Useful Government and Industry Links
Industry Links
National Association of Chain Drugs Stores
US House of Representatives
US Senate
THOMAS (Description & status of proposed bills)
Federal Election Commission
National Conference of State Legislators
National Governors’ Association
National Association of Attorneys General
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Food Marketing Institute - www.fmi.org
As the representative of one of the largest single business categories in the world, the Food Marketing Institute will:
- Provide its Retailer and Wholesaler members with a forum to work effectively with government, suppliers, employees, customers and their communities.
- Promote the principles of Free Enterprise to ensure a vigorous, competitive, economically healthy food industry.
- Program its efforts and energies in five primary areas: 1) Research; 2) Education; 3) Public Information; 4) Government Relations; and 5) Industry Relations.
By pursuing these activities, the Food Marketing Institute will provide leadership and support for the role of the grocery retailer and wholesaler as purchasing agent for our consumers. [Top]
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National Association of Chain Drugs Stores - www.nacds.org
About NACDS
NACDS provides a wide range of services to meet the needs of the chain drug industry in accordance with its goals and objectives. [Top]
US House of Representatives - www.house.gov
Official site of the House of Representatives - providing the latest up to date information on current legislation and committee information.
This site also provides details on how to contact your legislator, either by state or by name, and provides other useful general information about legislative processes and daily activities. [Top]
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US Senate - www.senate.gov
Official site of the US Senate. Information is contained in the site on how to contact your Senator, track legislation and commitees, how to schedule tours of the Senate and is a great resource for historical information about the Congress, institutional history and biographies of the Senators.
The Senators page on Statistics & Lists is a great resource for information about current and former Senators. Statistics are available on a variety of topics, including biographical characteristics and Senate service records. [Top]
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THOMAS (Description & status of proposed bills)- http://thomas.loc.gov
Background
Acting under the directive of the leadership of the 104th Congress to make Federal legislative information freely available to the Internet public, a Library of Congress team brought the THOMAS World Wide Web system online in January 1995, at the inception of the 104th Congress. Searching capabilities in THOMAS were built on the InQuery information retrieval system, developed by the Center for Intelligent Information Retrieval based at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
The first database made available was Bill Text, followed shortly by Congressional Record Text, Bill Summary & Status, Hot Bills (no longer maintained), the Congressional Record Index, and the Constitution (now found, along with other historical Congressional documents, under the 'Historical Documents' category on the THOMAS home page). Enhancements in the types of legislative data available, as well as in search and display capabilities, have been continuously added. [Top]
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Federal Election Commission - www.fec.gov
In 1975, Congress created the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to administer and enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) - the statute that governs the financing of federal elections. The duties of the FEC, which is an independent regulatory agency, are to disclose campaign finance information, to enforce the provisions of the law such as the limits and prohibitions on contributions, and to oversee the public funding of Presidential elections.
The Commission is made up of six members, who are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Each member serves a six-year term, and two seats are subject to appointment every two years. By law, no more than three Commissioners can be members of the same political party, and at least four votes are required for any official Commission action. This structure was created to encourage nonpartisan decisions. The Chairmanship of the Commission rotates among the members each year, with no member serving as Chairman more than once during his or her term.
White House - www.whitehouse.gov
The official site of the White House - This is a site which includes information about the different branches of government, including the offices of the Exectutive Branch, and links to other activities and issues pertaining to the Executive Branch of the US Government. [Top]
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National Conference of State Legislators - www.ncsl.org
About NCSL
The National Conference of State Legislatures was founded in 1975 with the conviction that legislative service is one of democracy's worthiest pursuits. NCSL is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the nation's 50 states, its commonwealths and territories. NCSL provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues. NCSL is an effective and respected advocate for the interests of state governments before Congress and federal agencies.
We provide the following links to help you learn more about NCSL:
The National Conference of State Legislatures is governed by a 60-member Executive Committee, composed of legislators and legislative staff members who are elected annually. Seven officers direct the overall work of the conference.
Services Overview
NCSL helps state policymakers advance their ideas, provides a forum for the exchange of ideas from other states and takes the best ideas from America's state legislatures to Capitol Hill.
There are many ways to get involved with NCSL.
NCSL Standing Committees allow legislators and staff to benefit from the experiences of other states in shaping public policy, experimenting with new laws, and managing the legislative institutions. They also consider NCSL policy positions and guide NCSL's lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C.
The NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures offers opportunities for businesses, national associations and unions seeking to improve the state legislative process and enhance NCSL's services to all legislatures. [Top]
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National Governors’ Association - www.nga.org
Mission Statement
The National Governors Association--the bipartisan organization of the nation's governors--promotes visionary state leadership, shares best practices and speaks with a unified voice on national policy.
The National Governors Association (NGA) is the collective voice of the nation's governors and one of Washington, D.C.'s, most respected public policy organizations. NGA provides governors and their senior staff members with services that range from representing states on Capitol Hill and before the Administration on key federal issuesto developing policy reportson innovative state programs and hosting networking seminars for state government executive branch officials. The NGA Center for Best Practicesfocuses on state innovations and best practices on issues that range from education and health to technology, welfare reform, and the environment. NGA also provides management and technical assistance to both new and incumbent governors. [top]
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National Association of Attorneys General - www.naag.org
About NAAG
The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) was founded in 1907 to help Attorneys General fulfill the responsibilities of their office and to assist in the delivery of high quality legal services to the states and territorial jurisdictions. NAAG’s mission is: 'To facilitate interaction among Attorneys General as peers. To facilitate the enhanced performance of Attorneys General and their staffs.' NAAG fosters an environment of 'cooperative leadership,' helping Attorneys General respond effectively - individually and collectively - to emerging state and federal issues. [Top]
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League of Women Voters - www.lwv.org
About the League
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, has fought since 1920 to improve our systems of government and impact public policies through citizen education and advocacy. The League's enduring vitality and resonance comes from its unique decentralized structure. The League is a grassroots organization, working at the national, state and local levels.
There are Leagues in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Hong Kong, in addition to the hundreds of local Leagues nationwide. The League of Women Voters of the United States and the League of Women Voters Education Fund operate at the national level with grassroots support from state and local Leagues.
The League of Women Voters is strictly nonpartisan; it neither supports nor opposes candidates for office at any level of government. At the same time, the League is wholeheartedly political and works to influence policy through advocacy. It is the original grassroots citizen network, directed by the consensus of its members nationwide. The 900 state and local Leagues – comprising a vast grassroots lobby corps that can be mobilized when necessary.
Over time, the League’s legislative priorities change to reflect the needs of society and critical issues of concern. The organization remains true to its basic purpose: to make democracy work for all citizens. The League of Women Voters makes a difference in the lives of citizens because of the energy and passion of thousands of members committed to our principles. [Top]
On the Issues.org - www.ontheissues.org
About On the Issues
Our mission is to provide non-partisan information for voters in the Presidential election, so that votes can be based on issues rather than on personalities and popularity.
We get our information daily from newspapers, speeches, press releases, and the Internet -- it is a labor-intensive process that requires countless volunteer hours. [Top]
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