# OpenStates MCP for AI Agents AI Agent Connect > OpenStates is a legislative data platform that lets your AI agent track bills, legislators, and committees across all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. It replaces manual government site searching with direct queries into state-level policy and legislative actions. ## Overview - **Category:** data-management - **Price:** Free - **Endpoint:** https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_sD6562FRY77OdiZ66ZUdC7qPkcP5IdmhpV0Llg1z/ai-agent-connect - **Tags:** legislation, bills, us-politics, legislators, committee-data, public-policy ## Description Stop wasting hours jumping between dozens of different state government websites. This Connector gives your agent the ability to pull that data directly. If you're trying to figure out who sits on a specific committee in New York or want to see the latest version of a healthcare bill in Texas, you can just ask. It handles the heavy lifting of navigating state-level legislative metadata so you can focus on the actual analysis. You'll find it's a lot faster than manual searching, especially when you need to cross-reference information across multiple jurisdictions. It's one of the most reliable ways to feed your agent high-quality, structured data from the US state level, and you can find it listed in the Vinkius catalog. You get a direct line to legislative history, legislator profiles, and committee memberships without the usual headache of navigating clunky government portals. Instead of manually checking every state's unique legislative portal, your agent can pull data for all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico in a single flow. You can audit legislator profiles to see their current roles or pull a full list of committees in a specific state to see who is overseeing what. It turns a complex, manual research task into a simple conversation with your AI client. ## Tools ### get_bill_details Pull the specific actions, versions, and metadata for a single bill. Use this to track the progress of a specific piece of law. ### get_committee_details Retrieve the full membership list and details for a specific committee. This shows you exactly who is involved in committee decisions. ### get_legislator_details Get full profiles, including contact info and current roles, for a lawmaker. This is perfect for finding contact points for advocacy. ### search_bills Find specific legislative bills using keywords, sessions, or jurisdictions. It's the fastest way to locate active proposals. ### search_legislators Find specific legislators or groups of lawmakers across different states. This helps you identify key figures in any jurisdiction. ### list_committees Get a list of all committees in a specific state or jurisdiction. This helps you see who oversees specific policy areas. ### list_jurisdictions See every state and territory currently supported by the platform. Use this to verify coverage before starting research. ## Prompt Examples **Prompt:** ``` Search for education bills in California. ``` **Response:** ``` Searching OpenStates for education-related bills in California... I've identified several active proposals, including AB-150 and SB-42. I can pull the full history and current status for any of these. ``` **Prompt:** ``` Who are the members of the New York Senate Finance Committee? ``` **Response:** ``` Retrieving membership for the NY Senate Finance Committee... I've found 25 legislators currently serving on this committee, including the chair and vice-chair. Shall I list their names and parties for you? ``` **Prompt:** ``` Get the latest actions for bill TX HB-500. ``` **Response:** ``` Fetching details for Texas HB-500... The most recent action was 'Passed in the House' yesterday. It has now been referred to the Senate State Affairs committee. Would you like to see the full list of sponsors? ``` ## Capabilities ### Find specific bills by keyword Your agent can search for legislation across different states using specific keywords or session types. ### Pull legislator contact info and roles Get full profiles for lawmakers, including their current positions and contact information. ### Map out committee memberships Retrieve the full list of members for any specific legislative committee in a jurisdiction. ### Check which states are covered See a full list of supported states and territories to understand the scope of the data. ### Get version history for legislation Pull the specific actions and versions of a bill to see how it has changed over time. ## Use Cases ### Tracking education policy A researcher asks for all education-related bills in California and then gets the history for each using search_bills and get_bill_details. ### Finding committee contacts A journalist needs to know the members of the NY Senate Finance Committee to find a lead for a story using get_committee_details. ### Verifying bill status A legal team asks for the latest action on a specific Texas bill to see if it passed the House using get_bill_details. ### Mapping legislative reach A developer uses the tool to see which states are covered before building a state-wide dashboard using list_jurisdictions. ## Benefits - Skip the manual search. Use search_bills to find specific legislation by keyword or jurisdiction instantly. - Get accurate lawmaker info. Use get_legislator_details to pull full profiles and contact info for any state representative. - Map out committee influence. Use get_committee_details to see who is actually on a committee and what they do. - Track bill versions. Use get_bill_details to see the exact actions and history of a piece of legislation. - Verify coverage. Use list_jurisdictions to quickly see which states and territories the data covers. - Simplify committee mapping. Use list_committees to get a full list of committees in any given jurisdiction. ## How It Works The bottom line is you get instant access to state-level legislative data without leaving your AI client. 1. Subscribe to the OpenStates MCP on Vinkius. 2. Add your OpenStates API key to your configuration. 3. Ask your agent to find specific bills or legislator profiles. ## Frequently Asked Questions **What can I do with OpenStates?** You can use it to find state bills, find contact information for legislators, and see who sits on various state committees across the US. **Does OpenStates cover all 50 states?** Yes, it provides legislative data for all 50 states, as well as Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. **Can I find specific legislator contact info?** Yes, you can pull full profiles for lawmakers which include their current roles and contact details. **How does OpenStates help with bill tracking?** It allows your agent to pull the latest actions and version history for specific bills so you can see how they are moving through the legislative process. **Can I see committee memberships?** Yes, you can retrieve full membership lists for committees in any supported jurisdiction to see who is involved in specific policy areas. **Is OpenStates good for policy research?** It is built specifically for policy research, helping you skip the manual work of searching through dozens of different government portals. **Which US states are covered by this integration?** OpenStates covers all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. You can use the `list_jurisdictions` tool to see the full list of currently active jurisdictions. **Can I search for bills by specific keywords like 'environment' or 'education'?** Yes! Use the `search_bills` tool, provide the state name in the `jurisdiction` parameter, and your keywords in the `q` parameter. Your agent will return all matching legislation. **How do I get the contact information for my state representative?** First, find the legislator using `search_legislators` with their name or district. Then, use the `get_legislator_details` tool with their ID to retrieve their official email, office address, and phone number.