LibGuides: Social Welfare Policies & Services: Federal, State & Local Policies

Looking for Elected Officials?

Look for your federal and state representatives:

Step 1: Find your 9-digit zip code. Don't know it? Don't worry, Look Up A Zipcode on the United States Potal Service website.

Step 2: Find your elected officials using Project Vote Smart.

Massachusetts Government

Looking for state agencies in Massachusetts? Then Mass.Gov is going to be where you start. Looking for a different state? All governmental sites should end with ".gov" and are form of the state's name.

Looking for laws or legislators in Massachusetts? Then malegislature.gov is going to be where you search.

Policy Information Sites

Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, DC. Our mission is to conduct in-depth research that leads to new ideas for solving problems facing society at the local, national and global level.
Center for Law and Social Policy
The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) is a national, nonpartisan, anti-poverty organization advancing policy solutions that work for low-income people.
Center for the Study of Social Policy
The Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) works to secure equal opportunities and better futures for all children and families, especially those most often left behind.
Institute for Policy Research
The Institute for Policy Research (IPR) is an interdisciplinary public policy research institute founded in 1968 at Northwestern University. Our mission is to stimulate and support excellent social science research on significant public policy issues and to disseminate the findings widely—to students, scholars, policymakers, and the public.
Policy Archive
PolicyArchive is digital archive of global, non-partisan public policy research. Search for summaries and full text materials of think tank, university, government, and foundation-funded policy research.
Social Work Policy Institute
The Social Work Policy Institute examines issues that relate to the work of social workers, including how to serve people who have multiple or complex needs and how public agencies and other structures deliver health and human services.
Urban Institute
The nonprofit Urban Institute is one of the country’s leading research institutions, known for broad economic and social policy expertise and five decades of scholarship.
NASW Policy Issues
NASW has developed a policy agenda, which asserts the association’s advocacy priorities for the legislative cycle.

Federal and State Legislation & Policies

Congress.Gov: United States Legislative Information
Congress.gov is the official source for federal legislative information. It currently includes all data sets available on THOMAS.gov except nominations, treaties and communications. These data sets will be added throughout 2014.
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
The CBO produces independent analyses of budgetary and economic issues to support the Congressional budget process. The agency is strictly nonpartisan and conducts objective, impartial analysis.
Represent (ProPublica)
This site provides information on lawmakers, the bills they consider and the votes they take (and miss)
How Our Laws Are Made
This brightly colored infographic maps out the process of turning a bill into a law. By Mike Wirth and Dr. Suzanne Cooper Guasco
Library of Congress State and Local Government Information
State government information collected by the Library of Congress
Open States
Open States aggregates legislative information from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Government Accountability Office News

The latest news from the GAO - an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. Often called the "congressional watchdog," GAO investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars.

Sunlight Foundation Tools: Tracking Politics

Congressional Staff Directory
Search for and find Capitol Hill contacts using the latest employee data available from Congress
GovTrack
GovTrack.us tracks the United States Congress and helps Americans participate in their national legislature by publishing the status of federal legislation, information about your representative and senators in Congress including voting records, and original research on bills and votes.