Resources
Downloadable templates, reference guides, and cheat sheets for policy professionals.
Resources
Templates, reference guides, and cheat sheets to support your policy work.
Quick Reference Guides
Congressional Calendar Reference
Key dates and deadlines in the congressional calendar:
| Event | Typical Timing | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| New Congress convenes | January 3 | New members sworn in, leadership elected |
| State of the Union | Late January/February | President's legislative priorities |
| Budget submission | First Monday in February | President's budget request |
| August recess | August | Extended district work period |
| End of fiscal year | September 30 | Appropriations deadline |
| Lame duck session | November-December (election years) | Post-election legislative push |
Committee Jurisdiction Cheat Sheet
Which committees handle which issues:
| Policy Area | Senate | House |
|---|---|---|
| Tax policy | Finance | Ways and Means |
| Healthcare (Medicare) | Finance | Ways and Means, Energy & Commerce |
| Defense | Armed Services | Armed Services |
| Foreign policy | Foreign Relations | Foreign Affairs |
| Judiciary/courts | Judiciary | Judiciary |
| Banking/finance | Banking | Financial Services |
| Agriculture | Agriculture | Agriculture |
| Environment | Environment & Public Works | Energy & Commerce |
| Tech/telecom | Commerce | Energy & Commerce |
| Education | HELP | Education & Workforce |
| Transportation | Commerce | Transportation |
| Homeland security | Homeland Security | Homeland Security |
Federal Agency Reference
Key agencies by policy area:
| Policy Area | Primary Agency | Key Subagencies |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | HHS | CMS, FDA, CDC, NIH |
| Finance | Treasury | IRS, OCC, FinCEN |
| Environment | EPA | - |
| Defense | DOD | Army, Navy, Air Force |
| Education | ED | - |
| Labor | DOL | OSHA, WHD |
| Commerce | Commerce | NOAA, Census, NIST |
| Energy | DOE | FERC, EIA |
| Transportation | DOT | FAA, FHWA, NHTSA |
| Justice | DOJ | FBI, DEA, ATF |
| Telecom | FCC | - |
| Trade | USTR | - |
| Consumer protection | FTC | CFPB |
| Securities | SEC | - |
Legislative Research Templates
Bill Tracking Template
Track legislation systematically:
Bill: [Number and Title]
Sponsor: [Name (Party-State)]
Introduced: [Date]
Current Status: [Introduced/In Committee/Passed House/etc.]
Summary:
[2-3 sentence summary]
Key Provisions:
- [Provision 1]
- [Provision 2]
- [Provision 3]
Stakeholder Positions:
- Support: [Organizations]
- Oppose: [Organizations]
Next Steps:
[What to watch for]
Last Updated: [Date]
Regulatory Tracking Template
Monitor regulations through the rulemaking process:
Rule: [RIN or Docket Number]
Agency: [Agency Name]
Title: [Rule Title]
Stage: [Proposed/Final/Effective]
Published: [Federal Register Date]
Comment Deadline: [If applicable]
Effective Date: [If final]
Summary:
[What the rule does]
Impact:
[Who is affected and how]
Key Dates:
- Proposed: [Date]
- Comments Due: [Date]
- Final Expected: [Date]
- Effective: [Date]
Last Updated: [Date]
Policy Brief Template
Structure for internal policy memos:
POLICY BRIEF: [Topic]
Date: [Date]
Prepared by: [Name]
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
[2-3 sentences on key takeaway]
BACKGROUND
[Context and history]
CURRENT STATUS
- Legislative: [Pending bills]
- Regulatory: [Agency actions]
- Political: [Relevant dynamics]
KEY STAKEHOLDERS
[Who cares and why]
IMPLICATIONS FOR [ORGANIZATION]
[How this affects us]
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. [Action item]
2. [Action item]
NEXT STEPS
[What to monitor]
Query Cheat Sheets
Bill Search Queries
Common ways to search for legislation:
| Goal | Example Query |
|---|---|
| By topic | "Find bills about artificial intelligence" |
| By sponsor | "What bills has Senator X sponsored?" |
| By number | "What's the status of HR 1234?" |
| Recent activity | "What bills were introduced this week?" |
| By committee | "Bills referred to Judiciary Committee" |
| By status | "What bills passed the House this month?" |
Regulatory Search Queries
Common ways to search regulations:
| Goal | Example Query |
|---|---|
| By agency | "Recent rules from the EPA" |
| Open comments | "Proposed rules with open comment periods" |
| By topic | "Find regulations about data privacy" |
| Recent finals | "Final rules published this month" |
| By deadline | "Rules with comments due in 30 days" |
News Search Queries
Common ways to search policy news:
| Goal | Example Query |
|---|---|
| By topic | "News about the Farm Bill" |
| By person | "News mentioning Senator X" |
| By timeframe | "Policy news from the past week" |
| By source | "Coverage from publication" |
| Combined | "News about AI regulation from the past month" |
Reference Links
Official Government Sources
| Source | URL | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Congress.gov | congress.gov | Bills, votes, members |
| Federal Register | federalregister.gov | Regulations |
| Regulations.gov | regulations.gov | Comments, dockets |
| CRS Reports | crsreports.congress.gov | Research reports |
| CBO | cbo.gov | Budget analysis |
| GPO | govinfo.gov | Official documents |
Congressional Research Service
CRS reports provide nonpartisan analysis. Key report series:
- R Reports - In-depth research reports
- RL Reports - Longer research reports
- IF (In Focus) - 2-page issue briefs
- LSB (Legal Sidebars) - Legal analysis
Using These Resources
All templates can be customized for your organization. Use them as starting points and adapt to your workflow.
For questions about using Apogee tools with these templates, see: