Neighboring Local-government Homepages

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
http://www.mwcog.org/about/jurisdiction
The Council of Governments (COG) is a regional organization of the Washington, D.C. - area local governments. It provides "a focus for action and develops sound regional responses to such issues as the environment, affordable housing, economic development, health and family concerns, human services, population growth, public safety, and transportation." Use this site for quick links and a handy map to local jurisdictions, or link to them individually here.

General Government

Google U.S. Government Search
http://www.google.com/ig/usgov
"One-stop shop for searching federal government Web sites. Targets federal employees who often need to search across several government agencies." Other similar search engines include http://govspot.com, http://searchgov.com and http://govengine.com." Washington Post, June 15, 2006.

Government Printing Office (GPO Access)
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/index.html
Provides full-text of numerous Federal Government materials, such as the Code of Federal regulations, Federal register, Economic indicators, and GAO reports; for legislative sources overlaps with Thomas, though coverage and finding guides differ.

GovSpot - StartSpot Mediaworks, Inc.
http://www.govspot.com/
"Non-partisan government information portal designed to simplify the search for the best and most relevant government information online." Periodically updated with feature article and links to sources of current interest, among other resources.

Political Science Resources on the Web/University of Michigan
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/polisci.html
Award-winning site, very comprehensive, annotated; try the What's New button for information and documents of current news interest; the "frames" index sidebar helps to navigate among broad topics -- e.g., try Campaign Finances or Think Tanks.

Project Vote Smart
http://www.vote-smart.org/
"A citizen's organization dedicated to serving all Americans with accurate and unbiased information for electoral decision-making."  Provides biographical info, key votes (and CongressTrack for bill status), issue positions, campaign contributions, and interest-group ratings for federal and state elected officials and candidates. Has links for voter registration, ballot-measure descriptions, etc. Every election year publishes the Voter's Self-Defense Manual , available online and via mail order. http://www.vote-smart.org/program_publications.php

Public Record Resource Center - BRB Publications, Inc.
http://brbpub.com/PUBRECSITES.ASP
"A comprehensive and searchable list of free public record sites along with additional tools to locate sources for civil records, criminal records, driving records, real estate records, public record vendors, record retrievers, legislation and more."

USA.gov – Government Made Easy
http://www.usa.gov/
Taps into 20,000 federal government Internet sites by topic or agency.

USA Services
http://www.info.gov/
Federal Consumer Information Center links to frequently asked questions on wide-ranging topics of citizen interest, and to federal resources, including websites, kids' sites, news releases, Consumer Action Website, toll-free numbers, and House/Senate contacts. Also, federal publications for consumers and state/local government websites.

U.S. Government Documents / Columbia University Libraries
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/usgd
Subject guides to and electronic versions of Federal Government documents. Links to state/local and international sources. Guides include print sources, some of which are at Central Library.

U.S. Government Manual
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/index.html
As the official manual of the federal government, the U.S. Government Manual provides comprehensive information on federal agencies, independent establishments, government corporations, as well as federal boards, commissions, and committees.  For each agency or organization covered, the Manual provides a brief overview of its history and mission, a listing of key personnel, and contact information for headquarters and regional offices. The complete texts of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are also included. 

Federal Government -- Executive Branch

DEFENSE: United States Department of Defense
http://www.defenselink.mil/
The Web information service of the Defense Department -- news, press resources, operations abroad, personnel, publications.

Federal Citizen Information Center
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/
Safety and health aspects of products and services; directory of contacts -- federal, state, and municipal. Consumer complaint? Go to the top. You'll find a list of consumer-relations departments for American corporations at the Consumer Action website. Also, links to health tips, federal benefits for veterans and dependents, and the nationwide do-not-call registry. For recalls go to Recalls.gov, http://www.recalls.gov/, "your online resource for government recalls - consumer products, motor vehicles, boats, food, medicine, cosmetics, environmental products."

FedStats
http://www.fedstats.gov/
"One-stop shopping for Federal statistics."

FedWorld
http://www.fedworld.gov/
Select and order U.S. government scientific and technical (S&T) publications from all agencies via the National Technical Information Service; also, see links to top government web sites and to S&T web resources (www.scitechresources.gov/); job-seekers might wish to access Federal Job Announcements.

GovBenefits
http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits_en.portal
"Screening tool to help you find government benefits that you may be eligible to receive." Depending on your situation, allow 5-15 minutes to answer questions. Or, you can gather information on a wide range of benefit programs. See also Virginia Department of Social Services for sources of personal financial assistance.

Grants.gov
http://www.grants.gov/
"Grants.gov is a simple, unified 'storefront' for all customers of federal grants to electronically find, apply for, and manage grants. Encompasses over 900 grant programs offered by the 26 federal grant-making agencies. It streamlines the process of awarding over $350 billion annually to state and local governments, academia, not-for-profits and other organizations."  Individuals looking for information on government benefits should refer to GovBenefits.gov.

U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis
Citizenship and naturalization; immigration forms, laws and regulations; services, case status, and locations; public affairs; and job openings.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security
http://www.dhs.gov/
Information for citizens, business, and government under such topics as emergencies and disasters, threats and protection, and travel and transportation. Under Citizens, emergency preparedness is the focus--with advice and links.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
http://www.uspto.gov/
Apply for a patent or trademark, find regulations, and search patent files.

U.S. State Department
http://www.state.gov/
Provides news, resources, and policy and services information, e.g., travel and trade. Links to articles, speeches, press releases, and congressional testimony, plus publications like Background Notes on countries of the world. For a current officials’ roster, biographies, and organizational structure, see About the State Department. The Diplomatic List provides a directory of foreign-government representatives in Washington. For names of State Dept. principals including ambassadors historically to date, go to Principal Officers of the Department and U.S. Chiefs of Mission.

U.S. Treasury Department -- Bureau of the Public Debt http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/
Find out about investing in Treasury securities and rates of return, including returns on savings bonds.

The White House
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
The President welcomes the public. Site links to the President's office, statements and remarks, the Executive Branch, tours, appointment application, and "kids." For commonly requested federal services, go to FirstGov. Another link of special interest is Citizens' Handbook /Your Guide to the U.S. Government.

Federal Government -- Legislative Branch

The Congressional Directory
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cdirectory/index.html
Covers the committees of the Senate and House, including their composition, date of creation and authorization, and contact information. The latter part of the Directory covers the rest of the federal government, listing personnel and addresses for agencies in the executive and legislative branches. The website for the Congressional Directory links to the current edition of this handbook, as well as a few prior editions. All online editions may be searched or browsed.

U.S. House of Representatives
http://www.house.gov/
Review the Legislative Process section for access to information about bills and resolutions under consideration in Congress.  Also find Roll Call Votes, compiled by the Clerk of the House.

U.S. Senate
http://www.senate.gov/
Also find quick links to previous day's Senate activity and the Senate's Roll Call Votes.

Thomas: Legislative Information on the Internet
http://thomas.loc.gov/
One of the most important Web sites for legislative information; some sources from 1993 or the 103rd/104th Congress on, others from 1973; also, historical documents in full-text. See also GPO Access for differing coverage and finding guides.

Woman's Virtual Resource Center – Internet Links of Value to Women
http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/Commissions/WomenCommission/WomenCommissionLinks.aspx
Part of the website of the Arlington County Commission on the Status of Women, this page is a "virtual resource center" for women and features dozens of useful hot links related to women's issues, including Congressional Voting Records.

Local and State Government

Arlington County Elected Officials, Appointed Officials, Departments & Courts
http://www.arlingtonva.us/Portals/Departments/DepartmentsPortal.aspx
Department overviews and contact info. County government from a structural point of view; also, links to General Assembly reps and Courts. For topics, services, calendar, news, employment, etc., go to the County homepage.

Northern Virginia Regional Commission
http://www.novaregion.org/
Includes directory of services and help organizations (Quick Guide Online), listings of popular NVRC publications you can order, and newsletters on activities.

Virginia Government
http://www.virginia.gov/cmsportal2/government_4096/index.html
Links to the Commonwealth Executive, Assembly, agencies, commissions, and many state/local sites; includes directory. Leads to such sources as Virginia Code and legislative information and the handy Who's My Legislator? where you can find your state legislator and congressmen. (Also, with your ZIP code, you can find your state, as well as your federal and local elected officials, at Congress.org.) A site operated by the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget, called the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall, http://www.townhall.state.va.us/, allows you to find regulations and track proposed changes, as well as submit online comments about regulatory changes. For data on Virginia government performance and quality of life measures, go to Virginia Performs http://www.vaperforms.virginia.gov/

Public Policy and Interest Groups

Brookings Institution Policy Briefs
http://www.brookings.edu/
Full-text short papers on U.S./international policy/economics.

OpenCRS - Congressional Research Reports for the People
http://www.opencrs.com/
"A project of the Center for Democracy & Technology through the cooperation of several organizations and collectors of CRS Reports, Open CRS provides citizens access to CRS Reports already in the public domain and encourages [more] provide public access..."

OpenSecrets.org / Your Guide to the Money in U.S. Election
http://www.opensecrets.org/home/index.asp
Campaign finance reporting from the Center for Responsive Politics. Covers the White House, Capitol Hill, news and issues, Federal Election Commission, basics of money in politics, and more.

Townhall.Com Issues Library
http://www.townhall.com/issues/
Presents views of conservative public-policy organizations in fourteen broad areas, such as education, health care, social security, foreign policy, and government reform. Links to conservative NewsWire and columnists.

International

CIA World Factbook
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
Detailed information on the geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, and defense forces of countries. Current edition.

Subject and Internet Resources / Columbia University Libraries
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/usgd/guides.html
Click on "Guides to International Documents," containing links to such groupings as European Union, Intergovernmental organizations, Researching foreign countries, Statistical sources, and Treaty resources.

United Nations
http://www.un.org/
Links to UN programs and agencies

Taxes

Please see  Taxes Subject Guide located at: