Auctions      top
Where can I find information on government auctions?      
Government surplus sales/auctions is available from the USA.gov website.
General Service Administration and the Treasury Department have listings for government sales and auctions, including regional sales.

Birth Certificates     top
How do I get a birth, death, marriage, or divorce certificate?
Go to the Where to Write for Vital Records and click on the state where the event occurred. Birth, death, marriage, and divorce records can be requested.

Business Plans      top
How do I find information about writing a business plan?
Business Plan Basics [SBA]
Write a Business Plan [SBA]
Sample Business Plans [BPlans.com] (non-government site)
NOLO.com: Small  Business (non-government site)

Campaign Contributions     top
Where can I find information on campaign contributions? 
For Federal elections, go to the Federal Election Commission web site.
For federal and state elections, go to OpenSecrets.org.

Citation Guide     top
How do I cite government publications in my paper?
DocsCite gives step-by-step assistance for citing in ALA for MLA style
General Guidelines for Citing Government Publications, from the University of North Texas, offers some general guidelines for citing government publications. 
Online Citation Guides from the University of Michigan has links to many style manuals.

Citizenship & Naturalization
How do I find sample questions on naturalization tests?
Naturalization Self-Test (2006)
Sample U.S. History and Government Questions
Civics and Citizenship Study Materials (2006)
Civics Flash Cards (2006)
Guide to Naturalization (2006)
Fact Sheet: USCIS Naturalization Test Redesign (2006)
Citizenship FAQ's Online (2006)
Citizenship  (2006)

Congressional Districts      top
How do I find out what Congressional District I am in?
Fast Facts for Congress has a LOCATE A DISTRICT feature. Enter your address to find your district number (and additional Census data about your district).

Copyright Forms      top
How can I get a copyright form?
Forms are available at U.S. Copyright Office Forms.

Country Information      top
Can you help me find information on a specific country? 
CIA World Factbook, Background Notes, Country Commercial Guides, and Country Studies have economic and social profiles of countries.
Export.gov provides a market research library for individuals wanting to export materials.

Demographics     top
Where can I find demographic statistics?
MapStats, QuickFacts, and Demographic Profiles, have Census 2000 data. Also see American FactFinder,  American Community Survey Data Profiles, Social Statistics Briefing Room, Statistical Abstract of the United States, and FedStats for demographic and economic data on the U.S. population.

Draft      top
How do I register for the draft?
Information is available at the Selective Service System web site.

Economic Data      top
How do I find economic data?
See Business Data & Statistics [Business.gov].
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Economic Statistics Briefing Room, Social Statistics Briefing Room, Statistical Abstract of the United States, and FedStats all have demographic and economic data on the U.S. population.

Forms      top
Where can I find a list of government forms available on the Internet? 
Uncle Sam--Forms From the Feds contains downloadable government electronic forms requested most frequently by the general public.

Government      top
Where can I find information on the structure of the U.S. government? 
The following sites provides information about the Constitution, Congress, the Presidency, and the Supreme Court:
     American National Government: An Overview [CRS] - PDF-6 pages
     Our American Government [Library of Congress]
     Ben's Guide to U.S. Government [GPO Access]
     Federal Judiciary: Frequently Asked Questions  
     Basic Readings in U.S. Democracy
     American Cultural and Social History [Encyclopedia Smithsonian]

Where can I find a directory of U.S. government departments and agencies? 
The United States Government Manual has comprehensive information on government departments and agencies.

Government Contracts      top
Where can I find information about companies that have been awarded government contracts?     top
The Federal Procurement Data Center has a database that is searchable by contractor name or geographic location. They also provide the Federal Procurement Report online. This report provides a statistical overview of the procurements of more than 60 federal agencies. The Central Contractor Registration Database provides access to information on over 150,000 vendors registered to do business with the Department of Defense, NASA, and the Department of Transportation. The Small Business Administration's Pro-Net and Sub-Net provide information to small businesses regarding procurement and subcontracting opportunities. You will also find an online version of the  Subcontracting Opportunities Directory on the SBA web site. The Commerce Business Daily is also available online and is searchable by awardee name. For current procurement opportunities with the federal government go to the Federal Business Opportunities web page.

Government Grants      top
Where can I find information on "free money" from the government? 
Grants.gov has information and search capability for finding government grants in many agencies.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance lists government programs for grants and financial assistance. It is keyword searchable and gives details of the application process for each program.

High School Debate Topics     top
Where can I find information on the annual High School Debate Topic?
For 2004 debate topic (United Nations Peacekeeping and U.S. Foreign Policy), see High School Debate Topic 2004.
For previous years (1995-current) see High School Debate Topics from the University of Michigan.

Home Schooling      top
Where can I find home schooling information? 
Home schooling in the United States is a report from the U.S. Dept. of Education.

Jobs--Federal      top
Where can I find out about federal government job openings and how to apply? 
The Office of Personnel Management maintains USA Jobs with information on government job openings. Information on how to apply for a federal job is available at Applications for Federal Employment.

Jobs--California Jobs       top
Where can I find out about California government job openings?
Go to the Official California State Home Page and, in the right frame under Quick Hits, click on Find a Job. For Orange County jobs, go to Orange County Job Listings.

Licensed Occupations     top
Where can I find out about Licensed Occupations in  states?  
The Licensed Occupations Tool allows you to search by state or occupation to find out about licensing requirements for specific occupations.

Laws      top
How does a bill become a law?  
How Our Laws Are Made [House of Representatives]
The Legislative Process Tying It All Together [Summary]
Enactment of a Law [Senate]

Where can I find the laws of the United States?   
United States Code contains the text of laws currently in force. 
Public Laws contains laws enacted by Congress since 1973. It includes laws not yet codified in the U.S. Code. 
Code of Federal Regulations has regulations issued by executive branch agencies.
Federal Register and Regulations.gov have proposed regulations and also regulations adopted so recently that they are not yet in the Code of Federal Regulations.   
Native American Constitution and Law Digitization Project has Tribal Constitutions and Codes.

Where can I find laws for California?  
California Legislative Information: California Laws

Where can I find laws for other states? 
FINDLAW: U.S. State Laws.

Where can I find laws for cities?   
Municipal Codes on the Internet From General Code Publishers. Links to city and county codes online. Searchable.
Municipal Codes Online from the Seattle Public Library. Links to city and county codes online.

Medal of Honor      top
Where can I find information on Medal of Honor recipients? 
Medal of Honor web site lists all recipients and includes full text of the citations.

Military Records      top
Where I can obtain military records?   
Information is available at the National Personnel Records Center.

Minimum Wage      top
What is the minimum wage?  
Minimum Wage [federal] (U.S. Dept. of Labor)
State Minimum Wage Laws (includes California) (U.S. Dept. of Labor)

Naturalization
Where can I find information about becoming a U.S. citizen?
Guide to Naturalization (2006)
Naturalization Self-Test (2006)
Sample U.S. History and Government Questions
Civics and Citizenship Study Materials (2006)
Civics Flash Cards (2006)
Fact Sheet: USCIS Naturalization Test Redesign (2006)
Citizenship FAQ's Online (2006)
Citizenship  (2006)

Patents      top
Where can I find information on patents and trademarks?  
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office  web site includes answers to frequently asked questions, forms, fees, and searchable databases of existing patents and trademarks. Patents and trademarks each have their own separate section. 

Passports & Visas      top
Where can I get a passport and/or visa?    
The Consular Affairs office has information on passport and visa services and application forms available on their web site.

Representatives      top
Who are my state and federal representatives? 
Project Vote Smart lets you type in your zip code to find your Federal and State representatives.
The California Secretary of State has a similar Web site: Find Your Representatives. 

School Districts      top
Where can I find information about public schools and school districts?
NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) database is searchable by school name, city, or zip code and by type of institution. It gives information on public schools, private schools, colleges, and libraries. 
Also see the National Public School and School District Locator. These databases contain address, phone, and some basic statistics about individual schools and districts.
For Census 2000 statistics by school district see the NCES School District Demographics System.

Social Security Cards & Statements    top
How do I get a Social Security card? 
Social Security Administration has detailed information on obtaining a new or replacing a lost card.

How do I check my Social Security earnings?   
Information About Your Statement (Social Security Administration).

Small Business Guide &  Starting a Business     top
Can you help me find information on starting, financing, and running a small business?     top
    CALIFORNIA information on starting a business:
          Starting a Business [California Secretary of State]

Also see an Orange County Register 18-part series in the Business Section by Jan Norman on "How to Start a Small Business." The 18th article is: "How to start a small business: recap of step-by-step start-up process," December 31, 2001, pg. IYB 2. All the articles can be retrieved by searching ProQuest Newspapers database:
     Title: how to start a small business
     Author: jan norman

For additional articles on starting a business from OCR, search ProQuest Newspapers database by Title: iybqa [Note: iybqa stands for "it's your business questions & answers"]

     FEDERAL information on starting a small business:
          Small Business Administration: Free Online Courses (tutorials)
          Small Business Planner
          Small Business Startup Guide (2003) [SBA]         
          Small Business Administration:  financing and starting a small business
          Small Business Classroom (interactive business guidance)
          Small Business Corner [IRS]

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