Researching a Bill/Budget Item

How do I find out more information on a particular bill?

Background information on the bill and pertinent issues

Finding Journal Articles

• Academic Search Premiere ~ contains articles from both popular and scholarly sources on a wide range of topics, many in full text.
• CQ Researcher ~ published by Congressional Quarterly, this resource weekly focuses on a particular topic, such as violent video games or the abortion pill RU486; good for finding out background information or learning more about the topic at hand
• Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe ~ this database accesses a wealth of legal news and information.
• Wilson Select Plus - this database contains a myriad of current events magazines and journals

Finding Newspaper Articles

• Chicago Tribune
• Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe ~ also provides access to newspapers from all over the world
• Newspaper Source ~ another database providing access to newspapers both large and small

What if the article isn't available online?

• Use Illinet Online to determine if the library owns the journal in print or in microfilm
• Check Alphabetical List of Journals Online to see if the article is available through another database
• If you cannot find an article at Elmhurst, you can request it through our online Interlibrary Loan article request form

How has my representative/senator has voted on similar bills?

• Illinois General Assembly ~ use the box on the left-hand side to search By Keyword on your topic; find a similar bill, then click on Bill Status; look to see what kind of action has been taken on that bill, and by what committee; up at the top, you'll see a link for Votes; click on that link; click on the link for the reading of the bill, and scan the names of the representatives or senators to see how he/she voted
• Vote Smart US Congress ~ how has your congressperson voted on legislation?
• THOMAS - Legislative Information on the Internet - by the Library of Congress
  
  

What does the President think?

• The White House ~ a place for all official presidential decrees, briefings, comments, etc.

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• Illinois State Board of Elections: Find District/Official by Address ~ you can type in your address to find out your district number and the name of your officials
• Project Vote-Smart ~ if you know it, you can type in your ZIP+9 code into the box on the left-hand side; clicking on the links to the representative's name will give you more information about that person
• Finding My US Senator
• Finding My US Representative

What Assembly/Federal committees does my State/US Representative or Senator sit on?

• Illinois General Assembly: House Members ~ click on the link of the representative for biographical information that might give more insight into the person and his or her beliefs and voting strategies
• Illinois General Assembly: Senate Members ~ click on the link of the representative for biographical information that might give more insight into the person and his or her beliefs and voting strategies
• Thomas: Legislative Information on the Internet ~ scroll down to "Committee Information"

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Contacting The Politician

How do I write a letter to my Senator or Representative?

• Letter Writing for Advocacy ~ from the Reading Recovering Council of North America; also look at the information on faxing
• Letter Writing ~ from the League of Women Voters from New Jersey

How do I find contact information for my senator or representative?

• Illinois General Assembly: House Members ~ click on the link of the representative for contact information
• Illinois General Assembly: Senate Members ~ click on the link of the person for contact information
• US Senate: Members ~ See the Senate Directory
• US House of Representatives: Members ~ See the House Directory
  
  

Citing Your Sources

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Created 7 September, 2005, Ayanna Gaines, Assistant Reference Librarian
Revised for use with the English Department with much grateful thanks, Jennifer Paliatka, Assistant Reference Librarian
A.C. Buehler Library, Elmhurst College