MAPLight.org, a groundbreaking public database, brings together information on campaign contributions and votes in the California legislature. The first of its kind in the nation, MAPLight.org provides an unprecedented window into the connections between money and politics.
MAPLight.org includes:
- How each legislator voted on each of the 5,000 bills in the 2003-2004 California legislative session.
- All campaign contributions made to each legislator from 2001-2004, categorized by the interest or industry of the contributor.
- Supporters and opponents of each bill, and the industries and interests those supporters and opponents represent.
- A brief, plain-English description of each bill, and the subject the bill is about.
- The full text of each bill, including committee reports and amendments.
MAPLight.org answers these questions and many more:
- How did my legislator vote on a particular bill?
- Who are the top contributor to my legislator?
- How often did my legislator vote to support bills her top contributors supported?
- How much money from, say, lumber companies was given to legislators who voted to allow clearcutting? How much was given to legislators who voted to prevent clearcutting?
- How often did insurance companies (or drug companies, or prison guards) succeed in blocking bills they opposed?
Current Data and Future Plans
MAPLight.org currently includes all 5,000 bills in the 2003-2004 California legislative session and all California campaign contributions from January 2001 through December 2004.
We are seeking financial support to extend MAPLight.org to include up-to-the minute data in California and data for other states and U.S. Congress. Thank you for your interest in this groundbreaking project to illuminate the connection between money and politics.