Civic Engage Federal Bills List
Civic Engage
Turning complex legislation into civic action through AI-powered simplification
In today’s complex political landscape, staying informed about upcoming legislation can feel overwhelming. Civic Engage is my personal, non-profit project designed to make it easier—and more impactful—for everyone to understand and engage with the issues shaping our country.
My Role: As the founder and full-stack product designer, I led the entire product lifecycle—from identifying the civic engagement gap through user research, designing an intuitive interface, to implementing the technical architecture using React, Node.js, and AI integration.
Key Approach:
User-centered design focused on reducing friction in civic participation
AI integration to translate legislative complexity into accessible summaries
Technical architecture prioritizing user privacy and scalability
Progressive enhancement to guide users from awareness to action
Tech Stack:
Frontend: React.js, HTML, CSS, JavaScript
Backend: Node.js, Express.js
AI/NLP: Google's Gemini API
Database: DynamoDB
APIs: Google Civic Information API, Congress.gov API, Legiscan API
Deployment: Heroku
Personal Project Impact: Built and deployed a fully functional civic engagement platform as a free, non-profit resource serving citizens nationwide.
Live Site: civicengage.me
THE PROBLEM
When Democracy Feels Out of Reach
Congressional approval ratings consistently hover below 20%. Yet when I looked deeper, the problem wasn't that people don't care about legislation—it's that participating feels impossible.
The barriers are real:
Bills average 50+ pages of dense legal terminology
No easy way to understand what legislation actually does
Finding your representative requires navigating multiple websites
Writing effective advocacy messages takes time most people don't have
But here's what research shows: Constituent communication works. Studies found that organized outreach increases legislator support by 12-20%. Congressional staffers report that fewer than 50 personalized messages can influence an office's position.
The opportunity was clear: Remove the barriers between citizens and their representatives.
RESEARCH AND DISCOVERY
Understanding the Gap
Instead of building on assumptions, I grounded this project in civic engagement research and public data.
The Evidence
Gallup polling shows persistent congressional disapproval, signaling disconnect
Academic studies demonstrate constituent communication effectiveness at state and federal levels
Congressional staff surveys reveal that personalized messages have significantly more impact than form letters
The Competitive Landscape
Existing platforms like Congress.gov and GovTrack.us serve as comprehensive legislative databases—but they present bills in full legal text without simplification. They assume users can parse dense legislative language, which is precisely the barrier preventing engagement.
Design Principles
Simplicity over comprehensiveness - Show what matters most
Privacy by default - No accounts, no data storage
Progressive engagement - Guide from awareness to action
Accessibility - Make participation possible for everyone
DESIGN SOLUTION
Three Steps from Awareness to Action
I designed Civic Engage around a simple question: What does someone need to go from "I care about this" to "I've contacted my representative"?
Understand the Bill
The goal: Replace 50 pages of legal text with 5 minutes of clear information.
Find Your Representatives
Single ZIP code search
Accurate representative information via Google Civic Information API
Direct contact details displayed
No more hunting across multiple government websites.
Take Action
Copy-paste email templates
Customizable for personal voice
Guidance on effective communication
Transform intent into action in under 2 minutes.
Technical Architecture for Privacy and Scale
Every technical decision reflected a core value: respect user privacy while enabling participation.
Zero personal data storage
No authentication required
Stateless design
Google's Gemini API transforms legal text into accessible summaries
Structured prompts ensure consistent, helpful output
Fallback handling for API limitations
DynamoDB for efficient bill caching
Node.js/Express for API orchestration
Heroku deployment for reliability
Congress.gov API - Bill data
Legiscan API - Legislative tracking
Google Civic Information API - Representative lookup
Gemini API - AI summarization
Solving Real Challenges
The Challenge: Early AI summaries varied in quality—sometimes missing key information or using inconsistent formatting.
The Solution: Developed structured prompts with explicit instructions for format, tone, and required sections. Iterated on prompt engineering until outputs were consistently clear and user-friendly.
The Challenge: Congressional API rate limits could impact user experience during high-traffic periods.
The Solution: Implemented intelligent caching in DynamoDB to store processed bills, minimizing API calls while maintaining information freshness through scheduled updates.
The Challenge: Representative information changes with elections and redistricting.
The Solution: Leveraged Google's Civic Information API rather than maintaining a custom database.
RETROSPECTIVE
Key Learnings
Effective civic technology isn't about complexity—it's about removing barriers. By focusing relentlessly on simplicity and user privacy, Civic Engage makes civic participation accessible to people who previously felt excluded from the legislative process.
What I'd Do Differently
User Testing Earlier: While the research validated the problem, testing prototypes with actual users would have surfaced usability improvements sooner.
Analytics from Day One: Anonymous usage tracking would help validate which features drive the most engagement.
Modular Architecture: Building with state-level expansion in mind from the start would reduce future refactoring needs.
Reflection
Building Civic Engage end-to-end deepened my appreciation for the intersection of design and engineering. Every design decision had technical implications, and every technical constraint shaped the user experience.
This holistic perspective strengthens my ability to collaborate with engineering teams and design solutions that are both user-centered and technically feasible—exactly the approach that drove success in my work at ProductPlan and Bright Horizons.
Visit the Platform
Live Site: civicengage.me
Support the Project: Donation link available in footer (excess funds donated to ACLU)
Built with: React, Node.js, Express, DynamoDB, Google Gemini API, deployed on Heroku
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