| Committees and Subcommittees with Jurisdiction | Members Participating | Party/Leadership | Interest Groups Participating | Bureaucracies | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reasons for participation and policy preferences | What subcommittee chairs and members are key supporters or opponents and why (e.g. district concerns, long-timer supporter, former job related issue, personal experiences, etc.) | Speaker, majority or minority leaders spoken on this issue, made it one of top 10 items; does party caucus see this issue as on they can run on, separating them from other party. What's the party done on this issue in the past. See NYT. Best to iden tify names of NYT staffers who write on congress and search by name. Topic searches in NYT are useless. | Interest groups support and opposing this leg. See hearings in particular for who testified, those groups' web pages, NYT, CQ. Groups include any organized interest, e.g. AARP, AHA, labor, NFIB, AMA, etc. Any groups formed coalition? | Law creating agency, mission, norms, history| House Jurisdictions | Senate Jurisdictions, House Committees, Senate Committees, Contacting Congress, Member Web Sites, Project Vote Smart, Center for Responsive Politics, THOMAS Explanation Party Leaders, | Party Web Sites, Academic Universe See below for using remotely Explanation Committee Hearings, (Public Access) | Congressional Universe See below for using remotely, NHC Members, Lobby Groups Explanation Government
Manual, | U.S.Code, Agency Web Sites, Unified Agenda, MIRLYN-Web Explanation Institutional Endowments
| e.g. a key supporter is a chair of a subcommittee
with jurisdiction.
Other supporters are (give names) key members with long track record on related issues. Subcommittee chair, PAC director, has detailed info on Medicaid, queue giver, etc; or
ranking minority member.
| Probably blank unless party mounts a major
campaign via its machinery.
| Group has important resources, e.g. AHA is large
employer
represented in every members' district; teaching hospitals concentrated in
key committee members' districts. Part of coalition with other groups with
high prestige, big money, jobs, prestige, etc.
| Budget, research capability, congressional and
presidential support, culture of agency, agency statute |
Contacting Congress | Member Web Sites Project Vote Smart Center for Responsive Politics THOMAS Explanation Party Web Sites | Explanation NHC Membership | Lobby Groups Academic Universe See below for remote access Explanation Budget, | Congressional Hearings National Journal CQ Weekly Report U.S.Code, Agency Web Sites, President Explanation Activities and Effectiveness
| Introduced bills in past sessions, held
hearings, cut compromise
with key member of other party, got wording changed, or added key provision.
| Party may issue white papers, support or oppose
candidates who support issue.
| Major grass roots compaign against this
proposal in past congress; threatened to mount
TV ad campaign; giving money to key opponents or supporters.
| Task force reports and committees, testimony,
writing regulations,
marshalling interest groups, issuing grants or contracts, sanctions | THOMAS | Explanation Allpolitics | Party Web Sites Academic Universe See below for remote access Explanation NHC Members | Lobby Groups Academic Universe See below for remote access Center for Responsive Politics Explanation
Code
of Federal Regulations, | Federal Register, Administrative Law Decisions, Grants, GAO Reports, Congressional Hearings, Agency Web Site, Periodicals, Newspaper Articles, Explanation |
House of Representatives: http://www.house.gov/
Links to individual members with their biographies, positions, and sometimes bills introduced.
Senate: http://www.senate.gov/
Links to individual members with their biographies, positions, and sometimes bills introduced.
THOMAS: http://thomas.loc.gov/
Indexes the Congressional Record since 1993 by speaker, subject, and date. Includes the full text.
Center for Responsive Politics: http://www.opensecrets.org/
Political Party Web Sites: http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/healpol.html#party
Academic Universe: http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe
Congressional Universe: http://web.lexis-nexis.com/congcomp/
Remote students cannot access through the web but can access through lynx. Telnet to login.itd.umich.edu Signon with your uniqname and password. At the % prompt, type lynx http://web.lexis-nexis.com/congcomp/
Use the tab and arrow keys to navigate. Results can be viewed on the screen or mailed to your e-mail account.
Congressional Hearings: http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/hearings.html
National Health Council: http://www.healthanswers.com/sources/nhc/membership.asp
Project Vote Smart: http://www.vote-smart.org/
COMMITTEES/SUBCOMMITTEES AND JURISDICTION
These sites will give the jursidiction of the main committees. Be sure to look at both the subject committees, such as House Commerce, as well as subcommittees of both the Senate and House Appropriations Committees. Think in broad terms, such as health, rather than specific terms like pediatric AIDS.
If you're not still not sure, check the committee and subcommittee listing of Juan Cabanela's
Then there are the tough problems, like who handles motor vehicle safety if it's not in the jurisdiction of the House Transportation Committee. (It's really House Commerce) To figure it out, try searching THOMAS, Bill Summary and Status. Type in a keyword (e.g. automobile safety). Choose any bill and check which committee handled it.
THOMAS http://thomas.loc.gov
MEMBERS PARTICIPATING - REASONS
103rd and 104th Congresses: http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/congdir.html
105th-106th Congress: Congressional Directory http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/cong016.html
Check member's personal web site. Identify URL: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
Look up Senator or Representative (bottom of page). Which industries contributed money to their campaigns?
Search Congressional Record for speeches (e.g. "pediatric aids" and Christopher Dodd.
MEMBERS PARTICIPATING - INSTITUTIONAL ENDOWMENTS
MEMBERS PARTICIPATING - ACTIVITIES
Includes New York Times and Washington Post among other sources.
Search General News Topics/Major Newspapers or Government and Political News/Legislative News
Sample search: uninsured children and previous year
PARTY/LEADERSHIP - INSTITUTIONAL ENDOWMENTS
Includes New York Times and Washington Post among other sources.
Search General News Topics/Major Newspapers or Government and Political News/Legislative News
PARTY/LEADERSHIP - EFFECTIVENESS
CNN, Time, Congressional Quarterly news site. Use search engine in blue box on left side of screen. Example: +pregnancy +congress May have something on elections
Includes New York Times and Washington Post among other sources.
Search General News Topics/Major Newspapers or Government and Political News/Legislative News
INTEREST GROUPS - REASONS FOR PARTICIPATING
Go to Congressional Publications/Search the Full Text of Testimony, and search under topic or organization. (e.g. search of lead poisoning yielded testimony by the National American Indian Council)
b. Congressional Committee Hearings: http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/hearings.html
b. See political science web page for additional sites http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/psusp.html#lobby
INTEREST GROUPS - INSTITUTIONAL ENDOWMENTS
b. Lobby Group Web Sites: http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/psusp.html#lobby
Includes New York Times and Washington Post among other sources.
Search General News Topics/Major Newspapers or Government and Political News/Legislative News
Sample search: uninsured children and previous year
a. National Health Council http://www.healthanswers.com/sources/nhc/membership.asp
b. See the political science web page for additional sites
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/psusp.html#lobby
Includes New York Times and Washington Post among other sources.
Look up Senator or Representative (bottom of page). Which industries contributed money to their campaigns?
BUREAUCRACIES - REASONS FOR PARTICIPATION
Search the most recent edition for the name of the agency. Provides the statutory basis for the agency, names of officials, and an excellent summary of its activities. It may be easier to use the paper version at the library: Public Health (RA 11.A25), Taubman Medical and Documents Center (JK 421 .A3).
Semi-annual section of the Federal Register that provides agency plans for regulations and assigns priorities. Search by agency (e.g. "public health service" or subject)
BUREAUCRACIES - INSTITUTIONAL ENDOWMENTS
Current Budget Appendix gives appropriations for previous years and is searchable by agency. Historical Tables provides agency appropriations at the cabinet level.
Congressional hearings include testimony of agencies on their budget, proposed legislation, and oversight investigations. Enter through Congressional Publications. Search either the CIS Index and Abstracts or the Full Text of Testimony.
Weekly periodical analyzing the politics of the Executive Branch. Searchable since 1977. Enter through Inside Washington.
Weekly periodical analyzing Congressional politics. Searchable since 1983.
Consists of laws-in-force. Includes laws establishing an agency and laws an agency administers. Difficult to search because of length search results. It is probably better to browse the list of titles.
Identify the agency web site. Most web sites describe missions and programs. Some also provide agency history. Do not expect an agency web site to discuss its own politics.
Search the President's web site for speeches and press releases about the agency.
BUREAUCRACIES - ACTIVITIES AND EFFECTIVENESS
Text of all Executive Branch regulations in force. Search for Title 42. Professor Weissert's Example
Text of all new and proposed regulations issued by Executive Branch agencies. Both types of regulations include the background of the proposal and a citation to the authorizing law. Enter through Bills, Laws and Regulations. Data base goes back to 1980.
Links to administrative law decisions (executive agency court decisions) available on the internet.
Searchable catalog of government grants with data on purpose, laws and regulations governing the grant, examples of funded projects, award monies available. Searchable by keyword.
Reports target fraud and waste in the federal government. Go to GAO Blue Book Reports and check off box; search by keyword. Full text since 1994.
Congressional hearings include testimony of agencies on their budget, proposed legislation, and oversight investigations. Enter through Congressional Publications. Search either the CIS Index and Abstracts or the Full Text of Testimony.
Identify the agency web site. Most web sites describe missions and programs. Some also provide agency history. Do not expect an agency web site to discuss its own politics.
Search WILS for periodical articles about the politics of the agency.
Full text of newspapers around the world but especially the United States. May pick up articles with obscure facts about agency relations.
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/pew8.html
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