Federal Resources for Legislative Advocacy

FEDERAL RESOURCES for LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY
(Thanks to Hannah Jane Sassaman)

Almanac of American Politics: http://www.nationaljournal.com/almanac/2008/states/
Includes historical and current research on state voting trends,
demographics, and political history. Also includes biographies of high
profile political figures. Some information may require a paid
subscription.

Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest - www.clpi.org
They have a great deal of useful information about advocacy and
lobbying on their web site including how-to kits and letters from the
IRS which explain that that lobbying is legal for nonprofits.

Govtrack.us: http://www.govtrack.us/
A comprehensive site covering maps of Congressional districts,
gathering information on current bills, and linking to resources on the
voting records of legislators. Includes an informative weblog of
people's experiences with the legislative system.

Congress.org: http://www.congress.org
A place to look up your federal and state representatives, with your
zip code! Links to legislative positions, length of time in power on
Capitol Hill.

Capwiz.com, hosted by the Nation Magazine: http://capwiz.com/thenation/dbq/officials/
This is another congressional directory, including city, state, federal
legislators. The added bonus: The site allows you to identify the key
staff for most Federal legislators (check out this page on Chaka
Fattah, for example – http://capwiz.com/thenation/bio/staff/?id=500).
Always call to confirm the identity of a staffer, but get a head start
here.

Senate.gov: http://senate.gov/
This site tracks the daily business of the US Senate, including major
floor votes. You can find Senate Committees that deal with issues of
concern to you here:
http://senate.gov/pagelayout/committees/d_three_sections_with_teasers/co...
as well as transcripts from hearings.

House.gov: http://house.gov
Basic resources on the House of Representatives and Committees.

Thomas: http://thomas.loc.gov
Thomas is the online database to look up floor debates, bill
cosponsors, and statements, the history and text of bills, and other
information, all the way back to the 101st Congress (January 3, 1989).
An extremely powerful place to track information.

Alliance for Justice: http://www.afj.org/for-nonprofits-foundations/
The Alliance for Justice helps nonprofits determine, based on their
budget, how much direct advocacy they are allowed to do, and how to do
it. They hold free and inexpensive trainings every year for groups
hoping to break into direct advocacy. Call them to learn how they can
help you.

Get an old-fashioned facebook
Several organizations publish hand-held booklets with basic information
on elected officials, their photographs, committee membership and other
details. Check with a labor union such as the AFL-CIO or SEIU, or other
state-wide groups that regularly lobby the legislature. The Capitol
gift shop or library may also have versions available for sale. You can
buy Federal facebooks through Capitol Advantage: http://capitoladvantage.com/