Model Congress Resources
Research Topics for the 2008 Model Congress
Civil Liberties | Criminal Justice (Death Penalty) | Economy (Taxes) | Education | Environment | Foreign Policy| Health Care | Immigration | National Security | Reproductive Rights (Abortion)
Scroll down the page to find resources for specific issues. Remember to keep a careful list of sources for your works cited. You might want to consider using del.icio.us to tag sites you think will help you with your research.
General Resources
The U.S. Government’s Official Web Portal.
Congress.org. A service of Capitol Advantage, a private, nonpartisan company that specializes in facilitating civic participation.
Political Information.com. A targeted, nonpartisan search engine just for politics and policy.
Almanac of Policy Issues. “Comprehensive, unbiased background information and links on major U.S. public policy issues.”
Public Agenda. A nonpartisan opinion research organization.
Google directory: Politics – news and media.
Political Parties
Republican National Committee.
Republican party platform. August 30, 2004, PDF File – See Page 14.
Democratic National Committee.
Democratic party platform. July 10, 2004, PDF File – See Page 22.
Civil Liberties
American Civil Liberties Union. Issues briefs, reports, news links, case histories, activism opportunities.
Alliance For Justice. Nationally-based coalition dedicated to ensuring access to justice, strengthening the public interest community and fostering the next generation of advocates.
Justice Department site on the USA PATRIOT Act.
Bill of Rights Defense Committee. Opposes USA PATRIOT Act. Suggestions for activism, links to articles and other sites.
First Amendment Center. News, opinions, case histories, additional resources about all 1st Amendment issues. Includes a page on student expression in public schools.
Association of Research Libraries’ Copyright and Intellectual Property page. Legislation, resources, links.
American Constitution Society. An organization promoting equality and access to justice for all individuals of U.S. society. ACS demonstrates a progressive vision of the law on issues such as privacy, freedom of speech, immigration, and international human rights.
Center for Constitutional Rights. Organization to protect and advance civil rights given by Constitution and Human Rights Declarations. Includes news on legal decisions concerning civil liberties and human rights as well as analysis of anti-terrorism legislation.
Criminal Justice
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. Research and statistics, links to subordinate and related offices.
Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice. Articles, links, student section. Promotes alternatives to incarceration.
Justice for All. Links and resources. Favors tougher sentencing for criminals.
Death Penalty Information. Headlines and articles, links to sites on both sides, pro-death penalty editorials.
Death Penalty Information Center. News, statistics, issues, research, links to anti-death penalty sites.
Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics. Data tables from more than 100 sources about various aspects of criminal justice.
Families Against Mandatory Minimums. Articles, links, news, activism. Opposes mandatory minimum sentencing laws.
American Civil Liberties Union. Articles, news, links. Liberal view of the criminal justice system.
American Bar Association. Mission to improve the criminal justice system and serve its members professionally.
Economy
U.S. Department of Commerce. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
National Bureau of Economic Research. Articles, data, links to economics resources.
FreedomWorks. Issues, articles, suggestions for activism. Supports lower taxes.
Center for Economic and Policy Research. Links, opinions, information. Opposes Bush economic plan.
Foundation for Economic Education. Opinions, articles, links, resources. Emphasizes free market economics.
Economic Policy Institute. Data, issues, links. Emphasizes concern for living standards of working people.
World Wide Web Resources in Economics.
U.S. Department of State – International Information Programs “An Outline of the U.S. Economy” by Christopher Conte and Albert R. Karr.
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. Articles, links, research. Conservative think tank.
Center for American Progress. Articles, links, research. Liberal think tank.
Education
U.S. Department of Education. News, program descriptions, policy links and more.
Education Commission of the States. Current policy information, issues, news, links.
National Education Association. Issues, news, legislative action center. Emphasizes public school education.
Center for Education Reform. News, issues, resources, suggestions for activism. Supports charters, vouchers, higher standards for schools.
American Council on Education. News, reports, links. Emphasizes diversity, accessibility, and internationalization in higher education.
School Choices. Articles, research, activism. Supports school choice.
Anti-Defamation League. Articles, research, activism. Opposes school voucher programs.
Environment
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Information on environmental topics, EPA news, current and pending laws & regulations, student resources.
Natural Resources Defense Council. News, issues, information, suggestions for activism. Emphasizes preserving natural places and strengthening environmental protections.
Property and Environment Research Center. Articles, issues, anecdotes, educational resources. Emphasizes market solutions to environmental problems.
Nature Conservancy. An international nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the diversity of life on Earth.
A project of the Reason Public Policy Institute. News, opinions, links. Supports private conservation and non-regulatory approaches to environmental issues.
Animal Welfare Information Center. A service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Library. Links, news, publications, resources.
Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology. News, resources, discussion groups. Supports transition to renewable energy sources.
Sierra Club. Links, news, articles, resources. Promotes protection of the environment.
Foreign Policy (Use these links for Trade with China)
Foreign Policy Association. News, articles, resource library, student corner. Emphasizes educating citizens about foreign policy issues.
U.S. Department of State – International Topics and Issues. Current U.S. policy, related bureaus and government offices, archives, links, additional resources.
U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Legislation, hearings, membership, links.
Foreign Policy In Focus. News, articles, issues, links. Supports citizen initiatives, progressive policies.
Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Foreign Policy Research Institute.
Cato Institute. Articles, links, resources. Libertarian think tank.
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. Articles, links, resources. Conservative think tank.
Brookings Institute. Articles, links, research. Nonpartisan think tank with Conservative leanings.
Center for American Progress. Articles, links, research. Nonpartisan think tank with Liberal leanings.
Health Care
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. An agency of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. News, information, research findings, links to other HHS agencies and departments.
Alliance for Health Reform. Articles, links, resources. Supports affordable health care for all Americans.
Americans for Free Choice in Medicine. Information, opinions, links. Favors medical savings accounts and free-market health care solutions.
National Transportation Safety Board. Data, links, suggestions for increased safety in various forms of transportation.
National Substance Abuse Web Index. A service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Links and resources.
Immigration
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Bureau.
Center for Immigration Studies. Research, articles, history, statistics, more. Favors supporting immigrants while limiting total immigration.
The National Immigration Forum. News, links, resources. Favors a broadly welcoming immigration policy.
Immigration Law Portal. Resources and information about immigration law.
National Immigration Law Center. Research, articles, publications. Mission to promote rights and opportunities for immigrants.
National Security
U.S. Department of Defense. News, issues, speeches, information about DoD, links to departments.
Center for Defense Information. Articles, issues, links. Emphasizes independent monitoring of defense spending and strategies.
Center for Security Policy. Articles, information, links. Favors strong American military.
Council for a Livable World. Articles, links, suggestions for activism. Supports reduction of military spending.
National Defense Committee. Articles, opinions, links. Supports larger military.
Project on Defense Alternatives. Articles and links. Emphasizes peacekeeping and conflict prevention.
Missile Defense Agency. Articles, issues, links. Devoted to making ballistic missile defense a reality.
Reproductive Rights
Life Issues Institute. Site includes links and medical information. Emphasizes education as a way to serve the needs of the pro-life movement.
National Abortion Rights Action League Pro-Choice America. Issues and suggestions for activism.
American Life League. A pro-life information resource.
National Abortion Federation. Abortion-positive medical guides, personal stories, information.
National Center for Men’s Voluntary Fatherhood Project. Articles and resources. Supports men’s reproductive rights and paternity fraud legislation.
National Institutes of Health stem cell research guide. Information, federal policy, research topics, and news.
The Coalition of Americans for Research Ethics. News and information. Favors stem cell research; does not support use of embryonic stem cells.
Longwood University Library’s collection of links related to doctor-assisted suicide.
Ethics in Medicine web site from the University of Washington School of Medicine. Examines ethical questions of doctor-assisted suicide from several viewpoints.
Anti-euthanasia web site. Contains a large collection of medical and legal articles, links to other organizations, and international perspectives.
Stem Call Research Foundation. Supports innovative basic and clinical research in the emerging and critical area of stem cell therapy.
Genetics Policy Institute. Dedicated to establishing a positive legal framework to advance stem cell research.
