Policy and Legislative Research for Congressional Staff: Finding Documents, Analysis, News, and Training

This report is intended to serve as a finding aid for congressional documents, executive branch documents and information, news articles, policy analysis, contacts, and training, for use in policy and legislative research. It is not intended to be a definitive list of all resources, but rather a guide to pertinent subscriptions available in the House and Senate in addition to selected resources freely available to the public. This report is intended for use by congressional staff and will be updated as needed.

Policy and Legislative Research for Congressional Staff: Finding Documents, Analysis, News, and Training

Updated June 28, 2019 (R43434)
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Summary

This report is intended to serve as a finding aid for congressional documents, executive branch documents and information, news articles, policy analysis, contacts, and training, for use in policy and legislative research. It is not intended to be a definitive list of all resources, but rather a guide to pertinent subscriptions available in the House and Senate in addition to selected resources freely available to the public. This report is intended for use by congressional staff and will be updated as needed.


Introduction

During the legislative process, many documents are prepared by Congress and its committees. Governmental and nongovernmental entities track and record congressional activities, and many more entities chronicle and analyze the development of public policy. The wide availability of such information can be daunting to those involved in policy and legislative research. The purpose of this report is to assist congressional staff in identifying and accessing key resources used during such research.

The resources' titles and access information are presented in eight tables. The tables provide information on how to find congressional documents (Table 1); information on tracking legislative activity (Table 2); executive branch documents and information (Table 3); information about legislative support agencies (Table 4); congressional news sources (Table 5); policy and scholarly research sources (Table 6 and Table 7); and research-related training and services for congressional staff (Table 8).

This report is not a comprehensive catalog of resources for conducting policy and legislative research; instead, it provides a selection of widely used electronic resources. Some of the resources mentioned are available only with a paid subscription, whereas others are free; this availability is noted in the report along with the access points for congressional staff. Print resources for time periods not covered by the resources listed in the tables may be available from the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the Law Library of Congress, or the House and Senate Libraries. The inclusion of resources in this report does not imply endorsement by CRS of the content or the products listed. In addition, CRS does not acquire or manage congressional offices' access to subscription resources.

CRS is available for consultation on policy and legislative research or to perform such research upon request. CRS can also advise congressional staff on the use of the resources listed in this report, including advice on how to select the best resource to use, how to search for information within a resource, or how to develop the most effective research methodology. Additional reports on congressional operations are available in the "Congressional Process, Administration, & Elections" page on CRS.gov, at http://www.crs.gov/iap/congressional-process-administration-and-elections.

Congressional Documents

Table 1 serves as a reference guide for locating congressional documents using both freely available and subscription-based resources. The first column of the table lists documents commonly used in policy and legislative research and typical citations for such documents. The second column lists resources where these documents can be accessed. The third column contains explanatory notes.

Table 2 provides information about how to access House and Senate committee schedules, floor schedules, calendars, and floor proceedings, all of which can be helpful in tracking congressional activities.

Access to subscription resources can vary among CRS, Senate, and House offices. See the notes within the tables for more information. CRS subscriptions can be accessed through the CRS La Follette Congressional Reading Room (locations and hours of operation are available in Table 8). Unless otherwise indicated, all other resources are freely available.

Table A-1 provides additional information on the resources in Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3, including more detailed descriptions and URLs linking directly to the resources (when available).

Table 1. Congressional Documents

Document
(Sample Citations)

Access Points

Notes

Bills and Resolutions

(H.R. 123, S. 345, H.Res. 678,
S.J.Res. 910)

Congress.gov

Full text available 1989-present. Bill summaries available 1973-present.

Bill text may not be available for several days following introduction or subsequent congressional action.

 

CQ.com

The CRS subscription to CQ.com includes bill text from 1995 to present. Years of coverage in House and Senate subscriptions to CQ may differ.

 

ProQuest Congressional

The CRS subscription to ProQuest Congressional includes bill and resolution text for all Congresses. Years of coverage in House and Senate subscriptions to ProQuest Congressional may differ.

Draft Legislation and Amended Legislation not yet available in Congress.gov

Member or committee websites

Committees may make draft legislation or scanned markups of legislation available. To locate committee websites, see listed information on the Congress.gov committee pages at https://www.congress.gov/committees. Individual sponsors may also post draft legislation on their Member page.

 

docs.house.gov

Committee documents may include draft legislation to be discussed at committee meetings.

 

CQ.com

Manager's amendments and scanned markups of reported bills may be posted on "Bills to be Considered on the House Floor."

Draft legislation circulating among Members and the press prior to formal introduction may be available on the CQ "Hot Docs" page or the "Draft Bill Text" page.

Floor Amendments

(S.Amdt. 15, H.Amdt. 75)

Congress.gov

Full text available 1995-present. Amendment status available 1981-present. Amendments can be found under the "Amendments" tab on a bill page, linking to full text in the Congressional Record.

 

Senate Amendment Tracking System

Includes only pending amendments; no older data are retained. See http://ats.senate.gov/.

 

CQ.com

The CRS subscription to CQ.com includes the full text of amendments from 2001 to present. Years of coverage in House and Senate subscriptions to CQ may differ.

Roll Call Votes
(Roll no. 30, Record Vote Number: 11)

Congress.gov

This resource links to House votes (1990-present) and Senate votes (1989-present). In an individual bill overview, see the "Roll Call Votes" section, or navigate to the "Actions" tab within a bill page. For more information, see https://www.congress.gov/resources/display/content/Votes+in+the+House+and+Senate.

 

House.gov

Available 1990-present. See http://clerk.house.gov/legislative/legvotes.aspx.

 

Senate.gov

Available 1989-present. See https://www.senate.gov/legislative/votes.htm.

 

CQ.com

The CRS subscription to CQ.com includes access from 1983 to present. Years of coverage in House and Senate subscriptions to CQ may differ.

All roll call votes are available in the Congressional Record. To find votes on specific issues, over a time period, or other criteria, call CRS at [phone number scrubbed].

Public Laws
(P.L. 111-148)

Congress.gov

Full text available 1995-present.

 

govinfo.gov

Full text available 1995-present.

 

ProQuest Congressional

The CRS subscription to ProQuest Congressional includes public law text for all Congresses. Years of coverage in House and Senate subscriptions to ProQuest Congressional may differ.

Statutes at Large
(124 Stat. 119)

govinfo.gov

Full text available 1951-2012.

 

ProQuest Congressional

The CRS subscription to ProQuest Congressional includes Statutes at Large from 1789 to 2012. Years of coverage in House and Senate subscriptions to ProQuest Congressional may differ.

 

Law Library of Congress

The digitized U.S. Statutes at Large collection includes full text coverage from 1789 to 1950, available at http://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large.

U.S. Code

(42 USC 543, 35 U.S.C. §123(a))

Office of the Law Revision Counsel

The online U.S. Code is frequently updated, and the currency date is displayed above the text of each section. The main edition of the U.S. Code is published every six years by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the House of Representatives, with annual cumulative supplements. See http://uscode.house.gov/.

Statute Compilations

(Higher Education Act, Public Health Service Act)

Office of the Legislative Counsel

The House Office of the Legislative Counsel prepares unofficial compilations of public laws as amended that either do not appear in the U.S. Code or that have been classified to a title of the Code that has not been enacted into positive law. Each compilation indicates the most recently enacted public law that amended the provisions compiled. See https://legcounsel.house.gov/HOLC/Resources/comps_alpha.html.

Congressional Record Bound

(142 Cong. Rec. 15466)

ProQuest Congressional

The CRS subscription to ProQuest Congressional includes Congressional Record Permanent Edition text going back to 1789 (the Congressional Record was preceded by the Annals of Congress, Register of Debates, and Congressional Globe). Years of coverage in House and Senate subscriptions to ProQuest Congressional may differ.

The Congressional Record bound edition is the permanent version. The bound edition is edited, revised, and rearranged, and so does not exactly replicate the daily version. The pagination is continuous for each session, but there is no H, S, or E (for Extensions of Remarks) before each page number. There is a volume number for each session and there are numerous parts to each volume. The final two volumes of the permanent Record of each session are an index containing a history of bills and resolutions and a compilation of Daily Digests for the session.

 

govinfo.gov

Full text available back to 1873.

Congressional Record, daily edition

(158 Cong. Rec. H5618)

Congress.gov

Full text available 1995-present. See "Congressional Record" link at top of any page.

 

CQ.com

The CRS subscription to CQ.com includes full text from 1987 to present. Years of coverage in House and Senate subscriptions to CQ may differ.

 

ProQuest Congressional

The CRS subscription to ProQuest Congressional includes full text from 1985 to present.

The Congressional Record, daily edition, reports each day's proceedings in Congress and is published on the succeeding day. Pagination is preceded by an H, S, or E, to indicate whether the recorded text took place in the House, the Senate, or was an Extension of Remarks. Periodically, throughout a session, indices to the daily Record are published.

Committee Hearings

(H.Hrg. 105-209, S.Hrg. 106-67)

Committee websites

Committee websites may offer transcripts, witness statements, or webcasts. To locate committee websites, see listed information on the Congress.gov committee pages, at https://www.congress.gov/committees.

 

govinfo.gov

See official published hearings on the "Browse Congressional Hearings" page at https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/chrg (coverage dates vary by committee).

 

docs.house.gov

See "Committee Repository" for committee documents, which may include witness bios, statements, and preliminary transcripts.

 

ProQuest Congressional

The CRS subscription to ProQuest Congressional includes records of hearings from 1824 to present. Full text of the published hearing is available when it is issued by GPO. Unofficial transcripts may be available for unpublished hearings and hearings not yet published by GPO. Years of coverage in House and Senate subscriptions to ProQuest Congressional may differ.

 

CQ.com

The CRS subscription to CQ.com includes unofficial hearing transcripts for selected hearings from 1995 to present. Years of coverage in House and Senate subscriptions to CQ may differ.

 

C-SPAN

Offers streaming coverage or recordings of hearings, as well as unofficial captions. The C-SPAN video library contains all C-SPAN programming that has aired since 1987. Some programs aired since 2003 have searchable text transcripts of the program's closed captioning. See https://www.c-span.org/.

Committee Reports

(H.Rept. 112-14, S.Rept. 110-55)

Congress.gov

Full text available 1995-present. On a bill page, select the "Committees" tab. Or click on the Committees links at the top of any page and see the links to House and Senate reports on the right side of the page.

 

ProQuest Congressional

The CRS subscription to ProQuest Congressional includes committee report text going back to 1789. Years of coverage in House and Senate subscriptions to ProQuest Congressional may differ.

 

CQ.com

The CRS subscription to CQ.com includes full text from 1995 to present. Years of coverage in House and Senate subscriptions to CQ may differ.

Committee Markups and Committee Amendments

CQ.com

The CRS subscription to CQ.com includes committee markup coverage, including committee votes, from 1995 to present, with committee amendments from 2005 to present. Years of coverage in House and Senate subscriptions to CQ may differ.

 

Committee websites

Committees sometimes make markup materials available. To locate committee websites, see listed information on the Congress.gov committee pages at https://www.congress.gov/committees.

 

docs.house.gov

Materials in the "Committee Repository" may include staff memos, documents summarizing legislation or amendments, unofficial transcripts, and vote records.

Note that committee reports may include information on amendments offered in committee or committee votes.

Committee Prints

(H.Prt. 110-23,
S.Prt. 109-88)

govinfo.gov

Selected full text available 1991-present at https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/cprt.

 

ProQuest Congressional

The CRS subscription to ProQuest Congressional includes committee prints from 1830 to present. Years of coverage in House and Senate subscriptions to ProQuest Congressional may differ.

Source: Compiled by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).

Note: Resources listed are available to congressional offices unless otherwise noted.

Table 2. Tracking Congressional Activity

 

Access Points

Notes

Committee Schedules

Congress.gov

See https://www.congress.gov/committee-schedule.

 

Senate.gov

See https://www.senate.gov/committees/committee_hearings.htm.

 

CQ.com

On the CQ homepage, navigate to the "Research" tab, and select "Schedules."

 

House.gov

See http://docs.house.gov/Committee/Calendar/ByWeek.aspx.

Floor Schedules and Calendars

Congress.gov

See "Calendars and Schedules" for links to House and Senate leadership schedules outlining when the chamber will meet and legislation scheduled for consideration.

 

docs.house.gov

See "Bills To Be Considered on the House Floor" for links to the text of legislation scheduled for consideration.

 

CRS.gov

See "On the Floor" for links to CRS products that focus on legislation or some of the key issues involved in legislation slated to receive floor debate during the week.

Floor Proceedings

House.gov

See "Floor Proceedings" tab under "Legislative Activity" on the homepage.

 

Senate.gov

See "Floor Proceedings" section on the homepage.

Source: Compiled by CRS.

Note: Resources listed are available to congressional offices.

Executive Branch Documents and Information

Table 3 serves as a reference guide for locating executive branch documents and information using freely available resources. The first column of the table lists documents or information commonly used in policy and legislative research and typical citations for such documents, where applicable. The second column lists resources where these materials can be accessed. The third column contains explanatory notes.

Table A-1 provides additional information on the resources in Table 3, including more detailed descriptions and URLs linking directly to the resources (when available).

Table 3. Executive Branch Documents and Information

Document/Information

Access Points

Notes

Rules, Proposed Rules, and Notices published in the Federal Register

(59 Federal Register 4233)

FederalRegister.gov

FederalRegister.gov provides coverage from 1994 to present.

 

govinfo.gov

govinfo.gov provides coverage from 1936 to present. For 1994-present, content is available at the article level and is full-text searchable; for 1936-1993, content is available to browse and download at the issue level. For more information, see https://www.govinfo.gov/help/fr#searching.

 

regulations.gov

regulations.gov includes public comments in addition to final regulations, notices, and other regulatory documents. Coverage dates vary by submitting agency.

Code of Federal Regulations

(15 C.F.R. 254)

govinfo.gov

The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) annual edition is available from 1996 to present at https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/cfr. The Parallel Table of Authorities and Rules (https://www.govinfo.gov/help/cfr#parallel-table) lists rulemaking authority for regulations codified in the CFR.

 

ecfr.gov

The Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR) is a regularly updated, unofficial editorial compilation of current CFR material and Federal Register amendments. It does not contain historical CFR material.

Executive Orders

(E.O. 12893)

Executive Order Disposition Tables (National Archives)

The National Archives and Records Administration compiles and maintains Executive Order Disposition Tables, which provide the status of executive orders from January 8, 1937, to the current administration. See http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/disposition.html.

 

govinfo.gov

Executive orders are also published in the following resources: the Federal Register, Title 3 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and the Compilation of Presidential Documents (https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/cpd).

Presidential Proclamations

(Proclamation 9645)

govinfo.gov

Published in the Federal Register. Also available from 1993 to present in the Compilation of Presidential Documents (https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/cpd).

Presidential Signing Statements

govinfo.gov

Published in the Federal Register. Also available from 1993 to present in the Compilation of Presidential Documents (https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/cpd).

The President's Fiscal Year Budget Proposal

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

The OMB website provides the current President's Budget at https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/.

 

govinfo.gov

Budgets from FY1996 to present are available from the Government Publishing Office at https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/BUDGET.

Agency Budget Justifications

Federal agency websites

An agency's budget justification (also referred to as a congressional justification) typically contains a detailed description of each program activity and an explanation of the proposed changes for the next fiscal year. They are usually available on the agency's website, and are also published as part of the appropriations subcommittee hearing.

CRS Report R43470, Selected Agency Budget Justifications for FY2020 provides links to the budget justifications for selected federal agencies.

Agency policy guidance, program information, oversight and performance reports, research reports, and statistics

Federal agency websites

Agencies make a variety of information about their policies and programs available on their websites, including policy manuals, memoranda, notices, program instructions, performance metrics, enrollment/participation numbers, inspector general reports, and research on program planning, implementation, or effectiveness.

A list of executive branch agencies and links to their websites can be found at https://www.usa.gov/executive-departments.

Treaties

Congress.gov

Treaty documents are available on Congress.gov for all treaties submitted to the Senate since the 94th Congress (1975-1976). Treaties submitted prior to the 94th Congress are included if they were pending in 1975.

 

Law Library of Congress
(or call CRS: [phone number scrubbed])

U.S. Treaties collection includes the United States Treaty Series (1776-1949), available digitally at http://www.loc.gov/law/help/us-treaties/bevans.php, and United States Treaties and Other International Agreements or TIAS (1950-1982), which is only available in print.

 

U.S. Department of State

The Department of State's Treaty Office makes all treaties from 1996 to 2019 and selected treaties from prior years available at https://www.state.gov/s/l/treaty/tias/.

Source: Compiled by CRS.

Legislative Support Agencies

The legislative support agencies are designed to be nonpartisan, objective, and impartial. The agencies each serve the Congress in different ways. Contact information for each agency and a description of each agency and its services is outlined in Table 4, below.

Table 4. Legislative Support Agencies

Agency

Access Point and Contact

Description and Services

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

https://www.cbo.gov

Cost estimates:
Budget Analysis Division,
[phone number scrubbed], [email address scrubbed]

Other inquiries:
Associate Director for Legislative Affairs,
[phone number scrubbed], [email address scrubbed]

CBO produces independent analyses of budgetary and economic issues to support the congressional budget process, including reports, projections, cost estimates, scorekeeping, sequestration reports, budget options, and others. CBO does not make policy recommendations.

Congressional Research Service (CRS)

http://www.crs.gova

Place a request:
[phone number scrubbed], http://www.crs.gov/PlaceARequest

CRS provides comprehensive research and analysis on all legislative and oversight issues of interest to Congress. CRS assists Members and staff with identifying and clarifying policy options; analyzing the implications of proposed policies; and assessing policy, procedural, and oversight options. Acting as a research extension to the staff of each Member and committee, CRS provides consultations, confidential memoranda, reports, briefing documents, videos, advice on process and procedures, expert committee testimony, and seminars.

Government Accountability Office (GAO)

https://www.gao.gov

Congressional relations:
[phone number scrubbed], [email address scrubbed]

Watchdog (http://watchdog.gao.gov) is a website specifically for Members and congressional staff.b

GAO investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. GAO's work is done at the request of congressional committees or subcommittees or as directed by public laws or committee reports. GAO's products include reports, testimonies, correspondence, and legal decisions and opinions. GAO also produces special publications to assist Congress and executive branch agencies by recommending corrections to problems in government programs and operations, identifying long-term trends, and examining the nation's fiscal health.

Source: Compiled by CRS from agency websites.

Notes: Congressional liaison offices in other branches of government, including the judicial branch, executive branch, and independent agencies, boards, and commissions provide information and services to congressional staff. For contact information, see http://www.crs.gov/Resources/LiaisonOffices.

a. The CRS website (http://www.crs.gov) is available only from congressional computers and devices.

b. The GAO Watchdog website (http://watchdog.gao.gov) is available only from congressional computers and devices.

News, Policy, and Scholarly Research Sources

Table 5, Table 6, and Table 7 serve as finding aids for selected resources covering news, scholarly, and policy research that may be related to Congress and the legislative process. Resources in these tables may contain editorial content and analysis. Inclusion of these resources does not imply endorsement of the views held by the publications listed. Please note that these tables are meant to serve as suggested starting points rather than comprehensive lists of news, scholarly, and policy resources. Congressional users may also access databases subscribed to by the Library of Congress such as ProQuest, LexisNexis, Factiva, EBSCOhost, and many others, onsite in the CRS La Follette Congressional Reading Room and the public reading rooms at the Library of Congress. Additionally, requests for literature searches and full text of specific articles can be submitted to CRS. Congressional users also have access to various databases through the House Library and the Senate Library.

Table 5. Congressional News Sources

Source

Access Point

Bloomberg Government (BGOV)a

http://about.bgov.com/

Bloomberg Law (BLAW)a

https://www.bloomberglaw.com

CQa

http://www.cq.com

CQ Roll Call

http://www.rollcall.com/

The Hill

http://www.thehill.com/

Inside Washington Publishersa

http://iwpnews.com/

National Journala

http://www.nationaljournal.com

Politico

http://www.politico.com/

Politico Proa

http://www.politico.com/pro

Source: Compiled by CRS.

a. A subscription-based resource available in many House and Senate offices, and also at the CRS LaFollette Congressional Reading Room in the James Madison Building.

Table 6. Policy and Scholarly Research: Multidisciplinary Sources

Source
(Maintained by)

Background Information

Statistics/
Data

Research Articles/ Reports

Access Point(s)

Digital Commons Network
(Academic Consortium)

+

+

https://network.bepress.com

Google Scholar
(Google)

+

+

http://scholar.google.com

HathiTrust Digital Library
(Academic Consortium)

+

+

https://www.hathitrust.org

JSTORa
(Nonprofit ITHAKA)

+

+

http://www.jstor.org/

National Academies Press
(National Academies)

+

+

https://www.nap.edu/

National Technical Reports Library
(U.S. Department of Commerce)

+

https://ntrl.ntis.gov/NTRL/

Oxford Research Encyclopedias
(Oxford University Press)

+

http://oxfordre.com/

Social Science Research Network
(Academic Consortium)

+

https://www.ssrn.com/en/

U.S. Census—Topics, Data, Library, & My Congressional District
(U.S. Census Bureau)

+

+

+

https://www.census.gov/topics.html

https://www.census.gov/data.html

https://www.census.gov/library.html

https://www.census.gov/mycd/

Source: Compiled by CRS from the Library of Congress catalog.

Notes: "+" indicates that this type of information is included in the source; "—" indicates that this type of information is not included in the source.

a. A subscription-based resource available in many House and Senate offices, and also at the CRS LaFollette Congressional Reading Room in the James Madison Building

Table 7. Policy and Scholarly Research: Subject-Specific Sources

Source
(Maintained by)

Subject(s)

Background Information

Statistics/
Data

Research Articles/
Reports

Access Point(s)

Bureau of Economic Analysis
(U.S. Department of Commerce)

Economics, Business, and Trade

+

+

https://www.bea.gov/

EDGAR
(U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission)

Finance

+

https://www.sec.gov/edgar/
searchedgar/webusers.htm

FRASER and FRED
(Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis)

Economics, Finance, and Banking

+

+

+

https://fraser.stlouisfed.org

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/

NBER Working Papers and Publications
(National Bureau of Economic Research)

Economics

+

+

http://www.nber.org/

OECD Data and Publications
(Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)

International Affairs, Economics

+

+

+

http://www.oecd.org/

https://data.oecd.org/

Open Knowledge Repository
(World Bank)

Economic Development, International Affairs

+

+

https://openknowledge.
worldbank.org/

ERIC and IES
(Institute of Education Sciences)

Education

+

+

+

https://eric.ed.gov

https://ies.ed.gov/pubsearch/

https://ies.ed.gov/data.asp

LLSDC's Legislative Source Book
(Law Librarians' Society of Washington, DC)

Law

+

http://www.llsdc.org/sourcebook

PubAg and Ag Data Commons
(U.S. Department of Agriculture)

Agricultural Sciences

+

+

https://pubag.nal.usda.gov/

https://data.nal.usda.gov/

PubMed
(National Institutes of Health)

Biomedicine, Health Care

+

+

https://www.pubmed.gov

Science.gov
(Interagency Alliance)

Science

+

+

https://www.science.gov/

WorldWideScience
(U.S. Department of Energy)

Science

+

https://worldwidescience.org/

Open Source Center
(Intelligence Community's National Open Source Enterprise)

Intelligence

+

+

+

https://www.opensource.gov

Source: Compiled by CRS.

Note: "+" indicates that this type of information is included in the source; "—" indicates that this type of information is not included in the source.

Training and Services

Table 8 contains a list of locations where congressional staff can obtain training and other services on Capitol Hill.

Table 8. Training and Services

Name

Location and Contact

Hours

Services

Congressional Research Service (CRS)

CRS

Phone: [phone number scrubbed] (202-707-5700)
and press 1, 5

http://www.crs.gova

M-Th 8a-8p
F 8a-6p

Research and analysis related to legislative issues.

Personalized briefings.

Seminars on the following topics:
- Appropriations and Budget
- Federal Legal Research
- Legislative Process
- Policy and Legal Issues

Programs for District Offices.

For training and program descriptions and current schedules, visit http://www.crs.gov/Events/Index.

La Follette Congressional Reading Room (LCRR)

Library of Congress, Madison Building: LM-202

Phone: [phone number scrubbed]

M-Th 10a-8p
F 10a-6p
Sat 10a-5p when Congress is in session

Database access; reference and research assistance.

Library of Congress (non-CRS)

Congressional Relations Office (CRO)

202-707-6577

http://www.loc.gov/lcnet/b

M-F 8:30a-6p

Book loans, tours of the Library of Congress, events, and educational resources.

Law Library of Congress

Library of Congress, Madison Building: LM-242

202-707-2700

http://www.loc.gov/law/

M-F 8:30a-8:00p
Sat 8:30a-5p, and whenever either chamber is in session

Assists Congress with information and analysis on U.S., foreign, comparative, and international law.

Training in the following topics:
-Legislative research
-Statutory research
-Orientation to Law Library collections
-Congress.gov

Library of Congress Reading Rooms

Library of Congress, Jefferson, Madison, and Adams Buildings

A list of all reading rooms can be found at http://www.loc.gov/rr/main/
inforeas/reading.html
.

Hours vary, but most reading rooms are open M-F 8:30a-5p. A few are open until 9:30p M/W/Th, and a few are open on Saturdays. Hours for all reading rooms can be found at http://www.loc.gov/rr/hours.html.

Library of Congress staff are able to assist with identifying and requesting materials in general and specialized reading rooms. General and specialized orientations are also available (see https://www.loc.gov/rr/main/inforeas/orient.html).

House of Representatives

Congressional Staff Academy

B249-B and B249-C Longworth HOB

216 and 224 Ford HOB

202-226-3800

[email address scrubbed]

https://housenet.house.gov/StaffAcademyc

M-F 8:30a-5:30p

The Congressional Staff Academy offers a variety of trainings to staff in D.C. and District offices through instructor-led, web-based, and live-online formats. Contact the Academy for details on specific topics.

House Library

292 Cannon

202-225-9000

[email address scrubbed]

https://housenet.house.gov/
legislative/research-and-

references/hou
se-library
d

M-F 9a-6p

Offers research assistance, subject guides, database access and training. Staff lead trainings on ProQuest, Congress.gov, and digital mapping held in the House Learning Center.

Senate

Senate Library

Russell B15

202-224-7106

[email address scrubbed]

http://webster/librarye

M-F 9a-6p (and whenever the Senate is in session)

Offers research assistance, database access, and training. Staff offer classes both in-person and via webinar on news sources, Congress.gov, and various subscription databases.

Source: Compiled by CRS.

a. The CRS website (http://www.crs.gov) is available only from congressional computers and devices.

b. The Library of Congress Congressional Relations Office website (http://www.loc.gov/lcnet/) is available only from congressional computers and devices.

c. The Congressional Staff Academy website (https://housenet.house.gov/StaffAcademy) is available only from congressional computers and devices.

d. The House Library website (https://housenet.house.gov/legislative/research-and-references/house-library) is available only from congressional computers and devices.

e. The Senate Library website (http://webster/library) is available only from Senate computers and devices.

Appendix. Alphabetical Listing of Resources with Descriptions

Table A-1 provides an alphabetical listing of, and additional details about, the resources listed in Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3.

Table A-1. Alphabetical List of Resources with Descriptions

Description

Congress.gov

http://www.congress.gov

Congress.gov is the official website for federal legislative information. It also provides access to the Congressional Record daily edition, committee reports, nominations, treaty documents, and executive communications. Congress.gov provides (1) a single search across all available information and years; (2) permanent URLs; (3) faceted search filters; (4) Member profiles; and (5) bill summaries and lists of actions for legislation. The site gives users with legislative branch devices access to CRS reports and products from bill records, the homepage, and help pages. (Congress.gov will eventually replace LIS.gov, though both sites are currently up to date and in use. The LIS retirement date is targeted for Summer 2019.)

CQ (Congressional Quarterly)

http://www.cq.com

This subscription database provides bill text, summaries, tracking, and analysis. It also includes (but is not limited to) roll-call votes, legislative histories, floor and committee schedules, detailed committee coverage, and hearing transcripts. Coverage dates vary by information category. A basic CQ.com subscription is available in all House and Senate offices.

C-SPAN

http://www.c-span.org

C-SPAN is a private, nonprofit company that provides public access to the political process. It includes a searchable video library of hearings, floor debate, press conferences, speeches, and other types of news programs and events.

U.S. House of Representatives Document Repository

https://docs.house.gov/

Docs.house.gov provides access to committee documents and text of legislation being considered in committee and by the House. Documents are made available in accordance with the rules of the House of Representatives and standards adopted by the Committee on House Administration. Committee documents can be browsed by committee name or searched through a basic search interface. Legislation text can be browsed by date; there is no search functionality for legislation. For more information, see https://docs.house.gov/committee/Help.aspx.

eCFR (electronic Code of Federal Regulations)

http://www.ecfr.gov

The Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR) is a regularly updated, unofficial editorial compilation of CFR material and Federal Register amendments.

Executive Order Disposition Tables, National Archives and Records Administration

http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/

The text of executive orders appears in the daily Federal Register as each executive order is signed by the President and received by the Office of the Federal Register. Disposition Tables contain information about executive orders beginning with those signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and are arranged according to presidential administration and year of signature. The tables are compiled and maintained by the Office of the Federal Register editors at the National Archives and Records Administration.

FederalRegister.gov

http://www.federalregister.gov

This site is jointly administered by the National Archives and Records Administration and the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) to provide an unofficial, HTML edition of the daily Federal Register to make it easier for citizens and communities to understand the regulatory process and to participate in government decisionmaking.

govinfo.gov

http://www.govinfo.gov

Govinfo.gov provides free online access to official publications from all three branches of the federal government. Govinfo.gov is managed by the Government Publishing Office (GPO).

ProQuest Congressional

congressional.proquest.com

This subscription database contains detailed abstracts and links to the full text of many congressional and federal documents, such as the Congressional Record, congressional hearing transcripts, committee prints, and legislative histories. Coverage dates vary by information category, although coverage for most categories begins in 1789 or at some point in the 1800s. ProQuest Congressional is available in all House and Senate offices.

regulations.gov

http://www.regulations.gov

This site provides a government-wide portal for the public to review and comment on published regulatory actions and to view any supporting materials provided by the agency.

Senate Amendment Tracking System (ATS)

ats.senate.gov

ATS is a web application that displays images of submitted and proposed amendments to legislation pending before the U.S. Senate. Amendments are available on ATS approximately 15 minutes after the Bill Clerk receives them.

Statute Compilations (Office of the Legislative Counsel)

https://legcounsel.house.gov/HOLC/Resources/comps_alpha.html

The House Office of the Legislative Counsel (OLC) prepares unofficial compilations of public laws as amended that either do not appear in the U.S. Code or that have been classified to a title of the Code that has not been enacted into positive law (e.g., the Social Security Act). The most frequently requested compilations are available on the OLC website and are updated on an ongoing basis. Each compilation indicates the most recently enacted public law that amended the provisions compiled.

U.S. Code (Office of the Law Revision Counsel)

uscode.house.gov

The main edition of the U.S. Code is published every six years by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel (OLRC) of the House of Representatives, with annual cumulative supplements. The current edition of the Code was published in 2012. The default version of the Code available for searching and browsing on the website is the most current of the online versions. The OLRC staff updates this version on an ongoing basis.

Source: Compiled by CRS.

Author Contact Information

Sarah W. Caldwell, Senior Research Librarian ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])
Ada S. Cornell, Senior Research Librarian ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])
Michele L. Malloy, Research Librarian ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])