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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 TRACKING AND MONITORING Background Information on legislative activity is just as important as information on specific legislation. The ability to know when legislation is voted upon, chambers meet, and committees deliberate, is crucial for the voice of constituents to matter within the legislative process. Items Examined Legislative websites were evaluated for their availability to provide free public access to: Session Calendar: Basic information and updates provided on the overall legislative session, including official start and ending dates, and recess periods Legislative Calendar: information on legislation up for consideration within a week or month Floor Schedule: Daily schedule of legislative activity Committee Meetings, Hearings and Agendas Reports/Journals: Compendium of cumulative legislative activity Calendar Updates: Features that provide either regular or up-to-the-minute alerts on legislative activity, either via e-mail or personalized web pages Summary Findings by State State Session Calendar Legislative Calendar Floor Schedule Committee Schedules Legislative Journal Free Calendar Update Alabama Yes No Yes No No No Alaska Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Arizona No Yes Yes No No No Arkansas No Yes Yes No No No California Yes No No No No No Colorado No No Yes No No No Connecticut No Yes No No No No Delaware Yes No Yes No No No Florida Yes Yes No No No No Georgia No No No No No Web Page Hawaii Yes Yes Yes No No Web Page Idaho Yes No Yes No Yes No Illinois Yes No Yes No Yes No Indiana Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Iowa Yes Yes Yes No No No Kansas No Yes Yes Yes No No Kentucky Yes Yes No No No No Louisiana No No Yes No No No Maine Yes Yes Yes No No No Maryland Yes No Yes No No No Massachusetts No No Yes Yes No No Michigan Yes Yes Yes No No No Minnesota No Yes Yes No No No Mississippi Yes No No No No No Missouri Yes Yes Yes No No No Montana Yes No Yes Yes No No Nebraska Yes Yes Yes No No No Nevada Yes No No Yes No No New Hampshire Yes No Yes No Yes No New Jersey No No No Yes No No New Mexico No Yes No No Yes No New York (Senate) No No Yes Yes No No New York (Assembly) No No No Yes No No North Carolina No Yes No No Yes E-mail North Dakota No Yes Yes No No E-mail, Web Ohio No No Yes Yes No No Oklahoma No No No No No No Oregon No No No No No No Pennsylvania No No No Yes No No Rhode Island No No Yes Yes No No South Carolina No Yes Yes No Yes E-mail South Dakota No Yes No No No No Tennessee No No Yes No No No Texas No Yes Yes Yes No E-mail, Web Utah No No No Yes No No Vermont No No No No No No Virginia No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Washington No No No No No No West Virginia No No Yes No No No Wisconsin No No Yes No No No Wyoming No No No No No No 35% of state legislative websites provided access to a floor schedule 55% do not provide access to the legislative calendar for the body 61% do not provide access to the basic session calendar online 75% do not provide access to information on committee meetings, hearings, agendas, or minutes 82% do not provide access to the reports or journals for the session 88% do not provide any means for users to subscribe to receive updates on overall legislative schedules or activities Considerations Alaska, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, and Nebraska, were the only states to provide access to the three main calendars (session, legislative, and floor). Of this group, however, only Hawaii provided personalized calendar updates via the web or e-mail. Oklahoma and Virginia provided all three calendars as both a personalized e-mail and a customizable web page through a for-fee service called "Lobbyist in a Box." Virginia, however, also provides a modified version of the same information on the web for free. North Dakota and Texas were the only states to offer free legislative activity updates via both e-mail and a personalized web page. Interestingly, for those state sites that lacked all three calendars, no access to a legislative report or journal was provided. Recommendations In order to provide as comprehensive a level of information as possible on the legislative process, state legislature websites need to provide information on the schedules and activities that define a legislative session—from committee schedules to the calendar of the full legislative body. Access to legislative information is a public good, and should therefore be provided online for free, and in a manner that is both convenient and accessible to the public, without preference for one medium over another.