Legislative branch: Index
On this page, you can find information and links about:
- Legislation & Laws
- Background info about Congress
- Congressional Research Service Reports
- Tracking Congress & Roll Call Votes
Congressional Procedures
Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process by Call Number: KF4937 .O44ISBN: 9781452226033Publication Date: 2014
Introduction to the Legislative Process in the U.S. Congress by Congressional Research Service
Permalink: https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R42843
Publication Date: 2020
Legislation
Current legislation & Legislative Histories:
- Congressional (ProQuest) This link opens in a new windowSearch for Congressional hearings, reports, testimony, bills, laws, and regulations from the first Congress to the current Congress. (ProQuest)
The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session.
- Congressional Record (print)The print version of the Congressional Record can be found on Basement Level B2 in Boatwright Library in the Annex Section, SuDoc number X 1.1.
A Congressional Hearing is a meeting or session of a Senate, House, joint, or special committee of Congress, usually open to the public, to obtain information and opinions on proposed legislation, conduct an investigation, or evaluate/oversee the activities of a government department or the implementation of a Federal law. In addition, hearings may also be purely exploratory in nature, providing testimony and data about topics of current interest. Most congressional hearings are published two months to two years after they are held.
- Congressional Hearings (print)The print versions of many Congressional Hearings can be found on Basement Level B2 in Boatwright Library in the Annex Section, SuDoc numbers beginning with Y 4.
The United States Statutes at Large is the permanent collection of all laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress. The newest edition available is from 2011.
The United States Code is the codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. It is divided by broad subjects into 53 titles.
About the U.S. Congress
- CQ Guide to Congress (7th Edition)Covers the history of Congress including powers, procedures, lobbying and relations with the other federal branches.
- Vital Statistics on Congress (Brookings Institution)Definitive source on the study of congressional campaigns, elections, activities and political polarization & voting alignments. PDF and Excel files available.
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports
"The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a think tank that provides research reports to members of Congress on a variety of topics relevant to current political events. However, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) does not provide direct public access to its reports, nor are they released to the public via the Federal Library Depository Program (FDLP). There are several organizations that collect and give access to subsets of published CRS Reports." -James Jacobs
- Congressional Research Service Reports on Congress.govNewest CRS reports are published on Congress.gov. Comprehensive since 2018, with some earlier reports.
- Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports (ProQuest) This link opens in a new windowAccess CRS reports from 2004-present. (Please note the menu in the database itself does not accurately list the years we have purchased.) These reports were established within the Library of Congress to provide members, committees, and congressional staff with nonpartisan, objective research and analysis on all public policy issues. (ProQuest)
- CRSReports.comFor more info on CRSReports.com, see http://freegovinfo.info/node/10673
Tracking Congress & Roll-Call Votes
Non-profit, non-partisan organizations promoting transparency in government through resources that track government activities and votes in Congress.
- Congressional (ProQuest) This link opens in a new windowSearch for Congressional hearings, reports, testimony, bills, laws, and regulations from the first Congress to the current Congress. (ProQuest)
- CQ Magazine This link opens in a new windowAccess articles from a magazine that delivers nonpartisan news and analysis on the work of Congress. This database contains content from 1983-present. (Sage)
- GovTrack.usProvides easy to use information on the status of legislation and bills, voting records and information on members of Congress.
- OpenCongress.orgFocuses on the daily activities of Congress to provide in-depth information to the public to ensure transparency in government and encourage civic engagement.
- Center for Effective GovernmentFocuses on the activities of the OMB and calls for greater transparency of the decisions and activities made within this important office (formerly OMB Watch).