Social Welfare Policies and Programs

Social Welfare Policies and Programs
Library and Internet Resources
A Guide for SW 721

Prepared by Karen Kimber, Social Sciences and Humanities Team Leader
January 2007

Introduction to Legal Research

What makes up the law in the United States?	Legal Research Basics
How to understand a legal citation	Interpreting Legal Citations
About laws passed by Congress: citations and forms	Notes on Individual Laws as Enacted/The United States Code... Example: Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993: Pub. L. 103-3, Feb. 5, 1993, 107 Stat. 6 (5 U.S.C. 6381 et seq.; 29 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.)

Useful Links and Shortcuts

Important laws by topic, with related information	Wex: Law about ... [various subjects]
Where to find a citation when you know the popular name of a law	Finding a Law by Popular Name

The History of a Law

The legislative process	How the U.S. Congress Makes Laws
Where to find a particular law and its legislative history	Finding U.S. Legislation

Background and Analysis of a Law

Why did the Congressional committee recommend passage of the bill?	Senate and House Reports
What did Senators and Congressmen/women say on the floors of the Senate and House?	Congressional debates and votes
What was the background (alliances, party politics)?	Finding background information about specific legislation

The Ohio Delegation

Who are/were Ohio's Senators and Congressmen/women?	Current Ohio Congressmen and Congresswomen Senators of the 110th Congress (Click on state to sort) Earlier Congresses Official Congressional Directory. Latest in Ref JK1011 [date] (1995-2004 on 3rd floor; earlier at SWDepository)
What were their major votes and group ratings?	The U.S. Congress Votes Database (Washington Post) The Almanac of American Politics. Latest in Ref JK1012 .A44 CQ's Politics in America. Latest in Ref JK1012 .P64

The NASW Position

NASW: National Association of Social Workers
NASW Policy Statements Abstracts - from Social Work Speaks
Dunbar Library's copies of Social Work Speaks

The Role of Administrative Agencies: Implementation

Federal regulations	How Federal Agencies Make Regulations Finding Federal Regulations Example: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Poverty Guidelines, Research, and Measurement
Ohio regulations	How Ohio Agencies Make Regulations Finding Ohio Regulations Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Especially: Office of Legal Services: Public Hearing Notices, Proposed Rules, Recently Adopted Rules, and Rules in Effect

Budget Information

The State Government Book: A Program Inventory of State Agencies (Ohio Office of Budget and Management)
Ohio Office of Budget and Management
Consolidated Federal Funds Report - includes federal government grant information by state and county
Budget of the United States Government

Judicial Action: The Role of the Courts

An annotated code is a good way to find case law relevant to a particular legislative act, because it supplements the official text of the law with citations to related regulations and case law. (A code is a compilation of legislation arranged by topic.) The annotated United States Code Service (USCS) is available to Wright State students from two related databases:

LexisNexis Congressional
LexisNexis Academic - the same source with a different search form

Evalution: Scholarly Research

This guide is available at:
http://www.wright.edu/~karen.kimber/sw721.html

Karen Kimber mailto:karen.kimber@wright.edu
Paul Laurence Dunbar Library - (937) 775-3034
Wright State University Libraries