The following are my personal top 15 favorite free online governance resources. If you have additional favorites, please let me know and we can see if they can be added to the online version of this article.
Local sites:
www.mrsc.org. This site is maintained by the Municipal Research and Services Center. It is a good starting point for other resources or just for browsing. It includes legal resources, city/county codes, courts, legal topics, research tools, subjects ranging from economic development to transportation (not quite A to Z, but close), a City Officials directory and links to other sites such as tribal governments, U.S. government sites and sites maintained by other jurisdictions.
www.metrokc.gov. Almost everything about King County government, from its ethics code to the Metro bus trip planner, can be found on this site, along with a directory of many county employees and departments.
www.seattle.gov. This site offers almost everything you wanted to know about Seattle, including a staff directory and traffic advisories. You can even sign up for emails from SDOT about lane closures and other traffic issues.
State sites:
www.lni.wa.gov. This is the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries Web site. It includes information about worker safety rules and minimum wage. It also provides articles and other interpretive information.
www.courts.wa.gov. This is the Web site for the Washington courts. It provides information about court opinions in the Washington appellate courts and information about the state court system.
www.leg.wa.gov. This is the Washington Legislature’s Web page. It provides information about state laws, agency rules and bills.
wsdot.wa.gov. Learn about the popular occasional Alaskan Way viaduct tours and read about the results of the inspections at the Department of Transportation’s site. You also can sign up for emails from WSDOT about construction projects that may affect your commute or your sleep, depending on where you live.
Federal sites:
www.eeoc.gov. This is the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Web site. It includes information about the discrimination laws and regulations that the EEOC enforces, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VII and the other civil rights laws. It provides access to the text of the laws and regulations, and has interpretive and enforcement information available, too.
www.usdoj.gov. The U.S. Department of Justice site contains information about other aspects of the civil rights laws that are not covered on the EEOC’s site, such as a business’s reasonable accommodation obligations as a place that provides services to the public.
www.dol.gov. The Department of Labor’s Web site includes information about the wage and hour laws (FLSA), the Office of Federal Contract Compliance (which sets standards for workforce diversity for federal contractors), the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and workplace safety rules (OSHA), among other things. It provides access to the text of the laws and regulations, press releases and interpretive and enforcement information.
www.ftc.gov. The Federal Trade Commission’s site includes information about the discrimination laws and regulations that the FTC enforces, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which applies to background and credit checks of employees and applicants, and which the FTC has also interpreted as applying to workplace investigations, such as sexual harassment investigations. It provides access to the text of the laws and regulations, letter opinions and other interpretive information.
www.irs.gov. This is the Internal Revenue Service’s Web site. It includes information about the tax laws and regulations that the IRS enforces, as well as many available IRS forms. It also has information to determine if an individual is an employee or an independent contractor for federal tax purposes. It provides access to the text of the laws and regulations, letter opinions and other interpretive information.
www.ssa.gov. The Social Security Administration’s site includes information about Social Security issues, such as the availability of extended Medicare coverage to Social Security beneficiaries who are working.
www.opm.gov. The Office of Personnel Management is, in effect, the federal government’s human resources agency. Its site contains information about policies used by the federal government in its interpretation of the employment laws that apply to U.S. government employees.
www.supremecourtus.gov. This is the U.S. Supreme Court’s Web site, providing opinions, information about cases that are before the Supreme Court and links to related Web sites.
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Karen Sutherland is the chair of the Employment and Labor Law Practice Group at Ogden Murphy Wallace, P.L.L.C., and chair of the King County Bar Association Bar Bulletin Committee. Her practice focuses on employment and labor law and complex litigation. She can be reached at 1601 Fifth Ave., Suite 2100, Seattle, WA 98101, by fax at 206-447-0215 or by email at ksutherland@omwlaw.com.
