The University of Alabama School of Law
The University of Alabama School of Law
Users can hover over the "Browse" tab and select "Category" to find several options of categorized legislative materials, including "Congressional Committee Materials," "Congressional Rules and Procedures," and "Legislative Agency Publications." Users can also browse the collection by "A-Z" or by "Author" to find legislative materials.
GovInfo.gov provides free online access to official Federal Government publications from all three branches, including, but not limited to:
Congressional Bills are legislative proposals from the United States House of Representatives and Senate. There are numerous different bill versions that track a bill through the legislative process from introduction through passage by both chambers. GovInfo provides access to all published versions of bills from the 103rd Congress to present.
These are publications issued by Congressional Committees that include topics related to their legislative or research activities, as well as other matters such as memorial tributes. The prints are an excellent resource for statistical and historical information, as well as legislative analysis. Some basic categories of Congressional Committee Prints are: draft reports and bills, directories, statistical materials, investigative reports, historical reports, situational studies, confidential staff reports, hearings, and legislative analyses. GovInfo contains selected committee prints from the 104th Congress to Present, plus select prints from prior Congresses. Note that the system is updated irregularly for the current Congress, as digital versions of the committee prints are published.
This collection originates from congressional committees, covering a wide variety of topics, and may include reports of executive and independent organizations, reports of special investigations made for Congress, and annual reports of non-governmental organizations. They are part of the Congressional Serial Set. GovInfo's collection includes select House, Senate, and treaties published from the 104th Congress forward, as well as additional documents from previous congresses. Only those documents that were published by the U.S. Government Publishing Office are included. The collection is updated irregularly for the current Congress, as digital versions are published and approved for release.
A 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. They can also be exculpatory in nature, providing testimony and data about topics of current interest. GovInfo has select House and Senate hearings for the 104th Congress forward. Hearings from earlier congresses are being digitized and will be added over time.
The Congressional Record (Bound) is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. The Congressional Record is published daily when Congress is in session and, at the end of each session of Congress, all of the daily editions are collected, re-paginated, and re-indexed into a permanent, bound edition. It is made up of one volume per session of Congress, with each volume published in multiple parts, each part containing roughly 10-20 days of Congressional proceedings. GovInfo has digitized copies of volumes 144 and earlier.
Copies of the Congressional Record (Daily) that are eventually bound. GovInfo's collection currently has volumes 140 to present. Usually updated by 11 a.m. each day, unless there was a late adjournment that delays production of the issue.
Lists legislative actions on bills that are reported in the Congressional Record, which has been published since 1873. A typical entry in the History of Bills includes a bill number, title, summary, names of sponsors and cosponsors, and a chronological list of actions on the bill. GovInfo's collection spans from 1983 to the present.
The House Rules and Manual is published by the House Parliamentarian's Office during the first session of each Congress. Formally entitled Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and Rules of the House of Representatives and contains the fundamental source materials for parliamentary procedure used in the House of Representatives, including: the Constitution of the United States; applicable provisions of Jefferson's Manual; rules of the House; provisions of law and resolutions having the force of rules of the House; and pertinent decisions of the Speakers and other presiding officers of the House and Committee of the Whole interpreting the rules and other procedural authority used in the House of Representatives. Is usually authorized by House resolution at the end of a Congress for printing at the beginning of the following Congress, as such, the House document number reflects the Congress that authorized the printing although the cover page identifies the applicable Congress for the contents. GovInfo has digital copies of most of the House Rules and Manual dating back to the 104th Congress, minus the 108th Congress. There are copies of some of the House Manuels and Rules that were for Congresses prior to the 104th, however, the results are sparse.
Is prepared during the second session of each Congress by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, contains the standing rules, orders, laws, and resolutions affecting the Senate as well as copies of historical U.S. documents, such as Jefferson's Manual, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Constitution of the United States, etc., and selected statistical information on the Senate and other Government entities. It is generally issued each Congress as Senate Document 1. GovInfo has the 104th, 106th, 107th, 110th, 112th, 113th, and 116th Senate Manuals. There are no records of the 105th, 108th, 109th, 111th, 114th, and 115th Senate Manuals. GovInfo has several Senate Manuels prior to the 104th Congress, however, like the House Manuels and Rules, the results are sparse.
Also known as slip laws, an official publication of the law. Most laws passed by Congress are public laws, which affect society as a whole. Private laws affect an individual, family, or small group, and are enacted to assist citizens that have been injured by government programs or who are appealing an executive agency ruling, such as deportation. At the end of each session of Congress, these slip laws are compiled into bound volumes called the Statutes at Large, and are then known as session laws. GovInfo's collection has Public and Private laws dating back to the 104th Congress.
Every six years, public laws are incorporated into the United States Code, which is a codification of all general and permanent laws of the United States. GovInfo contains virtual main editions of the U.S. Code from 1994 forward.
This is the permanent collection of all laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress. Every public and private law passed by Congress is published in order of the date it was enacted into law. Also includes concurrent resolutions, proclamations by the President, proposed and ratified amendments to the Constitution, and reorganization plans. GovInfo has digital copies of volumes 1-116, which include the Public and Private laws, the text of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, amendments to the Constitution, treaties with Indians and foreign nations, and presidential proclamations, and prior to 1948, treaties and international agreements approved by the Senate.
House.gov is the official website for the United States House of Representatives. Users can use it to find information on representatives, House Committees, the schedule, information on House hearings, and more.
Similar to House.gov, Senate.gov is the official website for the United States Senate. Users will be able to use this site to find information on Senators, Senate committees, and Legislation. Unique to the Senate, however, is that they also have information on art and artifacts.
Congress.gov provides access to PDF versions of bills/resolutions, committee reports, committee publications, Congressional Record, and House and Senate communications.
If you look at a bill, either House or Senate, you can immediately see an overview of the bill, such as who sponsored the bill, what committee it was in, latest action, and more at the top of the page. For example, here is "H.R.7024 - Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024."
If you look below the overview, you will find multiple tabs that have a plethora of information, such as:
"Actions," which is essentially a timeline of the bill and what actions have been taken so far.
"Titles," which lays out various official and short titles of the bill.
"Committees" it was part of and worked on.
"Related bills"
You may also be available to find the text of the bill, any amendments that were made, and cosponsors, depending on the bill.