Public Policy and Legislative

Public Policy Legislative

Introduction

: This guide contains links to information relevant to public policy and the legislative, judicial, and executive processes. The links below are a mix of government, academic, and corporate sites; some are free to use, and some are accessible through a licensing agreement with Cornell University.

Keywords
public policy, politics, government, legislative, judicial

Prepared by James DelRosso, July 2006

Databases

http://www.lexis.com/research/home?lawschool=0

ILR School community only

More extensive and useful, requires training and an ILR password. Combines many critical information resources into one dynamic site. Special materials for human resources, employment and labor law including full-text books. Using your favorite browser, you can keep on top of the latest news (includes full-text of the New York Times and other major and minor newspapers), stay abreast of the hottest legal topics, and find current information on legal and legal-related products and services available from LEXIS-NEXIS. More than 1.6 billion full-text documents available.

NCSL 50-State Legislative Tracking Web Resources

http://www.ncsl.org/programs/lis/lrl/50statetracking.htm

At the request of NCSL's Legislative Research Librarians (LRL) staff section, NCSL has developed this resource of 50-state compilations covering various issues that concern state legislators and legislative staff. Here you will find a topical, alphabetical listing of legislative and statutory databases, compilations and state charts/maps.

THOMAS - Legislative Information on the Internet

http://thomas.loc.gov/

Thomas provides free access to a wide range of legislative information on the Congress, including the full text of the Congressional Record and bills for the 103rd to the present Congress, a directory of congressional committees and members of Congress, the weekly floor schedule for the House, and a schedule of daily committee hearings. Includes text of How Our Laws are Made by Edward F. Willett Jr.

AccessUN Full Text Indexes 1966-

http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/aqg7557

Cornell University community only

Provides access to current and retrospective United Nations documents and publications.

Congressional Universe

http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/aqh6127

Cornell University community only

Materials pertaining to the U.S. Congress: members and committees, bills, laws, hearing transcripts, committee prints, documents, the Congressional Record, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Code. Previously entitled Congressional compass.

CQ Public Affairs Collection

http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/4139762

Cornell University community only

CQ Public Affairs Collection brings together CQ's storehouse of current affairs content in a fully integrated reference tool. Some subjects are advocacy and public service, education, energy, the environment, health, and transportation. Provides in-depth reporting on vital issues, statistical and historical analyses, historic documents and primary source materials, as well as a directory of key government, nonprofit, and private organizations in each of the major policy areas.

CQ Researcher

http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/1908299

Cornell University community only

Published: Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Inc., c1997-
CQ Researcher provides articles on current and controversial world issues providing background information, pro and con arguments, bibliographies, and more.

National Journal Group's Policy Central

http://campusgw.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/connect.cgi?id=6491

Provides direct links to the full text of National Journal publications such as National Journal, Almanac of American Politics, Congress Daily, Technology Daily, American Health Line, The Hotline, Markup Reports, Poll Track, and others.

State Capital Universe

http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/arw4286

Cornell University community only

Provides access to bills, laws, constitutions, proposed and enacted regulations, legislature membership and newspapers of record for all the states.

Journals

Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy

http://organizations.lawschool.cornell.edu/cjlpp/large/default.htm

First published in July 1992, the Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy is dedicated to publishing articles, commentaries, book reviews, and student notes that explore the intersections of law and public or social policy.

CQ Researcher

http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/1908299

Cornell University community only

Published: Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Inc., c1997-
CQ Researcher provides articles on current and controversial world issues providing background information, pro and con arguments, bibliographies, and more.

CQ Weekly - Full Text

http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/3174422

Cornell University community only

Oct. 1983- The CQ Weekly is known as one of the key resources for Congress-watchers who need non-partisan information on Capitol Hill. Often articles are available via this resource before they appear in print.

Industrial and Labor Relations Review

http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/ilrreview/

Issued quarterly since October 1947, the Industrial & Labor Relations Review is a leading interdisciplinary journal publishing original research on all aspects of the employment relationship. This site contains the full text of articles and book reviews dating from April 2003 (Vol. 56, No. 3). All visitors can view and download (a) any book review archived in this site and (b) any archived article that is 1-1/2 years old or older. Subscribers can, in addition, view and download recent and current articles.

Policy Sciences Periodicals

http://erms.library.cornell.edu/search/dPolicy+sciences+--+Periodicals./dpolicy+sciences+periodicals/-2%2C-1%2C0%2CB/exact&FF=dpolicy+sciences+periodicals&1%2C24%2C

Cornell University community only

This is a list of electronic journals available through the Cornell University Library related to the Policy Sciences.

Public Policy Law United States Periodicals

http://erms.library.cornell.edu/search/dpublic+policy/dpublic+policy/1%2C3%2C20%2CB/exact&FF=dpublic+policy+law+united+states+periodicals&1%2C15%2C

Cornell University community only

This is a list of electronic journals available through the Cornell University Library related to Public Policy Law in the United States.

Social Policy Periodicals

http://erms.library.cornell.edu/search/dsocial+policy/dsocial+policy/1%2C12%2C25%2CB/exact&FF=dsocial+policy+periodicals&1%2C10%2C

Cornell University community only

This is a list of electronic journals available through the Cornell University Library related to Social Policy.

Government

DOL: Phone Contacts by Topic: U.S. Department of Labor

http://www.dol.gov/dol/contact/contact-phone-topics.htm

An extensive list of phone numbers for who to call at the U.S. Department of Labor on a wide variety of topics.

EPI: Useful Government Economic Statistical Releases

http://library.epinet.org/epi/stats.html

Useful compilation of links to U.S. government economic press releases.

NYSDOL: Labor Market Analysts: New York State Department of Labor

http://www.labor.state.ny.us/workforceindustrydata/lmas.asp?reg=fin

NYS Dept. of Labor has labor market analysts in 10 locations across the state; they provide data about wages, economic trends, and workforce issues.

THOMAS - Legislative Information on the Internet

http://thomas.loc.gov/

Thomas provides free access to a wide range of legislative information on the Congress, including the full text of the Congressional Record and bills for the 103rd to the present Congress, a directory of congressional committees and members of Congress, the weekly floor schedule for the House, and a schedule of daily committee hearings. Includes text of How Our Laws are Made by Edward F. Willett Jr.

CBO - Congressional Budget Office

http://www.cbo.gov/

The Congressional Budget Office is a small nonpartisan agency that produces policy analyses, cost estimates of legislation, and budget and economic projections that serve as a basis for the Congress's decisions about spending and taxes.

CRS - Congressional Research Service (Open CRS)

http://www.opencrs.com/

The U.S. Congressional Research Service is where Members of Congress turn for confidential, nonpartisan research and analysis on a range of issues. CRS provides this information and analysis as an extension of, or supplement to, the Member's own office staff -- a relationship that affords CRS staff a level of access uncommon The U.S. Congressional Research Service is where Members of Congress turn for confidential, nonpartisan research and analysis on a range of issues. CRS provides this information and analysis as an extension of, or supplement to, the Member's own office staff -- a relationship that affords CRS staff a level of access uncommon to most other public policy groups in Washington. Currently, these materials are only available through third parties. For specific workplace information, see the specific section of KEY WORKPLACE DOCUMENTS that contains CRS materials.

GAO - Government Accountability Office

http://www.gao.gov/

The Government Accountability Office is the investigative arm of Congress. GAO exists to support the Congress in meeting its Constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and accountability of the federal government for the American people. GAO examines the use of public funds, evaluates federal programs and activities, and provides analyses, options, recommendations, and other assistance to help the Congress make effective oversight, policy, and funding decisions.

Associations and Organizations

Center for an Urban Future

http://www.nycfuture.org/

NYC-based think tank “that fuses journalistic reporting techniques with traditional policy analysis to produce in-depth reports and workable policy solutions on the critical issues facing our cities.” See Research Center for a library of reports and transcripts from a number of policy-oriented think tanks.

Community Service Society

http://www.cssny.org/

A long-time nonprofit organization that advocates for and does research on poverty and community issues in NYC. Site includes policy briefs, reports, and testimony.

EPI - Economic Policy Institute

http://epinet.org/

EPI is a is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank "that seeks to broaden the public debate about strategies to achieve a prosperous and fair economy". Their web site features briefings, data and reports on economic issues such as minimum wage, trade policies, employment trends.

FPI: Fiscal Policy Institute

http://www.fiscalpolicy.org/

Created in 1991, FPI “works to increase public and governmental understanding of issues related to the fairness of New York's tax system and the stability and adequacy of state and local public services”. Its biennial report “The State of Working New York” is available in print and on its web site; you can also find a wealth of data, research & analysis on employment, corporate accountability, tax & budget analysis, and more.

Rockefeller Institute - Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government

http://www.rockinst.org/

The Rockefeller Institute of Government is the public policy research arm of the State University of New York. The Institute conducts research on the role of state and local governments in American federalism and on the management and finances of states and localities. The web site offers the full text of many of its reports plus an online version of its new journal, Journal of Governmental Finance and Public Policy.

Stateline.org

http://www.stateline.org/

This nonprofit, independent web site is a resource for journalists, students, researchers and citizens interested in state-level policy issues. The site publishes state-related news on elections, crime, economy, health care, technology, taxes & budget, energy, politics and the environment daily (except for holidays). Additional reference materials includes an annual State of the States report.

Associations Unlimited

http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/4010718

Cornell University community only

Contains information for approximately 460,000 international and U.S. national, regional, state, and local nonprofit membership organizations in all fields, including IRS data on U.S. 501(c) nonprofit organizations. For some 2,600 major U.S. national associations, provides full-text association materials such as brochures, pamphlets, and membership application forms. Covers the following: U.S. national associations (23,000); International associations (20,000); U.S. regional, state, and local associations (115,000); Associations' Materials for selected national associations (2,600); IRS Data on U.S. 501(c) nonprofit organizations (300,000).

The print version is titled Encyclopedia of Associations.

Leadership Library on the Internet (Yellow Book Directories)

http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/4100558

ILR School community only

Includes 14 Leadership Directories yellow books, of which five are published quarterly: Congressional yellow book, Federal yellow book, State yellow book, Corporate yellow book, and News media yellow book; and nine are published semiannually: Municipal yellow book, Federal regional yellow book, Judicial yellow book, Financial yellow book, Associations yellow book, Law firms yellow book, Government affairs yellow book, Foreign representatives in the U.S. yellow book, and Nonprofit sector yellow book. This site allows searching and browsing within individual directories or across all 14 directories using single or multiple criteria, such as name, job title, industry, and geographical location. Leadership Library Licensing Agreement

NationalJournal.com

http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/4037574

Cornell University community only

National Journal Group Inc. is a leading publisher of magazines, newsletters, books and directories for people who have a professional interest in politics, policy and government. Based in Washington, D.C., National Journal Group Inc. is committed to providing publications and services that are nonpartisan, reliable and of the highest quality.

Cases and Decisions

NCSL 50-State Legislative Tracking Web Resources

http://www.ncsl.org/programs/lis/lrl/50statetracking.htm

At the request of NCSL's Legislative Research Librarians (LRL) staff section, NCSL has developed this resource of 50-state compilations covering various issues that concern state legislators and legislative staff. Here you will find a topical, alphabetical listing of legislative and statutory databases, compilations and state charts/maps.

Decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court

http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/5065789

Formerly known as: Decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court and, more recently, as: LII Hermes. Offers Supreme Court decisions since 1990, searchable by keyword, date of decision, and includes section of historic decisions.

Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe: Campus Menu

http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/3126641

Cornell University community only

Lexis-Nexis' Academic Universe provides access to full text resources on topics including current and general news; business and financial information; newspapers; company directories; government and politics; medical and health topics; accounting, auditing, and tax; federal and state laws; legal cases; and regulations. Resources include TV and radio news transcripts.

Lexis-Nexis: ILR Menu

http://www.lexis.com/research/home?lawschool=0

ILR School community only

More extensive and useful, requires training and an ILR password. Combines many critical information resources into one dynamic site. Special materials for human resources, employment and labor law including full-text books. Using your favorite browser, you can keep on top of the latest news (includes full-text of the New York Times and other major and minor newspapers), stay abreast of the hottest legal topics, and find current information on legal and legal-related products and services available from LEXIS-NEXIS. More than 1.6 billion full-text documents available.

Westlaw Campus

http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/4218047

Cornell University community only

Contents include: cases from the courts of all 50 states and the federal courts including the Supreme Court; statutes from all 50 states and federal statutes published in the United States Code Annotated; federal regulations published in the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations; American Law Reports, a publication containing attorney-written articles that summarize and analyze case law on a particular legal issue; and American Jurisprudence 2d, a comprehensive encyclopedia of state and federal law.

Statistics and Data

EPI - Economic Policy Institute

http://epinet.org/

EPI is a is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank "that seeks to broaden the public debate about strategies to achieve a prosperous and fair economy". Their web site features briefings, data and reports on economic issues such as minimum wage, trade policies, employment trends.

EPI: Useful Government Economic Statistical Releases

http://library.epinet.org/epi/stats.html

Useful compilation of links to U.S. government economic press releases.

Public Agenda Online

http://publicagenda.org/

Public Agenda provides unbiased research that bridges the gap between American leaders and what the public really thinks about issues ranging from education to foreign policy to immigration to religion and civility in American life.

Web Sites

EPI: Useful Government Economic Statistical Releases

http://library.epinet.org/epi/stats.html

Useful compilation of links to U.S. government economic press releases.

NCSL 50-State Legislative Tracking Web Resources

http://www.ncsl.org/programs/lis/lrl/50statetracking.htm

At the request of NCSL's Legislative Research Librarians (LRL) staff section, NCSL has developed this resource of 50-state compilations covering various issues that concern state legislators and legislative staff. Here you will find a topical, alphabetical listing of legislative and statutory databases, compilations and state charts/maps.

Public Policy Updates

http://www.cupahr.org/

From the College and University Personnel Association (CUPA). This site provides a weekly update of public policy issues affecting the HR profession. Features include upcoming events, benefits watch, legal watch, and legislative tracker. The site also has an archive and downloadable documents.

Rockefeller Institute: Other Public Policy Sites

http://www.rockinst.org/links/index.html

A good selective list of public policy web sites, including federal, state, political, media, and research organizations.

Stateline.org

http://www.stateline.org/

This nonprofit, independent web site is a resource for journalists, students, researchers and citizens interested in state-level policy issues. The site publishes state-related news on elections, crime, economy, health care, technology, taxes & budget, energy, politics and the environment daily (except for holidays). Additional reference materials includes an annual State of the States report.

Yahoo!: Directory on U.S. Political Issues

http://dir.yahoo.com/Government/U_S__Government/Politics/Political_Issues/

A convenient directory of web sites on diverse, sometimes controversial political issues (ex., death penality, race relations). Use with caution, many of these sites represent one, sometimes an extreme, viewpoint.

Yahoo!: Public Policy

http://dir.yahoo.com/Social_Science/Political_Science/Public_Policy/

A list of public policy issues and related websites.

Yahoo!: Public Policy>Institutes

http://dir.yahoo.com/Social_Science/Political_Science/Public_Policy/Institutes/

A listing of over 140 public policy think tanks and institutes covering the whole political spectrum.

Almanac of Policy Issues

http://www.policyalmanac.org/

This site provides background information, archived documents, and links on major U.S. public policy issues. Subject headings on the site include Criminal Justice, Culture and Society, Economic Issues, Education, Environment, Government Operations, Health, Social Welfare, and World: Foreign Affairs & National Security.

Cornell Law School: Legal Information Institute

http://www.law.cornell.edu/

The Legal Information Institute (LII) is a research and electronic publishing activity of the Cornell Law School. The LII is known internationally as a leading “law-not-com” provider of public legal information. This site offers all opinions of the United States Supreme Court handed down since 1992, together with over 600 earlier decisions selected for their historic importance, over a decade of opinions of the New York Court of Appeals, and the full United States Code. The LII also publishes important secondary sources: libraries in two important areas (legal ethics and social security) and a series of “topical” pages that serve as concise explanatory guides and Internet resource listings for roughly 100 areas of law.

Virtualchase.com: Legal Research Guide: Labor and Employment Law (U.S.)

http://www.virtualchase.com/resources/labor_law.html

Legal research requires the use of special tools and publications. The Virtual Chase informs about Web sites and research strategies for finding the law.

Consultants

DOL: Phone Contacts by Topic: U.S. Department of Labor

http://www.dol.gov/dol/contact/contact-phone-topics.htm

An extensive list of phone numbers for who to call at the U.S. Department of Labor on a wide variety of topics.

ILR School (Cornell): Experts Directory

http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/directory/experts.html

Areas of expertise include industrial relations, employment law and policy, labor economics, women in the workplace.

New York Progressive Network - Expert Directory

http://www.nypn.org/htm/resources/index.html

"Knowledge experts" from member organizations in the areas of immigration, women's issues, NYC politics, NYS politics, housing, land use, and more.

NYSDOL: Labor Market Analysts: New York State Department of Labor

http://www.labor.state.ny.us/workforceindustrydata/lmas.asp?reg=fin

NYS Dept. of Labor has labor market analysts in 10 locations across the state; they provide data about wages, economic trends, and workforce issues.

Directories

DOL: Phone Contacts by Topic: U.S. Department of Labor

http://www.dol.gov/dol/contact/contact-phone-topics.htm

An extensive list of phone numbers for who to call at the U.S. Department of Labor on a wide variety of topics.

ILR School (Cornell): Experts Directory

http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/directory/experts.html

Areas of expertise include industrial relations, employment law and policy, labor economics, women in the workplace.

New York Progressive Network - Expert Directory

http://www.nypn.org/htm/resources/index.html

"Knowledge experts" from member organizations in the areas of immigration, women's issues, NYC politics, NYS politics, housing, land use, and more.

Political Science Resources: Think Tanks

http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/psthink.html

Think tanks tend to advance the debate on issues both practically and theoretically and often allow for a broader spectrum view. Individual research institutes may have a policy or political bias that reflects their ideological positioning. Links are provided by the University of Michigan Library Documents Center.

Associations Unlimited

http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/4010718

Cornell University community only

Contains information for approximately 460,000 international and U.S. national, regional, state, and local nonprofit membership organizations in all fields, including IRS data on U.S. 501(c) nonprofit organizations. For some 2,600 major U.S. national associations, provides full-text association materials such as brochures, pamphlets, and membership application forms. Covers the following: U.S. national associations (23,000); International associations (20,000); U.S. regional, state, and local associations (115,000); Associations' Materials for selected national associations (2,600); IRS Data on U.S. 501(c) nonprofit organizations (300,000).

The print version is titled Encyclopedia of Associations.

Congressional Staff Directory

http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/116542

Cornell University community only

Washington's most trusted resource for information on Congress for more than forty years. The electronic and print versions have a common design and are intended to complement each other.

Federal Staff Directory

http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/292208

Cornell University community only

The most trusted and comprehensive resource for information on the federal government. As accurate as ever, our federal government information is now even timelier with our new electronic version.

Judicial Staff Directory

http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/1586788

Cornell University community only

The most trusted and comprehensive resource for information on the U.S. Courts. As accurate as ever, our judicial information (including state courts) is now even timelier with our new electronic version.

Leadership Library on the Internet (Yellow Book Directories)

http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/4100558

ILR School community only

Includes 14 Leadership Directories yellow books, of which five are published quarterly: Congressional yellow book, Federal yellow book, State yellow book, Corporate yellow book, and News media yellow book; and nine are published semiannually: Municipal yellow book, Federal regional yellow book, Judicial yellow book, Financial yellow book, Associations yellow book, Law firms yellow book, Government affairs yellow book, Foreign representatives in the U.S. yellow book, and Nonprofit sector yellow book. This site allows searching and browsing within individual directories or across all 14 directories using single or multiple criteria, such as name, job title, industry, and geographical location. Leadership Library Licensing Agreement

Other Resources

Business.gov: http://business.gov/
Business.gov is an online resource guide designed to provide legal and regulatory information to America's small businesses. Because laws and regulations affect every aspect of business strategy, topics covered on the site range from the most basic and crucial, such as choosing a business structure or hiring a lawyer, to highly specialized issues such as e-commerce and exporting. The site also acts as a gateway to federal, state and local information that affects small businesses. From the site, Business owners may quickly check zoning codes for their local area, or file a complaint with the Office of the National Ombudsman.
EPI: Useful Government Economic Statistical Releases: http://library.epinet.org/epi/stats.html
Useful compilation of links to U.S. government economic press releases.
Rockefeller Institute: Other Public Policy Sites: http://www.rockinst.org/links/index.html
A good selective list of public policy web sites, including federal, state, political, media, and research organizations.
Workplace Issues (for U.S. Citizens): http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/call/workplace.htm
Free guides on Pay & Compensation, Discrimination, Medical Leave, On-the-Job Safety, Lunch and Other Breaks, Pension, and Workplace Posters from the Federal Citizen Information Center, Pueblo Colorado.
Yahoo!: Directory on U.S. Political Issues: http://dir.yahoo.com/Government/U_S__Government/Politics/Political_Issues/
A convenient directory of web sites on diverse, sometimes controversial political issues (ex., death penality, race relations). Use with caution, many of these sites represent one, sometimes an extreme, viewpoint.
Yahoo!: Public Policy: http://dir.yahoo.com/Social_Science/Political_Science/Public_Policy/
A list of public policy issues and related websites.
Yahoo!: Public Policy>Institutes: http://dir.yahoo.com/Social_Science/Political_Science/Public_Policy/Institutes/
A listing of over 140 public policy think tanks and institutes covering the whole political spectrum.

Catherwood Library

Public Policy Legislative

Introduction

Databases

Journals

Government

Associations and Organizations

Cases and Decisions

Statistics and Data

Web Sites

Consultants

Directories

Other Resources

Related Guides

Research Help

Related ILR School Pages