Legislation and Congress

United States/Federal level | New York State | Legal Sources for all states

United States/Federal Level

For a useful chart matching years to Congressional sessions, see the following help page from Lexis Nexis:
Session Dates of U.S. Congresses, 1789 - present

Recent legislation

• LexisNexis Congressional
  Comprehensive index to bills, hearings, reports, committee prints, public laws, etc. Many items in full text. Now includes full text of older volumes of the Serial Set (1789-1969).  For other items, use SuDoc or accession numbers to find publication on shelves or in fiche cabinets (most on 3rd floor Bird Library).
  For SU students, faculty, and staff only.
  
  

• Thomas
  THOMAS includes the Congressional Record and full text legislation from 1989 (101st Congress) to the present. THOMAS also provides summaries (not full text) of legislation back to 1975 (94th Congress). Includes bill summaries and status, committee information, roll call votes, historical documents, etc. A service of the Library of Congress.
  
  
• GPO Access - Legislative
  Full text of bills, hearings, committee prints, public laws, Congressional Record, Congressional Directory, and more. GPO Access archives publications at its site - it does not remove them once they are published. GPO Access is a service of the US Government Printing Office.
  
  
• Browse Congressional Documents
  Includes all congressional documents available in electronic format, 1995 to present, in text or PDF formats. Note: there are three types of documents: House and Senate Documents; Senate Executive Documents; and Senate Treaty Documents. They cover a wide variety of topics, originate from congressional committees, and may include reports of executive departments and independent organizations, of special investigations made for Congress, and annual reports of non-governmental organizations.
  
  
• U.S. Congressional Bibliographies
  This site enumerates and describe meetings held by Congressional committees since the mid-1980s, indicating those with printed transcripts and those that remain unprinted. This site strives to be a complete reference of meetings held and documents released by House and Senate committees.
  
  
• Congressional Record
  Transcripts of all discussion and debate from the floor of Congress. Note: SU Library has all of the Congressional Record (and its predecessors) on microfiche in the Maps and Government Information Department, 3rd floor Bird Library.
  
  
• Federal Register
  The official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents. Includes 1994 (Volume 59) to present.
  
  
• Federal Register 1936 - 2007
  Federal Register from Hein Online.
  For SU students, faculty, and staff only.
  
  
• Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
  The CFR is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. Each volume of the CFR is updated once each calendar year and is issued on a quarterly basis.
  
  
• Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
  Another interface to the CFR, provided by the Legal Information Institute (Cornell). Links to the official version from GPO Access (listed above).
  
  
• U.S. Code
  Arranges federal law into titles (subjects). Includes current and one previous edition (1994 forward). From GPO Access.
  
  
• U.S. Code
  Generated from the most recent official version made available by the US House of Representatives. From the Legal Information Institute (Cornell).
  
  
• American Law Sources On-line
  Provides a compilation of links to freely accessible online sources of law for the United States and Canada.
  
  
• LexisNexis Academic - Legal Research
  Choose Legal Research for legal news, law review articles, case law, codes and regulations, patent research, etc.
  For SU students, faculty, and staff only.
  
  
• Legal Information Institute
  Organizes law by topic, provides overviews and many links to related web resources. Includes congressional, judicial and state legislative information (codes, regulations, constitutions, etc.).
  
  
• United States Senate
  Easy "find your senators" feature; links to biographies, organization chart, related history and art, legislation, famous speeches, etc.
  
  
• United States House of Representatives
  Links to individual representatives' web sites, committee sites; includes roll calls, schedules, calendars, etc.
  
  
• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
  Covers 1774 - present. Allows searching by any of the following: last name, first name, year, congress, position, state, or party.
  
  
• GovTrack
  Brings together information on the status of federal legislation, voting records, and other congressional data from official sources. Provides email updates and RSS/Atom feeds for all aspects of Congress.
  
  
• OpenCongress
  A joint project of the Sunlight Foundation and the Participatory Politics Foundation, combines official government data with news and blog coverage.
  
  
• Open CRS
  Provides access to Congressional Research Service Reports in the public domain.
  
  
• U.S. Congress Votes Database
  From the Washington Post, contains roll call votes from 1991 to the present.
  
  

Historical legislation

Use these sources for federal legislation which took place prior to 1970.

• Congressional Indexes, 1789-1969, Indexes to Unpublished Hearings, U.S. Serial Set Index (with full text)
  For SU students, faculty, and staff only.
  
  
• Serial Set
  Includes House and Senate Documents and Reports; reports usually concerning proposed legislation or issues under investigation. Documents address many topics and may include reports of executive departments and independent organizations or reports of special investigations made for Congress. Note: SU Library has almost every volume of the Serial Set: 1789-1969 as part of LexisNexis Congressional (For SU students, faculty, and staff only) and 1970- in print in Bird--Govt Info--USA, 3rd floor with call number Y 1.1/2.
  
  

• Federal Register 1936 - 2007
  Backfile of Federal Register, from Hein Online.
  For SU students, faculty, and staff only.
  
  
• U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates
  A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation, 1774-1873.
  
  
• Annals of Congress (1789-1824)
  These Annals (also called Debates and Proceedings) cover the 1st Congress through the first session of the 18th Congress.  
  
  
• Register of Debates (1824-1837)
  Provides summaries of the "leading debates and incidents" of each session.
  
  
• The Congressional Globe (1833-1873)
  Contains the debates of Congress from the 23rd Congress, 1st Session through the 42nd Congress.
  
  
• GPO Monthly Catalog (1976-present)
  Indexes all types of U.S. government documents, including Congressional reports, hearings, debates, and records; judiciary materials; and documents issued by executive departments.
  For SU students, faculty, and staff only.
  
  
• Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP)(1976-present)
  Same as above, but free to the public.
  

  For items prior to 1976, see Print counterpart:

  Monthly catalog of United States Government publications (1895-present)

  Z1223 .A18

  Bird-Govt Info-Ref, 3rd Floor