Loud And Clear

Before you buy a plane ticket to Washington, DC, make sure you have all your basic information at hand. The Web is a good place to find answers to these and many more questions:

• Who are my representative and senators? If you don't know, find out at http://www.votesmart.com, http://www.house.gov or http://www.senate.gov. Or call for legislative information at (202) 225-1772.

• What bills have been introduced concerning my issues? Check http://thomas.loc.gov.

• What bills has my representative or senator introduced? You can also find this information at http://thomas.loc.gov.

• What government research reports are available on my issue? Search http://www.gao.gov to find out what the government has been up to.

• What interest groups work on my issue? That information is provided at http://www.policy.com.

• What should I know about lobbying online? It's explained at http://www.e-advocates.com.

This article was originally published in the February 2000 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Loud And Clear.