State Oversight Research and Resources
We are a hub for resources, data sets, and research on state legislative oversight. Whether you are a scholar or an oversight practitioner, browse our available resources and get in touch for more information.
State Legislature Oversight Wiki
No two state legislatures are the same! Our Wiki is a unique resource gathering oversight committees, jurisdictional information, agency reports, fiscal data, and more for each state.
State Oversight Resources
Browse our collection of directories, articles, reports, and Levin Center testimony.
Checks & Balances in the 50 States
Our 2019 study assesses each state legislature’s oversight capacity and the extent to which the state uses that capacity.
People-Centered Oversight (PCO) Study
PCO is about shifting the focus of oversight from bureaucratic compliance to human impact. Read our study and get inspiration through our case studies and hands-on recommendations.
SOA Symposium: Legislators and Academics in Collaboration
Watch our SOA symposium where we bring together legislators and academics to discuss emerging research, how to translate findings into practice, and what practitioners need academics to consider in their future work.
State Oversight Resources
- State Legislative Session Calendars — 50-state list compiled by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
- The Book of the States — key data on 50 states compiled annually by the Council of State Governments (CSG)
- Online directory for 50 state auditors, comptrollers & treasurers – compiled by the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT)
- Contracts with US State Governments — list of database links compiled by Society for Institutional & Organizational Economics.
- State reports analyzing tax expenditures — 50-state list compiled by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)
- State Budgets — 50-state list of proposed and enacted state budgets prepared annually by the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO)
- State Budget Office Directory — compiled by the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO)
- 2026: Embedding Oversight in State Legislative Operations by Levin Center Oversight Fellow Jason Juffras (read executive summary here)
- 2025: State Legislative Investigation of Federal Activities by Michael Stern
- 2023: White Paper: Unpacking State Legislative Vetoes by Derek Clinger and Professor Miriam Seifter
- 2023: The exchange of letters between U.S. House Committee and Manhattan DA on access to information about a local grand jury examining state law violations.
- 2022: Wildfires: Burning Through State Budgets – Increased spending on suppression threatens fiscal stability and impedes cost-saving mitigation efforts by Pew Charitable Trust
- 2021: Citizen’s Research Council of Michigan’s recent oversight report entitled “Imagining What Should Be: Robust Legislative Oversight in Michigan“
- 2021: Federal Dollars, States’ Recoveries: How Poorly Most States are Disclosing CARES Act Spending — 50-state report by nonprofit Good Jobs First on states’ online websites disclosing spending
- 2021 & ongoing: State and local government audit reports of pandemic-related programs and spending — compiled by the U.S. Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC)
- Oct 2021: The Importance of Oversight and Agency Capacity in Enhancing Performance in Public Service Delivery by Cody A. Drolc and Lael R. Keiser, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory
- April 2021: Legislative Oversight of State Government Contracts (pdf) – Wayne State University Center for Urban Studies, report commissioned by the Levin Center
- Oct 2020: State Legislative Oversight of Emergency Contracts Related to COVID-19: Three Case Studies – Report issued by the Levin Center
- June 2020: We don’t review tax exemptions in Idaho. Could models in neighboring states work here? – Idaho Capital Sun
- 2020: Survey of State Procurement Practices (pdf) by the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO)
- 2019: Checks and Balances in Action: Legislative Oversight across the States (pdf) – Wayne State University Center for Urban Studies, report commissioned by the Levin Center
- Separation of Powers–Legislative Oversight (undated) – materials compiled by the National Conference of State Legislators
- 2019: Whistleblowing Policies in American States: A Nationwide Analysis (pdf) by Jonathan P. West and James S. Bowman
- 2017: California State Assembly Legislative Oversight Handbook (pdf) by Anthony Rendon, Speaker of the Assembly, and Ken Cooley, Chair, Assembly Committee on Rules
- 2005: New York State Assembly Guide to Legislative Oversight (pdf) by James F. Brennan, Chair, New York State Assembly Standing Committee On Oversight, Analysis and Investigation
- September 2023: Testimony before the Michigan State Senate Oversight Committee about the avenues and oversight tools available to state legislators, and how to determine an oversight agenda and plan.
- May 2023: Testimony before the Michigan House Ethics and Oversight Committee on legislative oversight resources available at the Levin Center, phases of an investigation, and recommended best practices.
- January 2022: Testimony before the Michigan State Senate Oversight Committee about the Citizen’s Research Council of Michigan’s recent oversight report entitled “Imagining What Should Be: Robust Legislative Oversight in Michigan“
- October 2021: Testimony before the Nebraska unicameral State Legislature about the state’s capacity for oversight including recommendations for improvement.
- September 2021: Testimony before the Michigan State Senate Oversight Committee about the state’s capacity for oversight of government contracts.
- July 2021: Testimony before Pennsylvania House on Emergency Procurements (pdf) – Levin Center on best practices by state legislatures conducting contract oversight
- Jan 2020: Levin Center Testimony before the Michigan Senate Oversight Committee
- SOA Newsletter (previous editions) is a monthly email update full of SOA content, upcoming events, and oversight news from across the nation! Subscribe here.
- Oversight Overview is a video series that explores how state legislatures across the nation are performing oversight of a particular issue, such as Medicare, corrections, and child welfare.
- FAST (Federal and State Tutorials) Classes are short podcasts with experts that provide brief introductions to new oversight tools, concepts, or topics. This quick listen is full of tips to get your oversight investigation off the ground! Available in the podcast feed of the Levin Center’s Oversight Matters on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
- State Oversight Matters, the State Oversight Academy’s blog, offers expert advice on conducting oversight investigations in your state legislature, oversight news from statehouses across the country, and other important topics in the field.
- Michigan Senate Joint Resolution (2022): Proposed an amendment to the state constitution that would create a permanent, bicameral, bipartisan, joint oversight committee in the Legislature.
- Nebraska Legislative Resolution 226 (2021): Established an interim study to examine how the Legislature holds state agencies accountable in the implementation of laws through oversight, and if oversight processes needed to be improved.