Firearms Legislation Tracker

A Next.js 14 application for tracking firearms legislation using server actions, Prisma, and SQLite.

Features

• Track and monitor firearms legislation at both federal and state levels
• Filter bills by jurisdiction (federal/state), state, status, and keywords
• Integration with Congress.gov API for federal bills
• Integration with OpenStates API for state bills
• RSS feed integration for legislative updates
• Basic authentication system
• Responsive dashboard interface

Tech Stack

• Framework: Next.js 14 with App Router
• Language: TypeScript
• Database: Prisma with SQLite
• Authentication: NextAuth.js v5 (beta)
• State Management: Zustand
• Styling: Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui
• Form Handling: React Hook Form + Zod

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ and npm

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/firetrack.git
   cd firetrack

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Set up your environment variables:

   cp .env.example .env

4. Update the .env file with your values:

   DATABASE_URL="file:./prisma/dev.db"
   NEXTAUTH_SECRET="your-secret-key-at-least-32-chars-long"
   NEXTAUTH_URL="http://localhost:3000"
   

5. Initialize the database:

   npx prisma generate
   npx prisma db push

Development

Run the development server:

npm run dev

Visit http://localhost:3000 to see the application.

Authentication

For the MVP, use these credentials:

• Username: admin
• Password: password

Project Structure

firetrack/
├── app/                    # Next.js app directory
│   ├── api/               # API routes
│   ├── auth/              # Auth-related pages
│   ├── components/        # React components
│   └── lib/               # Utility functions, hooks, etc.
├── prisma/                # Prisma schema and migrations
└── public/               # Static files

Environment Variables

• DATABASE_URL: SQLite database URL
• NEXTAUTH_SECRET: Secret key for NextAuth.js session encryption
• NEXTAUTH_URL: Base URL of your application
• CONGRESS_API_KEY: API key from api.data.gov for Congress.gov API access
• OPENSTATES_API_KEY: API key for OpenStates API access
• OPENSTATES_API_URL: OpenStates API base URL
• MOCK_LLM_ANALYSIS: Set to "true" for development
• RSS_FEED_URL: URL for RSS feed (optional for MVP)

API Keys

Congress.gov API

1. Visit api.data.gov to sign up for an API key
2. Add your API key to the .env file as CONGRESS_API_KEY

OpenStates API

1. Visit OpenStates.org to register for an API key
2. Add your API key to the .env file as OPENSTATES_API_KEY

Development Notes

• The application uses SQLite for development but can be easily switched to PostgreSQL for production
• Authentication is implemented with basic credentials for MVP
• Both Congress.gov and OpenStates APIs are integrated for comprehensive bill tracking
• LLM analysis features use mock responses for MVP
• Rate limiting is implemented for both APIs to stay within usage limits

Testing API Integration

Test the Congress.gov API integration:

node scripts/test-congress-api.js

This will verify your API key and test the bill search and detail endpoints.