Political possibilities.

• Author: Greenberg, Pam
• Position: Internet - Includes related articles

LIKE ONE HUGE TOWN MEETING, THE INTERNET IS A PLACE TO DRUM UP SUPPORT FOR OR OPPOSITION TO LEGISLATION, TO RUN FOR OFFICE AND TO GET TO KNOW CONSTITUENTS.

You are visitor number 3531 to Pennsylvania Representative Italo Cappabianca's Home Page on the Internet. You check out the "event of the week," place a "help wanted" ad on the PAJOBS listing service and consider Cappabianca's favorite legislation. After leaving Cappabianca a message disagreeing with his stance on one of the bills, you go "Inside Harrisburg" to see the committee calendar and voting schedules, then visit the electronic library to look over the state budget and the text of bills that have become law.

Cappabianca is one of a growing number of state legislators who have home pages on the Internet. These cyberspace offices are providing citizens with information about their representatives and their government. Through e-mail, legislators can reach out and communicate directly with constituents.

Home pages are still relatively new for state legislators, but many members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate now have information on the Internet, as do most of the candidates for the U.S. presidency. If state legislatures follow the trend, the Internet will become another way to reach more citizens and involve them in the legislative process.

Representative Jim Morrison of Kansas, probably the first state legislator to have an Internet home page, has developed a site that is packed full of news, issues, links to other useful sites and even daily cartoons and quotes. The home page includes a daily on-line newsletter that summarizes bills as well as the complete text of selected bills. Morrison's site also has a way for users to test whether the software they use to access the Internet's World Wide Web (WWW) will allow them to see the revised text markup in bills. According to Morrison, only two of these software packages (called browsers) properly display and print strikeout, underlining and bold underlined text - Mosaic 2.0.0b4 for Windows and Internet Works. A recent addition to Morrison's site is an on-line poll, questioning users about their views on a wide range of issues, ranging from state spending and tax policies to questions on school vouchers and the legalization of casinos.

Iowa Representative Ron Corbett established a home page on the Internet shortly after he was elected speaker in 1994. Corbett feels strongly about providing a weekly review of what happened in the legislature as well as a calendar and schedule of the upcoming week. "That gives people time to know that these issues are coming up and gives them a chance to lobby in favor of or against the proposals," he says. Corbett's home page also includes "white papers" that summarize his views on various issues.

John Adler, assistant minority leader of the New Jersey Senate, has established a home page that includes press releases, biographical information, a "guest book" and a way to promote voter registration. Users from Camden County who fill in their names and addresses on an electronic form will be sent a voter registration form to sign and mail back. California Representative Debra Bowen's home page is the first to include a campaign finance disclosure statement.

Arizona Representative Mike Gardner's home page describes legislation he will sponsor in 1996 and where he stands on key issues. Visitors can also read an electronic copy of the Republican Caucus Newsletter. A map allows users to determine whether they live within Gardner's district.

PHONE, FAX, MAIL AND MORE (E-) MAIL

Some legislators fear that publicizing their e-mail addresses will lead to massive amounts of it. The ease with which individuals can send and forward e-mail does mean more work to review the messages for legislators and staffers. And some members of Congress have found that people will send them the same message repeatedly.

Representative Morrison receives some e-mail messages that are "a bit rude," but most are legitimate requests about the legislative process or questions on how to obtain information from or about Kansas. During...