LibGuides: Government Information: Congress

Documents

The GPO (Government Printing Office) publishes the following Congressional Documents:

Committee Hearings - transcripts of witness testimony; can also include supporting documentation
Committee Reports - text of proposed legislation and the Committee's recommendations.
Committee Prints - background material on proposed legislation prepared by the Lib. of Cong. at the request of the Committee.
Congressional Debates - transcripts of House and Senate debates on proposed legislation. Published in the Congressional Record.
Calendars - public announcement of a debate
House and Senate Documents - reports submitted to Congress by the Executive Departments, Bureaus or Agencies.
Senate Executive Documents - official record of Treaties approved by the Senate.

Use the databases in the next box to locate copies of these documents. Please note the limitation on the coverage and content.

Bills and Public Acts can also be found in these databases. The US Code has its own website.

The databases below are a mix of commercial and government vendors. Commercial databases can only be accessed by members of the Trinity community.

CQ Press Library
CQ Press Library - the place to search or browse resources on American government, current affairs, history, politics, public policy, and data analysis for the social sciences.
Congress.gov
Indexes Congressional Reports and the Congressional Record (which includes roll call votes). Tracks legislation from the introduction through committee referral and back to the House or Senate for debate.
Code of Federal Regulations Annual Edition
The is an online version of the CFR; however, note, the limitation on the opening screen. The official edition is still the printed document.
Federal Register
Published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents.

CIS US congressional committee hearings index
Indexes by name and subject. Covers 1833 to 1969. Shelved in the Reference Department.

Project Vote Smart This link opens in a new window
A non-partisan organization which collects and publishes information on national and state candidates and elected officials. Biographic information, interest group ratings, voting records, and public statements are included in each candidate's profile.

United States House of Representatives
The official website of the US House. Includes pages for each member of the House plus links to the Committees and legislation.
United States Senate
The official website of the US Senate. Includes pages for each member of the Senate plus links to the Committees and legislation.
United States Congress
Federal Digital System

U.S. Congressional Serial Set This link opens in a new window
Reports, documents, journals, and maps published by the United States Congress, covering public policy, infrastructure, the land, the people, military and defense, and more. Coverage from beginning of the15th Congress (March 1817) to end of the 103rd Congress (December 1994).
American State Papers, 1789-1838 This link opens in a new window
Includes most of the surviving executive and legislative documents from the Federal era of American history. A primary resource. Covers historical period 1789-1838
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation This link opens in a new window
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation consists of a linked set of published congressional records of the United States of America from the Continental Congress through the 43rd Congress, 1774-1875. It includes the Journals of the Continental Congress (1774-89); the Letters of Delegates to Congress (1774-89); the Records of the Federal Convention of 1787,the Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution (1787-88), the Journals of the House of Representatives (1789-1875) and the Senate (1789-1875), including the Senate Executive Journal (1789-1875), the debates of Congress as published in the Annals of Congress (1789-1824), the Register of Debates (1824-37), Congressional Globe (1833-73), and Congressional Record (1873-75); the Statutes at Large (1789-1875) and more.