Indexes & Finding Aids to Congressional Bills and Public Laws

Thomas Legislative Information on the Internet
This free service by the Library of Congress allows searching on the floor action in Congress this week and one previous, for the 105th, 104th, and 103rd Congresses (except where otherwise noted) are: the full texts of bills; bill summary and status (105th and 104th Congresses); the full text of the Congressional Record and the Congressional Record Index (105th, 104th Congresses, and 103rd Congress 2nd session [1994]). Other information available here include committee information and major historical documents.

Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the Congress & Docs microfiche X/A
Online 1995 (v.141) - present
Daily verbatim record of activity of the U.S. Congress (excluding committees), including action on legislation pending or passed in the current Congress. The four sections are proceedings of the House; proceedings of the Senate; extensions/added comments; and the Daily Digest. The Daily Digest includes voting records and action taken on vetoed legislation.

Congressional Record Index & Documents microfiche X/A and microfilm
Online 1983 - present
Printed bi-weekly and in the annual cumulative editions, covers the history of bills and resolutions from the previous two weeks. There is a subject index for identifying bill numbers.

Welcome to CRFilter
A Web-based information filter for the US Congressional Record text and extends the resources of the Library of Congress' THOMAS search system. CRFilter creates a personalized search page for THOMAS, so that users can periodically check to see the latest developments in their areas of interest as well as search the CR back to 1993.

CIS Index - Ref KF 49.C62 (1970-1990)
The cumulated annuals give legislative histories for all bills passed into law and detailed abstracts of congressional committee hearings, reports, committee prints, and documents. The Annuals cover 1970 to the present and has index, abstract, and legislative-history volumes. Use the Index to identify public laws and to identify hearing, report, or document numbers that may mention a bill number in their text. Among its access points are title, subject, bill number, publication number, and witness names. Also, legislative histories of public laws are provided.

CIS U.S. Serial Set Index - Ref Z1223.Z9C65
Covers congressional documents and reports from 1789-1969. This is an excellent resource for historical materials, covering annual reports, hearings, resolutions, and other congressional publications.

U.S. Congressional Serial Set - End of SuDoc stacks (1st floor - tan vols.)

History of Bills, 1983-present

Public Laws - GPO Access, 1994-present

Congressional Documents, 1994-present
House and Senate documents originate in various places. Examples of documents include House issued presidential messages regarding proposed and vetoed legislations, agency annual reports, committee-action reports, etc. The Senate issues special Executive Documents and Treaty Documents (Exec Rpt., Treaty Doc.). These documents usually deal with international agreements and treaties.

Congressional Reports, 1994-present
A committee's explanation or justification that accompanies a bill when sent to the chamber floor.

Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report - Ref JK1.C15 (latest yr. +1, prior yrs. in Stacks)
This is a weekly summary of congressional action and developments. There are sections on committee and floor action, tables indicating the status of major legislation and appropriations, and charts showing recorded votes in both chambers. Most issues include articles providing background information on topics of legislative interest.

Congressional Quarterly Almanac - Ref JK1.C66 (1958-present)
This source is published at the end of each session and summarizes and cross-references materials printed in the Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report. Legislative histories can be accessed by public law number. Also, included in the CQ Almanac are federal election results, voting tabulations, Supreme Court decision analyses, and more.

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents - Documents AE 2.109: *1965-1981/82 (Mfilm) and AE 2.109: *1981- until annual cummulative received then at AE 2.114:
This weekly periodical is the source for information as the dates on which the President signed or vetoed legislation with quarterly, semiannual and annual indexes. In addition, it provides transcripts of: presidential messages to Congress, executive orders, and speeches and other material released by the White House.

U.S. House of Representatives Internet Law Library, done by the Law Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives. Covers federal laws, state and territorial laws, international treaties and laws, and such.

The U.S. House of Representatives: The Legislative Process
The Legislative Process page provides access to a wealth of information about bills and resolutions being considered in the Congress, as well as current information about what's happening on the House floor. A summary of the categories of information is listed under Legislative Process Information.

U.S. Senate Legislative Activities
Here one can find committee meetings and hearings, and actions, roll call votes, Senate calendar, pending business and much more. Also, click on the Home for more information on other aspects of the Senate.

2 February, 2001