Federal Government: Legislative Branch

The Constitution of the United States

(as amended, 2003)


U.S. Senate	U.S. House of Representatives

The Senate and House Web sites can help you find senators, representatives, biographical information, committees, information about current and past legislative bills and laws, voting records, and much more.

Reference sources

Dates/Sessions of Congress since 1789
via LexisNexis (UM only)
via Senate website

House Library & Hot Topic Responses
Library of Congress Virtual Reference

Senate Virtual Reference Desk: A clearinghouse of Senate information on the Web and guides to resources in libraries and archives.

Directories

Biographical Directory of the American Congress

Congressional Directory

Congressional Pictorial Directory

Women in Congress

Major publications

Legislative Branch Resources on GPO Access (full text of recent publications)

A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates (Library of Congress) (includes the following records of debates from 1789-1873:)

Debates of Congress:

Annals of Congress 1789-1824 [catalog record]
Register of Debates 1824-1837 [catalog record]
Congressional Globe 1837-1873 [catalog record]
Congressional Record: full text from 1983-date via Senate Website
Congressional Record 1873-date [catalog record]

Congressional Bills

Full text from 101st congress (1989-date) from Thomas (Library of Congress)

Bill summaries available from 93rd congress (1973-date)
(More about THOMAS)

Microfiche of bills from 90th congress-106th congress (1967-2000)
are filed under Y 1.4/ in fed docs microfiche

Congressional Committee Prints
Termed the “homework of Congress,” committee prints can be a valuable source for research. The library’s collection of prints is comprehensive, with a microfiche collection (CIS Committee Prints) through 1969, and print copies for 1970-date. They are fully indexed in LexisNexis Congressional, and in the catalog for 1976-date. Recent prints are also available full text via the catalog or Congressional.

Congressional Documents and Reports (the “serial set”)
Considered the core of federal depository collections, the serial set is a rich primary source for researchers. A comprehensive print collection is located in the Annex (1789-1969) and in the GIS stacks (1970-date). [catalog record] The library’s subscription to the LexisNexis U.S. Digital Serial Set Collection provides full text access for 1789-1969. Recent publications (1995-date) are full text on GPO Access and linked from library catalog records. View an online exhibit on the serial set from the University of Michigan.

Congressional Hearings
Classed in Y 4. by committee name, the library’s collection of hearings is comprehensive for the years 1950-date, with scattered holdings before 1950. Most have library catalog records, while LexisNexis Congressional affords comprehensive access. Most recent hearings (1995+) have links to full text through the catalog and via LexisNexis.

US Code
US Code [catalog record]

Search current edition and 1988-date revisions via House of Representatives Website

US Statutes at Large (bound compilation of public laws)
Bound Statutes located:

1789-1920 Fed Gov Archives S 7.9:
1921-date Fed Gov Stacks AE 2.111:

Search 1789-1875 via Century of Lawmaking

Search 1994-date via GPO Access

Search 1988-date via LexisNexis Congressional
[UM only]

Legislative Branch Agencies

Architect of the Capitol

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
The CBO serves Congress by conducting nonpartisan analyses and estimates required for the Congressional budget process.

Governmental Accounting Office (GAO)
An independent and nonpartisan “watchdog” agency reporting to Congress, the GAO investigates how federal agencies spend taxpayer dollars.

Government Printing Office (GPO)

Library of Congress

Main Reading Room

Federal Research Centers

Congressional Research Service (CRS)
As its website explains, “The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is the public policy research arm of the United States Congress. As a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, CRS works exclusively and directly for Members of Congress, their Committees and staff on a confidential, nonpartisan basis."
Because of this specific, confidential mission, CRS reports are not issued directly for public release. They can be found, however, when they are released in conjunction with Congressional legislation and debate, or by a direct request to a U.S. Congressional representative.
Released CRS reports are available at these sites:

Committee on Rules, U.S. House of Representatives

The United States Department of State

Federation of American Scientists

Open CRS Network

National Council for Science and the Environment

The University of North Texas Libraries