Computing With Bifocals by Nancy Carroll Gravley A column for people who remember what the world was like before there was color..... Use Your Mac to Keep Up With Your Government November 11th, 1998 Have you sometimes wished you knew just what was going on in your state legislature and how it might impact you? Usually we don't find out most of these things until they are a done deal and we read about them in the paper or hear about them on the news. You may conclude that a special interest group or a powerful lobby has gotten involved and created one-sided deals, or you may wonder why in the world a legislature would address insignificant things. My favorite from our last state legislative session was a bill that named the cast iron Dutch oven the "state pot" Go figure. Your Mac and the internet can open the door to allow you access to legislation while it is happening; tell you who to contact to express your opinion; tell you who is voting for what; and even notify you when public hearings are taking place on specific subjects. You can review it all just because you are interested or search out specific topics of special interest to you. Most of the states have web pages that allow you to tap into legislative activity. And, there is one site that you can visit to find them all. Go to www.globalcomputing.com/states.html. You will find a map of the United States. Click on any state's image and you will go directly to the home page for that state. From there you can follow the links to get all the information available on your legislature. Following is a brief (down and dirty) summary of what I found to be available. If your legislature is not currently in session there may be items that are not available now that will be available during a session. State Lists Members By Name: Provides Contact Info Provides E-mail Address Provides Members Bios Gives Committee Assignments Provides Calendar of Floor Action Provides Summary of Bills Provides Hearings Info Explains How To Testify Before Committees Provides Key Word Search of Text of Bills Other Alabama • • •       • 1     Alaska • • • • • • • •       Arizona • • • • • •         Lists sponsors of bills Arkansas • •   • •         California • • • • • • • • • •   Colorado • • • • • • • •     Special link to Senior's page Connecticut • • • • • • •         Delaware • • • •           Florida • • • • • • •   •   Georgia • • • • • • 2     •   Hawaii • • • • • • • •   Idaho • • • •       Illi is • •       •           Indiana • • • • • •       Tells which legislators filed which bills Iowa • • • • • • •         Kansas • • • • •         Kentucky • • • • •           Explains how bills become law and has advistory committee on senior citizens Louisiana • • • • • • •     •   Maine • • • • • • •     Maryland • 23 ? ? ? ? • •       Massachusetts                       Michigan • • •             •   Minnesota • • • •   • •         Mississippi • • • • • • • •       Missouri • • • • • •   •   Montana • • •   •   •         Nebraska • • •   •   • •     Nevada • • •   •   •     •   New Hampshire • 4 • • •   • • 2         New Jersey                       New Mexico • •     • •   •   •   New York • • • • • •         North Carolina • • • • •     •   North Dakota • • • • •         Ohio •           •         Oklahoma • • • • • • • •       Oregon • • • • •     •       Explains how bills become law Pennsylvania • • • • • •         Information on legislation planned for near future Rhode Island • • •       •     •   South Carolina •   • • • •   •       South Dakota • • • • • • • •     Tennessee • •   •     •     •   Texas • •     • • • •   •   Utah • • • • • •   Vermont • • • • • • • •   •   Virginia • • • • •         • Tells how to track a bill Washington • • • • •         •   West Virginia • • • •     •     •   Wisconsin • • • • • • • • •   Wyoming • • •     • •         1 By phone only 2 Can only access if you have the bill number 3 Can enter if you know address 4 You must have last name to access Copies of Nancy's book Tips, Hints, and Solutions for Seasoned Beginners Using Apple Macintosh Computers With OS X are available in PDF download versions  for US$9.57 and in print version for $18.15 plus $4.00 shipping.   To view sample pages and get ordering information visit the September 14, 2004 column. Post your comments below. Check out Nancy's complete index of all her columns for the most complete list of tips anywhere. The list is categorized and is a great reference when you are looking for help! A Capacious Catalog Of Computer Tips Talking to a generation that remembers what the world was like before there was color, covers issues for people who don't care how their computer works, but rather what their computer and the internet can do for them. Nancy has a Master's degree in Human Services Administration and prior to her retirement she worked for almost 30 years in field of mental health and mental retardation. She has been a Mac user for 11 years, and has recently developed an avocation of teaching basic computer skills in both group and one-to-one settings. 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