Information Packs
Focus on … State & Local Government
A Selected Webliography
Prepared by Amy Bell Mulaudzi, American Library Director, U.S. Consulate-General, Cape Town. Also available in PDF format [2 pages, 25 KB].
Multi-State Portals
State and Local Government on the Net - http://www.statelocalgov.net/
"The State and Local Government Internet directory provides convenient one-stop access to the websites of thousands of state agencies and city and county governments." Each state page is arranged uniformly, with links to the Governor's Office, the legislature, the courts, all government departments, many state commissions, cities and counties, and often, the statewide public library catalog.
State Law and Government Pages, Emory Law Library's Electronic Reference Desk - www.law.emory.edu/erd/states.html
In a table format, this site provides links to American Law Sources Online, FindLaw, Law Library of Congress, MegaLaw, as well as the State and Local Government on the Net page, for each state. It's especially useful for legal material.
50 States.com - http://www.50states.com/
A bit heavy on the advertising, but a useful source for finding obscure facts, such as what the state license plates look like, or what the lowest elevation is. It also includes the standard state facts, such as the flag, bird, song, etc.
Official State Home Pages
To find the official state homepage of any state, simply type: http://www.state.xx.us where xx is the two letter state code (in lower case).
Organizations
Council of State Governments - http://www.csg.org/
A non-partisan non-profit organization that supports all branches of state government by watching for emerging economic, social and political trends, and suggesting policy options to deal with changing conditions. Publishes an annual volume "Suggested State Legislation", available in full text online at this site.
National Conference of State Legislators - http://www.ncsl.org/
Made up of state legislators and staff, this is a bipartisan organization which provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues. The "Issue Areas" section of their website offers documents on a wide range of subjects of interest to state governments, including education, health, and elections, etc.
National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws - http://www.nccusl.org/
Many states adopt a "uniform law", also known as a model law, instead of writing (or re-writing) their own versions. This site offers links to full text of many uniform laws, ranging from adoption laws, business laws, to real estate law, etc.
National Center for State Courts - http://www.ncsconline.org/
A non-profit organization that promotes justice through leadership and service to the state courts. The website provides links to state and municipal court websites, produces charts and guides to court structures, state court statistics, surveys such as judicial salaries, policy trends, and much more.
National Associations of Attorneys General - http://www.naag.org/
Attorneys General are the chief legal officers of the state. They serve as legal counsellors to the state government, and act as representatives of the public interest. This website features main issues that attorneys general are working with, such as antitrust, consumer protection, civil rights, etc.
National Association of Counties - http://www.naco.org/
Each state is divided into counties, and these counties have a government structure as well. NACo is the national voice of county government officials. It acts as a liaison with other levels of government, works to improve public understanding of counties, serves as a national advocate for counties and provides them with resources to help them find innovative methods to meet the challenges they face. The site offers links to Model County Programs, County Surveys, county codes and ordinances, searchable by subject, and many other useful local government issues.
National League of Cities - http://www.nlc.org/home/
An excellent resource for information about, and advice for, cities and municipalities. The website includes many full text publications on issues of city concern, such as programs for youth, national municipal policies on various issues, transportation, etc.
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices - http://www.nga.org/
"The NGA Center for Best Practices is the nation's only dedicated consulting firm for governors and their key policy staff. The Center's mission is to develop and implement innovative solutions to public policy challenges." Access to documentation is through their main issue areas: Education, Social/Econ/Workforce, Health, Homeland Security and Technology, and the Environment.
United States Conference of Mayors - usmayors.org/uscm/home.asp
This organization aids the development of effective national urban policy, strengthens federal-city relationship, ensures that federal policy meets urban needs and provides mayors with leadership and management tools of value in their cities. The "Best Practices" database is searchable and provides information on a number of topics such as domestic violence, traffic safety, community policing, etc.