To begin, visit app.abstract.us and enter your email and password.
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Home
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 and the CA Position Letters Portal.
On the left side of your page is the navigation bar. From here, you can access Home, Search, Lists, Daily File, Alerts, Glossary, Directory, and Settings.
Search
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.
Bill Page
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 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 bill page 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 page contains all versions of the bill's Bill Text and Today's Law as Amended. Toggle the dropdown menu to see previous versions of the Bill Text & Today's Law as Amended.
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 attach a file to a bill.
Library/Lists
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
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 “Add to Calendar" button.
