Research Guides: U.S. Government: Legislative Branch

U.S. Congress

Established by Article I of the Constitution, the Legislative Branch consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the United States Congress. The Constitution grants Congress the sole authority to enact legislation and declare war, the right to confirm or reject many Presidential appointments, and substantial investigative powers.

Congress.gov
Official source for federal legislative information, including bills, laws, committee information, committee reports, the Congressional Record, roll call votes and profiles and contact information for members of Congress.
*Explore a Bill (video)
*Create and Use Congress.gov Email Alerts (video)

Members of the U.S. Congress, CONGRESS.GOV
Congressional Directory
Searchable and browsable directory of congress members, congressional committees, and congressional agencies, also includes executive agencies, 1997 to present.
Congressional Pictorial Directory
The Congressional Pictorial Directory provides a color photograph of each member of the House of Representatives and the Senate for the 113th Congress. It also includes information about a Member of Congress' length of service, political party affiliations, and Congressional district. Also contains pictures of the President, Vice President, and House and Senate officers and officials.

Congressional Documents

Congressional Record
Official record of the proceedings and debates of Congress, 1994 to present.
Congressional Reports
Congressional Hearings
Congressional Committee Prints
Congressional Calendars, 104th Congress (1995-1996) to Present
Govinfo.gov's Congressional Calendars collection includes the Calendars of the U.S. House of Representatives and History of Legislation and the Senate Calendar of Business. The Calendars of the U.S. House of Representatives and History of Legislation is prepared under the direction of the Clerk of the House of Representatives by the Office of Legislative Operations. It is published daily by 8:00 a.m. when the House is in session.

CRS Reports
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) provides accurate, non-partisan policy and legal analysis to committees and Members of both the House and Senate. Pre-2018 research reports may be available from a repository hosted by the non-profit EveryCRSreport.com.

Legislative Databases

HeinOnline
HeinOnline is a key legal research database. Includes full text of 1600 law reviews; 50 State session laws and statutes archives; the U.S. Federal Legislative History Library (comprehensive histories for major laws, including bills, reports, hearings and other full text documents). Also includes: the U.S. Code; U.S. Statutes at Large, Code of Federal Regulations; Federal Register; U.S. Congressional Serial Set; U.S. Congressional Documents; U.S. Reports. A collection of treatises considered legal classics; Water Rights and Resources Collection; LGBTQ Rights Collection. Also includes U.S. treaties, Canadian and English law, and international agreements.
Training guides and video tutorials are available.
ProQuest Congressional
Researching politics, Congress and U.S. History? Start here. Database includes
- Congress in Context (histories of each session from 1789-present, including key events and personnel)
- Members of Congress profiles (including sponsored bills, remarks, floor votes, and histories from 1789-present)
- Legislative histories of U.S. statutes (1969-present)
- Searchable full-text of Congressional Record (1985-present), Code of Federal Regulations (1981-present) and the Federal Register (1980-present)
- Consolidated search across federal government's and individual politicians' social media platforms, as well as political news from Washington Post (1987-present), RollCall (1998-present), and CQ Political Transcripts (1995-present)
CQ Congress Collection
CQ Press Electronic Library
CQ Voting and Elections Collection
CQ Magazine

Senate

About the Senate
As per the Constitution, the Senate shares legislative power with the House to make and pass federal laws. Additionally, the Senate can approve or disapprove certain Presidential appointments by majority vote, and treaties must be concurred in by a two-thirds vote. The Senate has sole power to try impeachments. The Senate comprises 100 Members, 2 from each State. Senators are elected to serve for a term of 6 years. There are three classes of Senators, and a new class is elected every 2 years.
The Senate - United States Government Manual
Senate Leaders & Officers
Senate Committees
Senate Manual
The Senate Manual, prepared during the second session of each Congress by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, contains the standing rules, orders, laws, and resolutions affecting the Senate, as well as copies of historical U.S. documents, such as Jefferson’s Manual, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Constitution of the United States, et cetera. and selected statistical information on the Senate and other Government entities. It is generally issued each Congress as Senate Document 1.
Journal of the Senate - GovInfo
The Journal is the official record of proceedings of each legislative day in the Senate. The Journal records the result of every vote, and state in general terms the subject of it. The Journal contains no verbatim debate, but instead a rendition of all the official actions of the Senate, including every motion made and every vote taken. 2003-Present, with additional years available the Congressional Serial Set is digitized.
Journal of the Senate - Congress.gov
Senate Journals available from 1789-1875, browsable by congressional session.

House of Representatives

The House Explained
As per the Constitution, the House of Representatives shares legislative power with the Senate to make and pass federal laws. Additionally, the House has the power of originating all bills for the raising of revenue and sole power of impeachment. The number of voting representatives in the House is fixed by law at no more than 435, proportionally representing the population of the 50 states, with each state having at least 1 representative. Representatives are elected by the people for 2-year terms, all terms running for the same period.
The House of Representatives - United States Government Manual
House Leadership
House Committees
House Rules and Manual
The House Rules and Manual is published by the House Parliamentarian's Office. This document is formally entitled Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and Rules of the House of Representatives and contains the fundamental source material for parliamentary procedure used in the House of Representatives.
Journal of the House of Representatives
The Journal is the official record of proceedings of each legislative day in the House of Representatives, 1992-forward, plus select journals from prior congress.
Journal of the House of Representatives - Congress.gov
House Journals available from 1789-1875, browsable by congressional session.

Legislative Branch Partners

Congressional Budget Office
Provides Congress with analyses needed for economic and budget decisions. Site includes current and historical budget data and economic projections. Subject arrangement with key word search.
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is the investigative arm of Congress. Its mission is to support Congress in meeting its Constitutional responsibilities (e.g. oversight, policy, and funding decisions) and to help improve the performance and accountability of the Federal Government for the American people.

GAO Reports and Testimonies
Contains full text reports on audits, surveys, investigations and evaluations of Federal programs conducted by the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO). Browse by date, topic, or agency. Coverage is 1971-present, with some older reports back to 1922.

Government Publishing Office (GPO)
The primary publisher and distributor of government information products. Through GovInfo and the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) provides access to federal websites and government information products.
Library of Congress
The premier government library and collector of government information for the nation.
Legal Reports, Law Library of Congress
The Law Library of Congress produces reports primarily for members of Congress. The legal research reports, which are listed by topic provide commentary and recommended resources on issues and events. These reports are provided for reference purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. The information provided reflects research undertaken as of the date of writing, which has not been updated unless specifically noted.

U.S. Government

U.S. Congress

Congressional Documents

Legislative Databases

Senate

House of Representatives

Legislative Branch Partners

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