Summary Checks
This refers to checks of summaries that have been written prior to being released to the live website. The following three checks are necessary before being released live, with an exception sometimes granted for second checks:
- First Check: This must be performed by an individual (intern or staff) other than the individual who wrote the summary.
- Second Check: This must be performed by an individual (intern or staff) other than the individual who wrote the summary or performed the first check. The Department is authorized to bypass second checks if staffing or intern levels restrict our ability to get summaries on the website in a timely fashion. Ideally, however, a second check should be performed.
- Third Check ("staff check"): This must be performed by a staff member who neither wrote the summary nor performed a previous check, after which the summary is released live. For further information, refer to the releasing votes and summaries guide. The staff member also must do a quick check for presentableness on the live website after releasing the summary live.
The Key Votes folder bin/cabinet should contain the following hanging folders to organize this process (the titles are in quotations because this is what should be written on the labels). These folders are organized after the vote entry/check folders:
- "In Progress": Used to store physical folders in which the individual responsible for entering the vote, writing the summary, or performing a check was unable to complete this process prior to leaving for the day.
- "1st Check": Used to store physical folders after the summary has been written, the bill summary sheet has been printed out, and the summary is awaiting a first check.
- "2nd Check": Used to store physical folders after the summary has undergone a first check and a new copy of the bill summary sheet has been printed with changes, if any, that the first checker has incorporated into the original summary.
- "3rd Check" or "Staff Check": Used to store physical folders after the summary has undergone a second check and a new copy of the bill summary sheet has been printed with changes, if any, that the second checker has incorporated into the previously checked summary, and the summary is awaiting a third check by a staff member.
Summary checks must be performed as if you were writing the summary yourself. You should check the information that was included in the summary at every step of the summary writing process, including, but not limited to, the following:
- Accuracy. Always ensure that everything included in the summary has been checked against the bill text. There can be no uncertainty or ambiguity when it comes to the accuracy of the summary.
- Partisanship. Check for any language that seemingly casts the legislation in a positive or negative light. Refer to the section of the summary writing guide on partisan language.
- Specifics in the Press. Read the press file and identify the specifics of the legislation mentioned to see if the author of the summary was as inclusive as possible.
- Information Independent of the Press. Because the author of a summary is never bound entirely to what the press covers, read through the bill text to determine if any additional information not mentioned by the press should be included in the summary.
- Transition between existing law and new law. Check to see if the author is correctly identifying how the legislation amends existing law. Determine if the author needs to refer to the existing statutes.
- Introductory Verbs. Refer to the introductory verbs section of the summary writing guide and ensure that the author is introducing their highlights properly.
- Project Vote Smart Synopsis. Refer to the PVS synopsis section of the summary writing guide to ensure that the author is introducing their PVS synopsis correctly (ex: "Vote to pass...", "Vote to adopt a conference report...", and "Vote to concur with House/Senate amendments and pass..."). Additionally, look to see if any highlight(s) can be incorporated into the PVS synopsis.
- Citations. In addition to ensure that the correct sections of the legislation are being cited, refer to the citations section of the summary writing guide to ensure that the author is formatting their citations correctly.
- Formatting and Organization. Explore ways in which the summary could be better formatted or organized. For example, it might be preferable to reorganize a series of highlight into one, indented highlight. Or, you might want to reorganize the highlights to make the summary a little easier to read. For further information, refer to the summary writing guide.
- Other Statuses for Web. Check the bill history on the legislature's website to see if any additional votes have occurred or if the Governor/President signed or vetoed the legislation.
- Numbers. Check to see if the author is consistent in how the Department transcribes numbers - did he or she write the numeral as opposed to spelling out the number (ex: "1" instead of "one"). Also, check any dollar amounts to see if it meets Department standardization - for anything under one million dollars, provide the full amount (ex: "$500,000"), and for anything over one million dollars, round to the nearest hundredth (ex: $1.34 million).
- Grammar/Syntax. Check for any errors related to grammar and syntax, and pay especially close attention to common errors committed.
- Clarity of Language. Before you finish, read the entire summary aloud to yourself to make sure that it flows well and there are no missing words.
Although a summary check requires a check of every step in the process, priority is given to those first three factors:
- Accuracy
- Partisanship
- Press specifics
All changes should be documented and explained on the bill summary sheet. You should then print out a new copy of the bill summary sheet that incorporates all of your changes, add it to the physical folder, and place the folder in its next appropriate location in the folder bin/cabinet.
Staff Checks
Staff checks on summaries should be approached with care given that it is the last chance to notice errors before content goes live on the website. Given the importance of the check, they should be as standardized as possible. The following staff check checklist will be useful for this work:
Press File:
1. Did you read the press file and take notes or highlight important bill provisions?
2. If the press talks about it, so do we-if it’s in the bill text.
Title:
1. Is the title non-partisan & does it include an intro verb?
2. Does it match the title used in admin?
Synopsis:
1. Is the synopsis introductory phrase correct & is it the right one for the vote stage?
2. Is the synopsis as concise as possible?
a.Most of the time you just use the introductory phrase and add the title word-per-word right after.
3. Is there an effective date? Only include if it is a calendar date and applies to the entire bill: e.g. “effective July 4, 2042.”Highlights:
1. Are all the intro verbs correctly used?
Most Frequent Errors:
a.Establishes: only if something is brand new, something needs to be created: a fund, department, commission, violation classification, etc.
“Establishes gambling where no gambling has been before”
b.“Requires that,” delete “that.” Requirements are for someone or something to do something.
“Requires x to do y”
c.“Defines a,” delete “a”, the word being defined comes right after defines
d.“Prohibits” someone “from” doing something = interns frequently forget the “from” so the highlight will have a grammatical error.
“Prohibits an individual from entering the premises without prior approval.”
2. Can any “Specifies that…” be changed to Requires, Prohibits, Authorizes, or Establishes?“Establishes gambling where no gambling has been before”
b.“Requires that,” delete “that.” Requirements are for someone or something to do something.
“Requires x to do y”
c.“Defines a,” delete “a”, the word being defined comes right after defines
i. Is the word being defined in quotation marks?
ii. Is the definition highlight right after the first reference to the word that needs the definition?
“Defines “marriage” as a civil contract between 2 individuals who have reached the age of 18 years.”ii. Is the definition highlight right after the first reference to the word that needs the definition?
d.“Prohibits” someone “from” doing something = interns frequently forget the “from” so the highlight will have a grammatical error.
“Prohibits an individual from entering the premises without prior approval.”
Incorrect highlight: “Specifies that a physician is prohibited from using an Internet web camera to diagnose and perform an abortion.”
Correct highlight: “Prohibits a physician from using an Internet web camera to diagnose and perform and abortion.”
3. Are all instances of “person” or “people” replaced with “individual”?
4. Are references to things, individuals, etc. in the singular where possible?
5. Did you check whether sub-highlights are uniform?
a.Uniform introduction. E.g.
“-If the employer has more than 50 employees, 3 months after the enactment of the program; or
“-If the employer has more than 50 employees, 3 months after the enactment of the program; or
- If the employer has more than 5,000 employees, 7 months after the enactment of the program.”
b.If listing penalties, for example, try to have the dollar amounts come first.
6. Are the highlights ordered by priority?
a.Priority is not the chronological section order of the bill text, but rather what the press designates as the most important or significant provisions.
b.Always keep in mind that users will hear about the bill in the press and our highlights frame the bill text in a way where we know what they are looking for first.
7. Interns tend to struggle with the phrase: “Including, but not limited to, the following.” Always check whether the sentence that includes the phrase makes sense and whether it is being used in the right way. b.Always keep in mind that users will hear about the bill in the press and our highlights frame the bill text in a way where we know what they are looking for first.
a.Sometimes there are too many listed things (requirements, forms of identification, etc.) that would be included in the subhighlights. We use this phrase to allow ourselves to only focus on the most pertinent, while letting users know that there are still other things they might want to look up.
8. If more than 1 section is being cited make sure the citation has the “s” and the “&” (Secs. _ & _).9. Is everything mentioned in the press file included as a highlight when possible?
10. Did you locate all the highlights the interns included in the summary in the bill text?
a.Interns cite the wrong section frequently.
b.Interns understand the provisions of the bill wrong as well, so many times you have to rephrase their highlight.
c.Interns at times write a highlight that is from the press file and not the bill text, so you will want to delete these if you are unable to locate the provision in the bill text.
d.Interns will include existing law as a highlight, you want to either incorporate this existing law into another highlight if it is relevant and necessary, otherwise you want to delete existing law.
11.To decide if you should include a specific provision, ask the following questions:b.Interns understand the provisions of the bill wrong as well, so many times you have to rephrase their highlight.
c.Interns at times write a highlight that is from the press file and not the bill text, so you will want to delete these if you are unable to locate the provision in the bill text.
d.Interns will include existing law as a highlight, you want to either incorporate this existing law into another highlight if it is relevant and necessary, otherwise you want to delete existing law.
a.Was the provision mentioned in the press file?
b.Does the provision help in your overall understanding of the bill?
c.Is the provision a major component of the bill, or a part of the bill, that if left out would be misleading to a user?
d.Would the provision be interesting to a user?
e.Does the provision show an issue position for the legislators?
b.Does the provision help in your overall understanding of the bill?
c.Is the provision a major component of the bill, or a part of the bill, that if left out would be misleading to a user?
d.Would the provision be interesting to a user?
e.Does the provision show an issue position for the legislators?
Other Statuses:
1. Make sure they are updated.
2. Make sure they are the right “other statuses” given the bill summary vote stage you are doing a staff check on.
Updating Admin Statuses:
1. Copy from Word and paste text into Notepad [this removes formatting], erase the “-“ at the beginning of each highlight and remove tabs, copy from Notepad and paste into admin. Fix bullets, etc.
2. Don’t forget to uncheck the “no highlights” box, otherwise all of your formatting work will not be saved.
3. Don’t forget to paste the synopsis into the synopsis box and not the “official synopsis” box.
4. Check legislative website to see if any statuses/votes happened after the one we have recorded in admin. If so, add it.
5. We only include a “referred to committee” status if that is the only status in that particular chamber.
a.E.g. if it is a House Bill, but has not had a Senate vote-we will have a Senate Referred to Committee status in admin.
b.Once the Senate has voted on this House Bill, we will want to delete the Referred to Committee status and add the actual vote.
c.Don’t forget to release the new status(es) live.
General Comments:b.Once the Senate has voted on this House Bill, we will want to delete the Referred to Committee status and add the actual vote.
c.Don’t forget to release the new status(es) live.
1. Don’t enter vetoes at the moment.
2. Always refer to wiki pages when in doubt and know that other staff members are probably the greatest resource and sounding board for questions.
