SEARCH

In the complex lawmaking process, it is always possible that a bill or amendment affecting your organization could escape your radar screen. With the GovWatch search tool, you can be certain that you know about all the important bills in play, and where they are in the process.

Keyword Search - Bills can either create new laws, amend existing laws, or repeal existing laws. When a new law is created or an existing law is amended, the bill must contain the new or deleted text. That makes a keyword search critical. Decision makers can instantly choose to track the bill directly from the search. NIGHTWriter automatically performs this search daily and delivers it to you every morning.

Amendment Searches – Now there is no secret language! Amendment language is included in word searches. Searches can be run to only include amendment language. Run your searches, and know if that dangerous language has been slipped on to another bill. Use this power in conjunction with NightWriter and other reports and let GovWatch alert you of all the bills you need to be following. 

Subject Search - This general search is helpful to locate similar legislation. When used in combination with other parameters in the Advanced Search can make a powerful and refined search function.

Author Search - Some members carry an entire legislative program for a constituent or will carry a number of bills of a certain type. This search, especially when combined with other parameters in the Advanced Search, can be very powerful.

Progress - Because each step of the legislative process has a statistical chance of a bill passing associated with that action, search by progress in the Advanced Search can provide valuable results, such as locating live bills that you can amend your dead bill into.

Companion - The companion search, either for all bills or specifically for bills you are tracking, can ensure that the legislature is not moving a bill through the process that is the same as a stalled bill that you are tracking.