NCSL Outlines State Legislative Bill Tracking/Subscription Services

Every state offers free public access to bill status and/or bill text via the Internet. Many states also provide search capabilities for bills. However, a number of states offer additional bill tracking features on legislative Web sites. The user identifies bills he or she is interested in tracking, provides an e-mail address, and then receives an e-mail notification whenever any action is reported on the bill.

At least 17 states offer this type of free e-mail subscription service, said NCSL in a release. Other states provide for bill tracking through the creation of personalized lists, but do not provide e-mail updates. Some states also offer enhanced bill tracking information for a fee -- providing either more detailed information or real-time updates, in addition to free tracking. In addition to bill tracking services, several states provide e-mail notifications of other types of legislative information.