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Government Documents at ESU

Lists government departments and agencies that provide resources to obtain information on various topics

Congress

Legislative Branch of the U.S. Government

"The legislative branch drafts proposed laws, confirms or rejects presidential nominations for heads of federal agencies, federal judges, and the Supreme Court, and has the authority to declare war. This branch includes Congress (the Senate and House of Representatives) and special agencies and offices that provide support services to Congress. American citizens have the right to vote for Senators and Representatives through free, confidential ballots." - Branches of the U.S. Government.

Congress.gov: The official website for U.S. federal legislative information

U.S. House of Representatives

Congressional Publications

Congressional Documents

  • The Congressional Documents collection consists of House Documents, Senate Documents, and Senate Treaty Documents.  See some collections below.  Documents vary and can include reports of executive departments and agencies, as well as committee prints, that were ordered to be printed as documents.

Congressional Bills (1993 - Present)

  • Congressional bills are legislative proposals from the House of Representatives and Senate within the United States Congress. There are numerous different bill versions that track a bill through the legislative process.
  • Bills from each house are assigned a number in the order in which they are introduced, starting at the beginning of each Congress (first and second sessions).  H.R. for House bills and S. for Senate bills.

Congressional Hearings (1957 - Present)

  • 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.
  • GovInfo contains select House and Senate hearings for the 104th Congress (1995-96) forward. Select hearings for previous congresses, including House and Senate appropriations hearings, are also available.

Congressional Record - Daily Edition  (1994 - Present)

  • The official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress.
  • Published daily when Congress is in session.

Congressional Record - Bound Edition, Vol. 01 (1873) - Vol. 162 (2016)

  • At the end of each session of Congress, all of the daily editions are collected, re-paginated, and re-indexed into a permanent, bound edition. This permanent edition, referred to as the Congressional Record (Bound Edition), is made up of one volume per session of Congress, with each volume published in multiple parts, each part containing approximately 10 to 20 days of Congressional proceedings. 
  • Searches in GovInfo over Congressional Record (Bound Edition) from 1999 forward. 
  • Volumes 144 (1998) and prior are made available as digitized versions. 

Congressional Reports  (1995 - Present)

  • Congressional Reports originate from congressional committees and deal with proposed legislation and issues under investigation. 
  • There are two types of reports: (1) House and Senate Reports and (2) Senate Executive Reports.

Congressionally Mandated Reports (2023 - Present)

  • Congressionally mandated reports are defined as those reports that are required by statute to be submitted by Federal agencies to the Senate, the House of Representatives, or to congressional committees or subcommittees. Agencies must now also submit these reports electronically to the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) after first submitting to Congress, committees, or subcommittees as they do currently.
Public and Private Laws  (1995 - Present)
  • These are also known as slip laws. A slip law is an official publication of the law.
  • Public laws affect society as a whole.
  • Private laws affect an individual, family, or small group.