PDF. While this is a good first
step towards exposing young people to civic activity, it is no replacement for information that can
be utilized by voting adults.
Recommendations
- State legislative websites must provide, at a minimum, access to the laws and rules
under which they operate, and the laws that address their authority, in order to demonstrate
their accountability to the public.
- In order to make legislative information more usable and relevant to citizens, information
on the process and legislative terms should be included on each state's website, in ways
that speak to multiple knowledge levels of different users.
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