United States Congress
congress | voting records | public disclosure | legislative information | reports & documents
Congress
House
of Representatives
The official site of the House of Representatives. Access legislative goings-on,
educational resources, votes and more.
Senate
Stay aware of Senate happenings from daily schedules to votes. This site
is also full of Senate history, statistics, reference sources and more.
Congressional
Record
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. Browse or search Congressional Records from 1994 forward.
Biographical
Directory of the United States Congress 1774-present
A searchable biographical directory of Congress.
Congressional
Pictorial Directory
Having trouble putting a face to a name, the pictorial directory can help.
Access photos for members of Congress from the 105th Congress (1997-98)
forward.
Women
in Congress
A project of the Clerk of the House, this site offers historical essays,
biographical information, educational resources and more about female members
of Congress.
Contacting
the Congress
Use this site to locate contact information for your current Congressional
representatives.
Congressional Voting Records
Senate
Votes
Access the most current votes and historic voting records back to the 101st
Congress (1989).
House
Votes
Access the most current votes and historic voting records.
Washington
Post's Votes Database
This site lets you browse every vote in the U.S. Congress since 1991.
Public Disclosure
Office
of the Clerk Public Disclosure
Members, officers, and staff of the U.S. House of Representatives are required
by certain House Rules and federal statutes to file official documents on
travel, income, gifts, etc. and to make this information available to the
public as Public Disclosure documents. This site provides access to many
of these documents.
U.S.
Senate Select Committee on Ethics
The Select Committee on Ethics website was designed to provide access to
Committee Members, the Senate Ethics Manual, the downloadable Public Financial
Disclosure Form, additional downloadable forms, and links to related websites.
OpenSecrets.org
OpenSecrets.org is your nonpartisan guide to money’s influence on
U.S. elections and public policy. Whether you’re a voter, journalist,
activist, student or interested citizen, use our free site to shine light
on your government. Count cash and make change.
Legislative Information
Constitution
of the United States
The Constitution of the United States comprises the primary law of the U.S.
Federal Government. Browse or search editions of the Constitution via GPO
Access.
The
Legislative Process
The United States Constitution (Article I, Section I) grants all legislative
powers to the Congress, which consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives.
How
a bill becomes a law (pdf)
a flowchart of the process a bill goes through to become a law.
Guide
to Law Online
The Guide to Law Online, prepared by the Law Library of Congress Public
Services Division, is an annotated guide to sources of information on government
and law available online.
Thomas.gov
In the spirit of Thomas Jefferson, legislative information from the Library
of Congress).
U.S.
Code
The Office of the Law Revision Counsel prepares and publishes the United
States Code, which is a consolidation and codification by subject matter
of the general and permanent laws of the United States.
Legislative
Branch Resources on GPO Access
A collection of legislative resources available on GPO Access.
Reports & Documents
Congressional
Budget Office
CBO provides readers accessible ways to find information in the Budget and
Economic Outlook.
Congressional
Research Service Reports
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) does not provide direct public
access to its reports, requiring citizens to request them from their Members
of Congress. The information on this site is compiled and made available
as a public service by the Government Documents Department at the UNT Libraries.
Open CRS
A project of the Center for Democracy & Technology through the cooperation
of several organizations and collectors of CRS Reports, Open CRS provides
citizens access to CRS Reports already in the public domain and encourages
Congress to provide public access to all CRS Reports.
Congressional
Research Service Reports on Environmental Issues
National Council for Science and the Environment is committed to expanding,
maintaining and updating its database of reports, making them available
and searchable for the public.
GAO
(Gerenal Accountability Office) Reports
The GAO Reports application contains reports (“blue books”)
on audits, surveys, investigations, and evaluations of Federal programs
conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
Office
of Technology Assessment
Now closed, the OTA provided Congressional members and committees with objective
and authoritative analysis of the complex scientific and technical issues
of the late 20th century. This site provides access to the OTA's reports.
Treaties
Complete coverage begins with the 94th Congress. Older treaties are included
if they were pending in 1975 when the database was created.
Congressional
Hearings
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. This is a searchable/browsable database of hearings from the 94th Congress
(1995) forward.