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Introduction to Abstract

Get familiar with your new bill-tracking software

Updated over a week ago

To begin, visit www.abstract.us. In the top right corner, click here to sign in.

Haven't received login credentials yet? Reach out to Abstract Support.

Sign in Link

Our landing page includes quick access to key features: quickly add or edit Tags, create Bill Lists, access your Library, access the Help Center, contact Support, or view legislative guides created by pros exclusively for Abstract. We've also included external links to sites our users use every day, such as the Daily File.

On the left side of your page is the navigation bar. From here, you can access Home, Search, Library, Daily File, Alerts, Glossary, Directory, and Settings.

On the Search page, you can search for bill numbers and keywords: simply type in your query and hit enter. You can also apply the filters below the search bar to narrow your search further, like Date and Measure Status.

To view a bill, simply click on it to open the bill page. The header of the bill page contains the bill number and legislative keys. You can download the bill PDF by clicking on this button.

To view all authors of a bill, click on the author dropdown in the bill page's header. Then, click on any legislator to view their contact information and their staffers' contacts.

Below the header, under bill information, you can view the status and history of a bill. Bill analyses will be shown in this bottom section. No need to download the PDF to view bill analyses & positions!

The bill text page contains all bill text; any changes in the language will be shown in red text with strikethroughs, new text will be blue.

The panel on the right hand side of your page is where you can find tags and notes. Here, you can quickly tag a bill for a client, issue, position, anything you choose. You can also create a note to quickly add your thoughts or an attachment to a bill.

Next, your Library is where you can save your Bill Lists (also known as Reports). You can also create folders to organize your Bill Lists.

The Daily File on Abstract is an easy way to view scheduled committee hearings and floor sessions. Simply set your desired date range, and scheduled committee hearings and floor sessions, including agendas, will be shown below. You can also add a hearing to your personal calendar by clicking the โ€œAdd to Calendar" button.

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