Government Resources

The Legislative Branch consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the United States Congress.

The House of Representatives is made up of 435 elected members, divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population. In addition, there are 6 non-voting members, representing the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and four other territories of the United States: American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands. The presiding officer of the chamber is the Speaker of the House, elected by the Representatives. He or she is third in the line of succession to the Presidency. The House has several powers assigned exclusively to it, including the power to initiate revenue bills, impeach federal officials, and elect the President in the case of an Electoral College tie.

The Senate is composed of 100 Senators, 2 for each state. The Senate has the sole power to confirm those of the President’s appointments that require consent, and to provide advice and consent to ratify treaties. The Senate also tries impeachment cases for federal officials referred to it by the House.

For more information about the Legislative Branch see The White House website.

Committees of the U.S. Congress

Congress.gov This is the official website for U.S. Federal Legislation. Through here you can access legislative information that is accurate and up-to-date. You can search for past and present bills, calendars and schedules, committee reports, as well as the members of Congress and the committees they serve.

Congressional Bills Are legislative proposals from the House of Representatives and Senate within the United States Congress. There are eight different types of bills. This site contains all published versions of bills from the 103rd (1993-1994) Congress forward.

Congressional Calendars collection includes the Calendars of the U.S. House of Representatives and History of Legislation and the Senate Calendar of Business. This site contains all published versions of calendars from the 104th (1995-1996) Congress forward.

Congressional Directory Is the official directory of the U.S. Congress. It presents short biographies, committee memberships, terms of service, etc. This site contains directories for the 41st (1869-1871) Congress forward.

Congressional Documents This collection consists of House Documents, Senate Documents, and Senate Treaty Documents. This site contains directories for the 15th (1817-1818) Congress forward.

Congressional Record This is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record began publication in 1873 and is still published today. This site starts at volume 1 (1873) to volume 163 (2017). For volumes 140 (1994) to volume 170 (2024) click here.

Congressional Reports originate from congressional committees and deal with proposed legislation and issues under investigation. This site contains reports for th16th (1819-1820) Congress forward.

Congressional Serial Set (1817-1994) This is comprised of the numbered Senate and House Documents and Senate and House Reports, bound by Session of Congress. Digitization is incomplete.

Congressional Serial Set (1900-1999) Digitization is incomplete. 

GovInfo Provides free public access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government. Browse the Alphabetical List or What's Available. 

GovTrack.us Publishes the status of federal legislation, information about your representative and senators in Congress including voting records, and original research on legislation. It's one of the oldest government transparency websites in the world.

Legislative Resource Book Contains research guides for legislative document research. 

Library of Congress Is under the Legislative Branch. For more resources pertaining the The Library of Congress visit this LibGuide.

Public and Private Laws These are also known as slip laws, which is an official publication of the law and is competent evidence admissible in all state and Federal courts and tribunals of the United States. Public laws affect society as a whole, while private laws affect an individual, family, or small group. This site contain slip laws from the 104th (1995-1996) Congress forward.

United States Code These are the codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. It is divided by broad subjects into 53 titles and published by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives. This site contains codes for the years 1994-2023.

United States House of Representatives This is the official website for the House of Representatives. Here you can find your representative, their committees, floor proceedings, and you can learn more about the House of Representatives.

United States Senate This is the official website for the U.S. Senate. Here you can find your senator, their committees, floor proceedings, and you can learn more about the Senate.

United States Statutes at Large (1789-2018) These are the permanent collection of all laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress. 

Congress.gov: Updates and Overview - webinar (1 hour March 7, 2023)

Researching Federal Congressional Committee Hearings - webinar (1 hour March 30, 2022)