Track 50-State Surveys and Interactive Maps with LawAtlas

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A common research task is to survey all state laws on a given topic, like laws on medical marijuana, texting while driving, or anti-bullying. LawAtlas: The Policy Surveillance Portal simplifies this by compiling complete all-state data on many policy areas. LawAtlas is easy to use. After choosing your topic, you can read a brief summary of the issues, and then launch the interactive map. You’re asked what criteria you’d like to map. If you choose, for example, distracted driving, you can then choose whether you’d like cellphone laws, laws for school bus drivers, or laws covering minors. An individualized map is created based on your criteria. Below the map is a handy chart by state that lists the effective and valid through dates for the laws, and provides a link to each state law.