Gongwer Tracking Guide

What Is Included?

Gongwer News Service subscribers have full access to the leading legislation and committee tracking and alert system, which includes the ability to receive real-time alerts and updates via text message in addition to email.

Subscribers can use the tracking system to receive alerts on bill and rule activities, committee notices, keywords, Compiled Law sections, categories and legislative activities.

Subscribers also have full access to a customizable status report system that includes options to share always-updated information with clients, members, colleagues and others on legislative developments.

The extensive Gongwer tracking, alert and sharing services are available through Gongwer's Tracking page and are included with your subscription at no additional charge.

Track Legislation/Rules

In addition to bills and resolutions introduced in the Legislature, Gongwer provides an unparalleled system for tracking movement on administrative rules being considered and promulgated by executive departments. Gongwer also provides news coverage of key rule changes.

Click on the (Track) that appears next to bills, rules and committees anywhere on the Gongwer platform or enter the number(s) of bills or rules you want to track in the box at the top of the Tracking page. When clicking on the green Track button, you will have the opportunity to assign the bill or rule to a Tracking Group.

Once an item is tracked, you can choose to receive an email or text whenever the bill or rule is scheduled for action, receives action or is referenced in a Gongwer article or when a committee schedules a meeting. Tracked bills and rules will appear in your Status Reports section and all items are listed in the appropriate section of your Tracking page.

Gongwer subscriptions can also allow members of your organization to share tracking. Please contact us at gongwer@gongwer.com for more information on this feature.

Receive Alerts via Text Message

Login to the Gongwer website, then select Update Profile from the menu in the upper right of the site. Enter your mobile number and wireless carrier, and choose the messages you want to receive via text. Text and email preferences can be changed at any time.

Choose Tracking Alert Timing

You can choose how often you receive alerts from your tracked legislation and committees. Gongwer releases alerts several times throughout the day as information is updated. You can choose to recieve all of those updates or a single alert at the end of the day. You can also choose to get different alerts via email or text message. These options can also be selected through the Update Profile form under Alerts from Tracking and Saved Searches.

Tracking Groups

You can use Tracking Groups to sort tracked legislation by subject matter, client, staff assignment or any other factor. To create a group, open the Tracking Groups menu on the Tracking page and click the green Add New Tracking Group button. You will then have an opportunity to name the tracking group and add bills or rules directly to that group.

Once you create a tracking group, you can create Status Reports and Custom Committee Schedules based on the contents of that group. You can also add comments on bills that are displayed only in that tracking group.

Additional bills or rules can be added to tracking groups at any time by clicking on the green track button, or by using the Manage Groups option in the Tracked Legislation menu.

Gongwer subscriptions can also allow you to share your tracking groups with others within your organization. Please contact us at gongwer@gongwer.com for more information on this feature.

Status Reports & Committee Schedules

To generate a status report on all bills or rules you are tracking, select the Status Reports menu on the Tracking page or the Tracking Group on which you want to base the report, and click View Report. You can generate a Custom Committee Schedule in similar fashion.

Status Reports can be customized to contain the following information:

To update the information displayed on your status reports, click the View or Edit Report link, select the appropriate information on the right side of the screen and click the Submit button. Check the default settings box to retain those selections for future Status Report views.

Sharing Status Reports & Committee Schedules:

Subscribers can easily share Status Reports and Custom Committee Schedules online. Click Share a Link for the report you want to share, copy the link and email it or post it in the appropriate place on your website.

Shared links draw live information from the Gongwer system, so links that have been published or shared with others need only be updated when legislative sessions change, and no need to wait until a certain day to distribute information to members.

Export Status Reports:

Subscribers can export the content of their Status Reports to Microsoft Word or Excel documents, allowing further customization of legislative information as deemed necessary. Exports can be generated by clicking on the link within each Status Report.

Add Comments, Positions & Documents

On the main Tracking page or on the Status Reports, there are opportunities to add comments about or positions on each bill or rule. Each comment can be given a title and text. Positions can be selected from the provided list. Documents relevant to the legislation can be uploaded from the provided form and given a title or designation.

Each item added to a tracking record can be labeled as follows:

Track Compiled Law Sections & Keywords

Open the Saved Search Menu on the bill tracking page and enter the Compiled Law sections or keywords you want to track. Save and name the search and direct the system to send you email when there is a match.

Once a Compiled Law Section or keyword is tracked, you will receive an email or text whenever there is a new bill introduced with a matching code section, or when Gongwer publishes an article that includes your keyword(s).

Track Legislative Activities

Open the Legislation Activity Tracking Menu on the bill tracking page and click on the green Add/Edit Activities button. Select the activities you want to track (e.g. introduced, passed, calendar for coming session, signed by the governor) and click the Save Changes button.

Once an activity is tracked, you will receive an email or text, depending on your selections, whenever there is an action that matches your requests.

Track Committees:

On the Tracking page Current Tracking section, click View next to Committees to see the committees you are tracking. Clicking a listing of committees under Add Committees on that page takes you to a form that will allow you to add multiple committees to your list.

You can also select the Track button from any committee page or story written about the committee to add it to your list.

Once a committee is tracked, you will receive an email or text, depending on your selections, whenever that committee schedules a hearing or makes notable changes in its meeting time or agenda.

Track Legislation Categories:

Visit the legislation category page and click the green Track button next to the category you want to track.

Once a category is tracked, you will receive an email or text whenever a new bill is introduced and filed in that category and the bill will automatically be added to your tracking list. You can also designate bills added because of a tracked category to be assigned to selected tracking groups. If you do not want to track that bill beyond that point, there is a link in the tracking alert to view all newly added bills or individual bills can be selected from the tracking alert or the Tracking page.

Need More Information?

For questions about Gongwer's comprehensive tracking system, feel free to contact us at gongwer@gongwer.com or 517-482-3500. Gongwer also provides demonstrations of the website and tracking systems. We can come to your office, host you in ours, or meet virtually.

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