James P. Adams Library: U.S. Government Information Resources: Legislative Branch

Legislation, Bills, Hearings, etc

The following websites provide access to official versions of bills, legislation, etc. Coverage is generally 1990s to the present.

See a Reference Librarian if you need earlier resources.

Congressional Committees (House and Senate)
Standing, Select, Joint, Special and Other
Commonly Searched Legislation
Check to see what is on the current federal legislative agenda for the Session. Updated frequently.
Congress.gov
A one stop, user-friendly source of contemporary and current Congressional information, including bills, the Congressional Record, hearings, reports, and other Congressional activities.

The following links are resources and research used by Congress (and others) to make informed decisions.

Congressional Research Service Reports from the University of North Texas
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) does not provide direct public access to its reports, requiring citizens to request them from their Members of Congress. Some Members, as well as several non-profit groups, have posted the reports on their web sites. This site is not affiliated with the Congressional Research Service, but aims to provide integrated, searchable access to many of the full-text CRS reports that have been available at a variety of different web sites since 1990.
CRS Reports (Univ. of North Texas)
North Texas has over 10,000 CRS reports archived and searchable.
Federation of American Scientists
CRS reports on secrecy, intelligence, security, and space policy.
U.S. Government Accountability Office Reports
Known as "the investigative arm of Congress" and "the congressional watchdog," GAO supports the information and data finding needs of Congressional Committees. GAO reports are invaluable for researching public policy topics.
U.S. Congressional Budget Office
CBO provides Congress with biannual forecasts of the economy and analyses of economic trends and alternative fiscal policies. Many public policy issues are analyzed in CPO reports.

Biography & Background, Voting and Contact Information

The Senate
The House of Representatives
Contacting the Congress
Online Directory for the 112th Congress--lists Washington, D.C. addresses, email and phone numbers, Committee membership and District Offices for Senators and Representatives.
GovTrack.us
"A civic project to Track Congress" An excellent site providing " the status of U.S. federal legislation, voting records for the Senate and House of Representatives, information on Members of Congress, district maps, as well as congressional committees and the Congressional Record."
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 to present
Biographical information on former and current Representatives, Delegates, Resident Commissioners, and Senators.
Congressional Directory
Biographies of each member of the Senate and House, listed by state or district, and additional data, such as committee memberships. Also contains addresses, phone numbers, and other Congressional information.