Discovering the General Assembly Web Site to Better Engage Your Patrons

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Discovering the General Assembly Web Site to
Better Engage Your Patrons

• Mary Clark, State and Federal Publications
  Program Director
• Mary Dessypris, Reference Services Manager

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The General Assembly Site

• http//legis.state.va.us
• Easily divided into two separate but related
  units
• The GA site itself
• The Legislative Information System

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Left Navigation

• Meetings and Events
• Legislative Meetings
• Includes studies and commissions and legislative
  agency meetings
• Special Events
• Session Dates and Times
• Procedural Resolution
• Commonwealth Calendar
• Regulatory calendar plus legislative meetings

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Studies and Commissions

• Membership
• Meeting Agendas
• Reports to the General Assembly
• House Documents
• Senate Documents
• Report Documents

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General Assembly Home Page Top Navigation

• Visitors Guide
• Citizens Guide
• Legislative Information System
• Capital Classroom
• Whos My Legislator

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Citizens Guide Highlights

• Left Navigation
• General Assembly
• Citizen Participation
• Lobbyist Links
• Quick Links on the Right
• Direct links to General Assembly info sources

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Whos My Legislator

• Find your representatives in the House of
  Delegates and Senate
• Provides detailed contact information
• Identifies your representative in the United
  States Congress

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Lobbyist-in-a-Box

• Track up to five bills for free
• Need to Register
• Receive e-mail notices of action on your bills,
  referrals to committees, etc.

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Legislative Information System
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Legislative Information System (LIS)

• More than one database
• Bill tracking of the current session
• Other searchable Databases
• Bill Summaries -  session summariesConstitution
  -  Constitution of VirginiaCode of Virginia -
   statutory lawVirginia Administrative Code -
   state agency rulesReports to the General
  Assembly -  House and Senate documentsRules of
  the Supreme Court -  court rules
• Other Sessions 1994 2008 and across sessions

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Information in a Newspaper Example A

• Senate passes handguns bill
• The Senate passed a bill that would allow people
  to carry concealed handguns in restaurants or
  clubs, but would prohibit them from drinking
  alcohol on the premises. The Senate voted 24-15
  Tuesday in favor of Republican, Sen. Emmett
  Hanger's bill, which makes it a misdemeanor for
  those carrying a concealed handgun to drink
  alcohol at such venues. Current law allows gun
  owners to bring their weapons into a restaurant
  or club only if they are visible,...
• Daily Press, 2/13/2008

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Information in a Newspaper Example B

• Cruel but Not Unusual
• Dogfighting, unlike cockfighting, is illegal in
  all 50 states. In Maryland, Virginia and the
  District it is a felony, as is possession of dogs
  for fighting . Yesterday, Virginia's House of
  Delegates passed legislation making cockfighting
  a felony. The Senate earlier passed a similar
  measure. Yet watching dogs or birds fight is a
  mere misdemeanor in the District, Maryland and
  Virginia. Little wonder that when there's a raid,
  everyone on the premises suddenly becomes a
  spectator.

WP 2/13/2008
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Heard it on the radio Example C

• Seat belts Primary offense
• No other information available
• Has bill passed?
• How to proceed to find information?

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Tracking the bills

• General Assembly
• Legislative Information System (LIS)
• Example A Name of Legislator
• Example B DogfightingSubject
• Example C Seat beltsSubject
• Steps to find correct way to search
• Try different terms
• Cumulative index
• Agency

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Follow up
Mary Clark mary.clark_at_lva.virginia.gov 804/692-37
54 Mary Dessypris Mary.dessypris_at_lva.virginia.gov
804/692-3552