When Entering Votes - FAQ
What should I do when a legislator is in Admin but not listed on the voting record?
-We need to get more information on this particular legislator by doing a quick google search and referencing the specific state legislative website.
- If we discover that this legislator has left office prior to the vote, we will not want to include them in our voting record. Please let a staff member know that a legislator is listed in Admin but is no longer in office.
- If we discover that the legislator is still in office when the vote occurred, we will need to mark his or her vote as "Did Not Vote."
What should I do when a legislator is listed on the voting record but not in Admin?
-Most likely the missing legislator has left office, therefore you will need to work with a staff member to make sure that his or her vote is inputted into Admin. When asking for help, make sure that you have the legislator's full name and the state he or she is from.
-If you are a staff member, you have the necessary permissions to deal with this yourself. Go to the "Offices" section on the legislator's profile and change their status to "Active" in order to enter the vote. Be sure to return the profile to the state you found it in after entering the vote.
Where do I enter Sponsors and Cosponsors?
-As in training, you will enter in sponsors and cosponsors in the "View Votes/Actions" tab in the Introduced status; and
-Always look up the bill in that state's website to get the most up-to-date sponsors and cosponsors.
There is a Mr(s). Speaker or Mr(s). President. Who is that?
-Oftentimes, states will list a Mr(s) Speaker or Mr(s) President, rather than the name of the legislator who holds that position. You will have to conduct a bit of research and find out his or her first and last name.
Where do I add Committee sponsorships?
-At the bottom of an Admin vote entry page, you will see a "Committee Actions" button. There you will add the correct committee and change their action as necessary.
-Only staff members have the necessary permissions to do this. If you are an intern and come across a committee sponsorship, please let a staff member know.
What do I do if I accidentally release a status live?
-Don't panic, just let a staff member know and they will help you retrieve the status and bring it off the live website.
-If you are a staff member, there will be an "Unrelease" button next to all the other release buttons. Simply click that button.
What do I do if I'm adding a new Key Vote status to a bill that has a "Referred to Committee" status listed last?
-You will most likely need to delete the "Referred to Committee" status. Ask a staff member first, and they will show you how to do so. If you are adding a new status, make sure to add it to a fresh status page rather than just changing the information in the obsolete "Referred to Committee" status.
I was working on a vote entry yesterday, and today I can't find it! What do I do?
-You likely made an error when entering information in the introduced stage. Try widening your search in Admin to all entries for the same state and year. You also might not have entered the bill number, so the entry will save according to the bill title you entered, and will stick out during a search. Make sure to go back and fix these errors once you locate your entry.
When Writing a Summary - FAQ
How do we talk about people in a summary?
-Use "individual" rather than "person" or "people";
-Use the singular whenever possible; and
-Use he or she and NOT he/she.
What should be in the summary?
-Use the press file as a guide - if the press covers it, so should we;
-Use previous summaries about the same issue for examples on highlight structure and issue coverage; and
-Always keep in mind that we are describing an issue position for voters and not an exhaustive summary of the legislation.
How do I write consecutive sections in the citation?
-For consecutive sections, write "(Secs. 11 & 12)" and not "(Secs. 11-12)". The dash is used when it is necessary to cite more than 2 consecutive sections (Ex: (Secs. 11-17)). Another example: (Secs. 1-5, 8, 9 & 11).
How do I write certain numbers?
-Cardinal Numbers will always be in numerical form. Example: "Requires at least 2 individuals...";
-Ordinal Numbers will spell out "first" through "ninth", and use figures for 10th and anything above (Ex: "third infraction"; "83rd Session"; "18th birthday");
-Write "three-fifths" instead of "3/5";
-Write "3 million" instead of "3.00 million"; and
-Oftentimes, it is necessary to express the ranges of certain numbers. When this is the case, use the phrases "at least" and "up to". For example, "at least 15 years..." to express the bottom limit and "up to 30 years..." to express the top limit.
Make sure your currency doesn't make cents!
-Use the format "$0.15" instead of "15 cents"; and
-Write "$50" instead of "$50.00"
How do I write dates?
-Write "July 1, 2015" instead of "07/01/15" or any other format (Ex: "...between June 5, 2008, and August 1, 2011.").
Which grammatical symbols will we NOT use in our highlights?
-Parentheses ();
-Slashes / as in "and/or"; and
-Brackets [].
Which words and pronouns should I capitalize?
-"governor" & "president" by themselves are not capitalized, unless it is the "Governor of Indiana" or the "President of the United States";
-It is "Speaker of the House of Representatives" & "President of the Senate";
-"members of Congress"; and
-"Congress".
What do I write about if there has been a summary made live for a previous status?
-Whenever you notice that a bill you are working on has a summary up live for a previous status, you are responsible for including those live highlights in your summary, to the fullest extent possible for the newer status (most likely the summaries won't be exactly the same since the bill will have undergone amendments).
How do I tackle a 500 page budget bill?
-We have a unique way of writing summaries for budget bills; and
-Reference the wiki page on budget bills and follow the examples given.
Should I limit my subhighlights?
-Yes, you should always try to aim for 3 to 4 subhighlights (really 3), however, sometimes it is necessary to go beyond that; and
-Try to make the first word of each subhighlight identical if possible, as it reads much better.
How can I limit my subhighlights if the bill text details more than 4 items?
-The phrase "including, but not limited to" is frequently used in our summaries to enable us to only write about the 3 to 4 most important provisions as subhighlights; and
-Also note that it is preferred that, anytime you have subhighlights, you lead into them with a phrase that the can notify the reader of what is to come. For example:
Do not write: "Requires the attorney general to disclose certain information including, but not limited to, the following (Sec. 1):"
But do write: "Requires the attorney general to disclose certain information including, but not limited to, the following information (Sec. 1):"
But do write: "Requires the attorney general to disclose certain information including, but not limited to, the following information (Sec. 1):"
Can I use an abbreviation to shorten my highlights? For example, "EPA" or "DOT"?
-Abbreviations are authorized only if the abbreviation is mentioned in the bill text; and
-If it is mentioned, it will be written for the first instance as "the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is authorized" and then "the EPA is authorized" for all subsequent mentions.
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