Research Guides
United States Federal Government Resources: Congress
Introduction
- All Things CongressionalA congressional resources and topics A-Z "site map" indicating the location of a topic in the Government Publications subject guides.
This page contains key online congressional resources, links to highly relevant topics in the Government Publications Sources by Subject guide, and background information about congress. More in depth information and sources can be found on the following pages:
- Legislative Branch OverviewHistory and information on the legislative branch and the legislative process.
- U.S. LawsAn introduction to U.S. Laws and sources for the text of bills, laws, and U.S. Code.
Congress: House and Senate Starting Points
- govinfo.gov This link opens in a new windowFree online access to official Federal Government publications via the Government Publishing Office.
- CQ.com
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Legislative tracking and Capitol Hill news service from Congressional Quarterly, Inc., with plenty of unique content to explore. - ProQuest Congressional
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Provides daily updated information, including full text of bills back to 1789, hearings 1824-1979, laws starting in 1988, and more. Enter search terms, then narrow results using filters on left.
- ProQuest Legislative Insight This link opens in a new window
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Detailed legislative histories with linked full text of many Congressional publications, 1789-2012. - U.S. Congressional Serial Set This link opens in a new window
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This set contains all the reports, documents, and journals of the chambers of congress, constituting a rich source of primary material, 1789-1980.
- HEIN Online
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Full text searchable database of legal periodicals and historic documents; U.S. Congressional Documents library linked here. - CQ Almanac
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Plain English reporting and analysis of legislation by year back to 1945. - Congress.govLibrary of Congress portal to Congressional information; includes Bills, Resolutions, Congressional Record, and more.
- American Memory - Century of LawmakingHistorical (1774-1875) U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates including Statutes, Letters, House and Senate Journal.
Major Congressional Resources
The following resources are Sources by Subject pages which contain a variety of methods to access the respective documents. Basic information about the resources is also included.
- American State PapersThe American State Papers are comprised of Legislative and Executive documents from the 1st – 25th sessions of the U.S. Congress (1789 – 1838).
- Bills - U.S. CongressA bill is a proposed law brought before the House and/or Senate for consideration.
- Congressional Floor and Committee SchedulesDiscover when and where debates, hearings, and votes are scheduled for or did occur.
- Congressional PapersCongressional papers housed in the University of Washington Libraries as well as where to find congressional papers for any state.
- Congressional RecordThe Congressional Record (CR) is the official record of proceedings and debates of the United States Congress.
- Congressional Voting RecordsDiscover how members of congress have voted, either by member name or legislation.
- IndexesIndexes to government publications, including sources for Congressional documents.
- U.S. Congressional Serial SetThe U.S. Serial Set is a specially bound, consecutively numbered version of all House and Senate reports and documents.
Background Information
- CQ Guide to Congress
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This guide covers all aspects of Congress, including ethics of members and how Congress is elected. The edition published in 2000 is available in print. Access for all on-campus; login required from off-campus. - The Almanac of American PoliticsPrint only; The Almanac of American Politics analyzes elected political figures in the House and Senate, among others.
- CQ's Politics in AmericaCQ's Politics in America is the definitive source for information on members of the U.S. Congress and their districts. Also available in print. Access for all on-campus; login required from off-campus
- Congressional Research Service ReportsCRS, a division of the Library of Congress, provides high-quality research and analysis for members of Congress. The reports created by CRS staff are succinct and well-researched.
Senate Chamber
Senate chamber c. 1952, accessed from the digital collections at the Library of Congress.
House and Senate - Introduction
The United States Congress is the "collective identity of the Senate and House of Representatives." The House and the Senate have equal status; since 1913, all bills must pass in both chambers in the process of becoming laws. However, the House and the Senate are different institutions. There are 100 senators, two from every state, and 435 representatives, with at least one from every state and apportioned otherwise according to population.
To find the year that corresponds to a session of Congress, see: Guide: Congressional Session Chart, Indiana University, Bloomington.
Hot Topics in Congress
- Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report
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Current congress: under Bills to Watch - The HillMost current headlines/stories
- ProQuest Congressional
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Provides daily updated information, including full text of bills back to 1789, hearings 1824-1979, laws starting in 1988, and more. Enter search terms, then narrow results using filters on left.