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U.S. Congress

Overview

To learn about the U.S. Congress, check out some resources below, including Congress.gov, the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, and reports by the Congressional Budget OfficeCongressional Research Service, and U.S. Government Accountability Office. In addition, see examples of official, authenticated U.S. Government publications by the legislative branch in GovInfo.

House Committee on Energy and Commerce a holding a hearing on March 24, 2004

House Committee on Energy and Commerce holding a hearing on March 24, 2004 (Image source: NAID: 6769104)

Sources to Find U.S. Congressional Information

Click on the tabs of this box to learn about U.S. Government information regarding congressional activities or documents written by the U.S. Congress or a legislative branch agency.

Below are some U.S. Government resources on congressional activities.


Screenshot of Congress.gov

Congress.gov

  • Run by the Library of Congress and the U.S. Copyright Office, this is the "official website for U.S. Federal legislative information."

Screenshot of NARA website

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

Congressional Collections

  • NARA is the "nation's record keeper" of all publications and materials that were created by the U.S. Government during its "course of business." Its congressional collection includes official records of the U.S. Congress, and private and personal papers of congressional members.

Here are three examples of publications by legislative branch agencies or services: the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Congressional Research Service (CRS), and U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).


Screenshot of CBO's website

Congressional Budget Office

Recurring Reports

  • These reports project "economic and budget outcomes" based on the assumption that the "current law regarding federal spending and revenues generally remains in place." A projection covers a 10-year period.
Screenshot of CRS website

Congressional Research Service

Reports

  • Established in 1914, the mission of CRS is to "serve Congress with the highest quality of research, analysis, information and confidential consultation to support the exercise of its legislative, representational and oversight duties in its role as a coequal branch of government." Reports range in topics, including defense, energy, science, health care, and more.
Screenshot of GAO website

U.S. Government Accountability Office

Reports & Testimonies

  • Congressionally mandated, the purpose of these publications is to "improve government operations and save taxpayers billions of dollars" with non-partisan, fact-based information.

U.S. Congressional Documents in GovInfo

Click on the tabs of this box to learn more about the selected congressional information that are available in GovInfo. Each highlighted publication has examples under a unique theme. 

A congressional bill will have different versions of it during the legislative process. For example, "Engrossed (House)" means the "official copy of the bill or joint resolution as passed, including the text as amended by floor action, and certified by the Clerk of the House before it is sent to the Senate." The following documents are some examples.


Screenshot of "21st Century Competitiveness Act of 2007"

H.R. 2272 (EH) – 21st Century Competitiveness Act of 2007

  • Date: May 21, 2007
  • Quoted excerpt: "The prosperity the United States enjoys today is due in no small part to investments the Nation has made in research and development over the past 50 years... Corporate, government, and national scientific and technical leaders have raised concerns that current trends affecting the science and technology enterprise of the Nation could result in erosion of this past success and jeopardize future prosperity."
Screenshot of "Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act"

H.R. 2751 (EH) – Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act

  • Date: June 9, 2009
  • Quoted excerpt: "To accelerate motor fuel savings nationwide and provide incentives to registered owners of high polluting automobiles to replace such automobiles with new fuel efficient and less polluting automobiles."
Screenshot of "Home Mortgage Disclosure Adjustment Act"

H.R. 2954 (EH) – Home Mortgage Disclosure Adjustment Act

  • Date: January 18, 2018
  • Quoted excerpt: "To amend the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975 to specify which depository institutions are subject to the maintenance of records and disclosure requirements of such Act, and for other purposes."
Screenshot of "Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Enforcement Act of 2015"

H.R. 774 (EH) – Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Enforcement Act of 2015

  • Date: July 27, 2015
  • Quoted excerpt: "To strengthen enforcement mechanisms to stop illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, to amend the Tuna Conventions Act of 1950 to implement the Antigua Convention, and for other purposes."
Screenshot of "Pala Band of Mission Indians Land Transfer Act of 2021"

H.R. 1975 (EH) – Pala Band of Mission Indians Land Transfer Act of 2021

  • Date: November 2, 2021
  • Quoted excerpt: "To take certain land located in San Diego County, California, into trust for the benefit of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, and for other purposes."

Congressional commission reports contain the findings, data, analyses, and recommendations of a commissioned entity. The following examples concern the 9/11 attacks, national security related to U.S.-China economic relationships, the oil spill from Deepwater Horizon, and U.S. intelligence capabilities concerning weapons of mass destruction.


Screenshot of "The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Report)"

The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Report)

  • Publication Date: July 22, 2004
  • Quoted excerpt: "We have come together with a unity of purpose because our nation demands it. September 11, 2001, was a day of unprecedented shock and suffering in the history of the United States. The nation was unprepared. How did this happen, and how can we avoid such tragedy again?"
Screenshot of "2021 Report to Congress of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission"

2021 Report to Congress of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission

  • Publication Date: December 1, 2021
  • Quoted excerpt: "This Report responds to our mandate 'to monitor, investigate, and report to Congress on the national security implications of the bilateral trade and economic relationship between the United States and the People’s Republic of China.'"
Screenshot of "Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster And The Future Of Offshore Drilling - Report to the President (BP Oil Spill Commission Report)"

Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster And The Future Of Offshore Drilling - Report to the President (BP Oil Spill Commission Report)

  • Publication Date: January 11, 2011
  • Quoted excerpt: "This report is the result of an intense six-month effort to fulfill the President’s charge. From the outset, the Commissioners have been determined to learn the essential lessons so expensively revealed in the tragic loss of life at the Deepwater Horizon and the severe damages that ensued."
Screenshot of "Unclassified Version of the Report of the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction"

Unclassified Version of the Report of the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction

  • Publication Date: March 31, 2005
  • Quoted excerpt: "We live in an information age, and the United States needs an Intelligence Community willing and able to support the demands of our public diplomacy efforts. Moreover, we need a sophisticated capability to defend our own information environments and infrastructures from attack."

GovInfo has a collection of congressional hearings. One example of a committee is the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. It has jurisdiction "over much of the non-defense Federal research and development."^ There are currently five subcommittees: Energy, Environment, Investigations and Oversight, Research and Technology, and Space and Aeronautics. The featured hearings are from the 96th, 105th, 109th, 114th, and 117th Congresses. Topics include operational planning for the space shuttle; understanding the the Y2K problem; ensuring reliable voting machines; discussing the Research Excellence and Advancements for Dyslexia Act; and evolving research needs related to the coronavirus.

^U.S. House of Representatives


Screenshot of "COVID–19 Variants and Evolving Research Needs"

COVID–19 Variants and Evolving Research Needs

  • Hearing Date: May 12, 2021
  • Quoted excerpt: "The purpose of this hearing is to discuss how variants develop, how researchers identify and sequence variants, and how this information can be utilized by public health officials, government agencies, and medical practitioners to make decisions."
Screenshot of "Dyslexia and the Need to READ: H.R. 3033, the Research Excellence and Advancements for Dyslexia Act"

Dyslexia and the Need to READ: H.R. 3033, the Research Excellence and Advancements for Dyslexia Act

  • Hearing Date: September 30, 2015
  • Quoted excerpt: "The purpose of this hearing is to discuss H.R. 3033, the Research Excellence and Advancements for Dyslexia Act. Topics for the hearing include: the need for federal legislation to address dyslexia in the American populace, the importance of early identification for children and students with dyslexia, professional development needed for teachers and administrators for students with dyslexia, and what special curricula and educational tools would be most helpful."
Screenshot of "Space Shuttle Operational Planning, Policy, and Legal Issues"

Space Shuttle Operational Planning, Policy, and Legal Issues

  • Hearing Date: September 25–26, 1979
  • Quoted excerpt: "Government policies and agencies, regulations, user charges, provisions for launch assurance and priorities, user liabilities insurance and indemnity provisions, protection of individual and private property as well as patent and proprietary rights involve questions of legal and business importance which can have a significant effect on the extent to which this new system will promote private venture. It is essential that, while assuring U.S. interests are adequately protected, all reasonable opportunities must be available to encourage full utilization of the Space Shuttle and the space environment."
Screenshot of "Voting Machines: Will the New Standards and Guidelines Help Prevent Future Problems?"

Voting Machines: Will the New Standards and Guidelines Help Prevent Future Problems?

  • Hearing Date: July 19, 2006
  • Quoted excerpt: "The purpose of the hearing is to review new federal voluntary standards for voting equipment, which were issued late last year, to see if they are likely to improve the accuracy and security of voting, and to see if states are likely to adopt the standards."
Screenshot of "Y2K: What Every Consumer Should Know to Prepare for the Year 2000 Problem"

Y2K: What Every Consumer Should Know to Prepare for the Year 2000 Problem

  • Hearing Date: September 24, 1998
  • Quoted excerpt: "The Year 2000 problem places at risk certain computers and consumer products that use embedded chips, microprocessors that store or process data. As a result, in the typical American home, there are a number of consumer products that may be affected by the Year 2000 problem, ranging from personal computers to air conditioners, televisions, fax machines, and digital clocks, among many others."

The Congressional Pictorial Directory is a biennial publication on all members of the U.S. Congress. The following selected examples come from the 106th, 108th, 112th, 115th, and 117th Congresses. For each of these featured documents, the accompanying pictures compare the covers of the Directory, the President of the Senate, the President pro tempore of the Senate, and the Congressional members from the state of Wyoming.


Screenshot of "106th Congress"

106th Congress

  • January 1, 1999
  • President of the Senate: Al Gore
  • President pro tempore of the Senate: Strom Thurmond
  • Congressional members from the state of Wyoming: Sen. Craig Thomas, Sen. Michael B. Enzi, and Rep. Barbara Cubin
Screenshot of "108th Congress"

108th Congress

  • January 1, 2003
  • President of the Senate: Richard B. Cheney
  • President pro tempore of the Senate: Ted Stevens
  • Congressional members from the state of Wyoming: Sen. Craig Thomas, Sen. Michael B. Enzi, and Rep. Barbara Cubin
Screenshot of "112th Congress"

112th Congress

  • July 25, 2012
  • President of the Senate: Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
  • President pro tempore of the Senate: Daniel K. Inouye
  • Congressional members from the state of Wyoming: Sen. Michael B. Enzi, Sen. John A. Barrasso, and Rep. Cynthia M. Lummis
Screenshot of "115th Congress"

115th Congress

  • March 26, 2018
  • President of the Senate: Michael R. Pence
  • President pro tempore of the Senate: Orrin G. Hatch
  • Congressional members from the state of Wyoming: Sen. Michael B. Enzi, Sen. John A. Barrasso, and Rep. Liz Cheney
Screenshot of "117th Congress"

117th Congress

  • December 7, 2021
  • President of the Senate: Kamala D. Harris
  • President pro tempore of the Senate: Patrick J. Leahy
  • Congressional members from the state of Wyoming: Sen. John A. Barrasso, Sen. Cynthia M. Lummis, and Rep. Liz Cheney

The Congressional Record is the "official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress." The Bound Edition is the permanent version and each session of Congress has its own volume. The following documents concern the U.S. Senate's impeachment proceedings of William W. Belknap (acquitted), Harold Louderback (acquitted), Halsted L. Ritter (found guilty), and Harry E. Claiborne (found guilty).


Screenshot of "Impeachment of William W. Belknap"

Impeachment of William W. Belknap

  • Publication Date: August 1, 1876
  • Quoted excerpt: "Senate will proceed to the consideration of the articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives against William W. Belknap, late Secretary of War. The Senate then proceeded to the trial of the impeachment of William W. Belknap, late Secretary of War. The Senate sitting for the trial of the impeachment of William W. Belknap having adjourned then resumed its legislative session."
Screenshot of "Impeachment of Harold Louderback"

Impeachment of Harold Louderback

  • Publication Date: May 24, 1933
  • Quoted excerpt: "The Senate having tried Harold Louderback, judge of the District Court of the United States for the Northern District of California, upon five several articles ·of impeachment exhibited against him by the House of Representatives, and two thirds of the Senators present not having found him guilty of the charges contained therein: It is therefore Ordered and adjudged, That the said Harold Louderback be, and he is, acquitted of all the charges in said articles made and set forth."
Screenshot of "Impeachment of Halsted L. Ritter"

Impeachment of Halsted L. Ritter

  • Publication Date: April 17, 1936
  • Quoted excerpt: "The Senate having tried Halsted L. Ritter, United States district judge for the southern district of Florida, upon seven several articles of impeachment exhibited against him by the House of Representatives, and two-thirds of the Senators present having found him guilty of charges contained therein: It is therefore Ordered and adjudged, That the said Halsted L. Ritter be, and he is hereby, removed from office."
Screenshot of "Impeachment of Harry E. Claiborne"

Impeachment of Harry E. Claiborne

  • Publication Date: October 9, 1986
  • Quoted excerpt: "On or about June 15, 1980, Judge Harry E. Claiborne did willfully and knowingly make and subscribe a United States Individual Income Tax Return for the calendar year 1979, which return was verified by a written declaration that the return was made under penalties of perjury; which return was filed with the Internal Revenue Service; and which return Judge Harry E. Claiborne did not believe to be true and correct as to every material matter in that the return reported total income in the amount of $80,227.04 whereas, as he then and there well knew and believed, he received and failed to report substantial income in addition to that stated on the return in violation of section 7206(1) of title 26, United States Code."

The Congressional Record includes the Daily Digest, which highlights House and Senate floor actions. The following examples concern the Senate's confirmation of the first six female justices to the Supreme Court of the United States (Hons. Sandra Day O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett, and Ketanji Brown Jackson).^ The U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary first vets presidential nominees. If the Committee approves a nominee, then the full U.S. Senate confirms the nomination. 

^Some featured examples below are available digitally from Congress.gov


Screenshot of "Volume 127 Part 26"

Volume 127 Part 26

  • Date: September 21, 1981 
  • 97th Congress, First Session
  • Senate confirmed the nomination of Sandra Day O'Connor99 yeas to 0 nays
Screenshot of "Volume 139 Part 24"

Volume 139 Part 24

  • Date: August 3, 1993
  • 103rd Congress, First Session
  • Senate confirmed the nomination of Ruth Bader Ginsburg: 96 yeas to 3 nays
Screenshot of "Volume 155, Issue 122"

Volume 155, Issue 122

  • Date: August 6, 2009
  • 111th Congress, First Session
  • Senate confirmed the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor: 68 yeas to 31 nays
Screenshot of "Volume 156, Issue 118"

Volume 156, Issue 118

  • Date: August 5, 2010
  • 111th Congress, First Session
  • Senate confirmed the nomination of Elena Kagan: 63 yeas to 37 nays
Screenshot of "Volume 166, Issue 184, Book 2"

Volume 166, Issue 184, Book 2

  • Date: October 26, 2020
  • 116th Congress, Second Session
  • Senate confirmed the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett: 52 yeas to 48 nays
Screenshot of "Volume 168, Issue 62"

Volume 168, Issue 62

  • Date: April 7, 2022
  • 117th Congress, Second Session
  • Senate confirmed the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson: 53 yeas to 47 nays

Published by the U.S. House of Representatives' Office of the Law Revision Counsel, the U.S. Code is the "codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States," and has 53 subject titles. Some of the titles "have been enacted into positive (statutory) law." Title 10 of the U.S. Code pertains to the armed forces. Below are excerpts of each subchapter of Title 10: Armed Forces, including links to the 2020 edition of the U.S. Code.


Screenshot of "Subtitle A. General Military Law"

Subtitle A—General Military Law

  • Published in 2020
  • Quoted excerpt: "§ 117. Readiness reporting system (a) REQUIRED READINESS REPORTING SYSTEM.— The Secretary of Defense shall establish a comprehensive readiness reporting system for the Department of Defense. The readiness reporting system shall measure in an objective, accurate, and timely manner the capability of the armed forces to carry out— (1) the National Security Strategy prescribed by the President in the most recent annual national security strategy report under section 108 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3043); (2) the defense planning guidance provided by the Secretary of Defense pursuant to section 113(g) of this title; and (3) the National Military Strategy prescribed by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff."
Screenshot of "Subtitle B. Army"

Subtitle B—Army

  • Published in 2020
  • Quoted excerpt: "§ 7063. Basic branches (a) The Secretary of the Army may assign members of the Army to its basic branches. The basic branches are— (1) Infantry; (2) Armor; (3) Artillery; (4) Corps of Engineers; (5) Signal Corps; (6) Adjutant General’s Corps; (7) Quartermaster Corps; (8) Finance Corps; (9) Ordnance Corps; (10) Chemical Corps; (11) Transportation Corps; (12) Military Police Corps; and (13) such other basic branches as the Secretary considers necessary."
Screenshot of "Subtitle C. Navy and Marine Corps"

Subtitle C—Navy and Marine Corps

  • Published in 2020
  • Quoted excerpt: "§ 8061. Department of the Navy: composition The Department of the Navy is composed of the following: (1) The Office of the Secretary of the Navy. (2) The Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. (3) The Headquarters, Marine Corps. (4) The entire operating forces, including naval aviation, of the Navy and of the Marine Corps, and the reserve components of those operating forces. (5) All field activities, headquarters, forces, bases, installations, activities, and functions under the control or supervision of the Secretary of the Navy. (6) The Coast Guard when it is operating as a service in the Navy."
Screenshot of "Subtitle D. Air Force and Space Force"

Subtitle D—Air Force and Space Force

  • Published in 2020
  • Quoted excerpt: "§ 9081. The United States Space Force (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a United States Space Force as an armed force within the Department of the Air Force. (b) COMPOSITION.—The Space Force consists of— (1) the Regular Space Force; (2) all persons appointed or enlisted in, or conscripted into, the Space Force, including those not assigned to units, necessary to form the basis for a complete and immediate mobilization for the national defense in the event of a national emergency; and (3) all Space Force units and other Space Force organizations, including installations and supporting and auxiliary combat, training, administrative, and logistic elements. (c) FUNCTIONS.—The Space Force shall be organized, trained, and equipped to— (1) provide freedom of operation for the United States in, from, and to space; (2) conduct space operations; and (3) protect the interests of the United States in space."
Screenshot of "Subtitle E. Reserve Components"

Subtitle E—Reserve Components

  • Published in 2020
  • Quoted excerpt: "§ 10101. Reserve components named The reserve components of the armed forces are: (1) The Army National Guard of the United States. (2) The Army Reserve. (3) The Navy Reserve. (4) The Marine Corps Reserve. (5) The Air National Guard of the United States. (6) The Air Force Reserve. (7) The Coast Guard Reserve."

The volumes of the U.S. Congressional Serial Sets are compilations of documents from the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate on various subjects. The Law Library of Congress digitizes these collections. Try searching the collection by topicThe documents below are some results from a search for "animals."


Screenshot of "Oregon. Report of Lieut. Neil M. Howison, United States Navy, to the commander of the Pacific Squadron"

Oregon. Report of Lieut. Neil M. Howison, United States Navy, to the commander of the Pacific Squadron

  • Publication Date: 1848
  • Quoted excerpt: "As the season advances the [salmon] fish become meagre and sickly, and only those not strong enough to force a passage against the torrent at the Cascades, and other falls, remain in the lower waters of the river. In September they are found at the very sources of the Columbia, still pressing up stream, with tails and bellies bruised and bloody by the long struggle they have had against the current and a rocky bottom."
Screenshot of "Exploration of the valley of the Amazon, made under direction of the Navy Department"

Exploration of the valley of the Amazon, made under direction of the Navy Department

  • Publication Date: 1854
  • Quoted excerpt: "Between peaks of perpendicular strata, flocks of llama are pasturing. Yonder is a lake of clear snow-water, and there stands five beautiful vicuna, looking intently at us."
Screenshot of "Appropriation to pay certain claims to Sioux Indians for loss of horses"

Appropriation to pay certain claims to Sioux Indians for loss of horses

  • Publication Date: 1925
  • Quoted excerpt: "This bill is a final effort to secure the settlement of some old Indian claims which had their inception in the unauthorized killing of 465 head of Indian horses upon the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota at the instance of the United States acting through its Bureau of Indian Affairs."
Screenshot of "Shorter contributions to general geology 1925"

Shorter contributions to general geology 1925

  • Publication Date: 1926
  • Quoted excerpt: "The fossils are unusually well preserved... The collection is of particular value because it comes from a locality not before studied in detail and gives evidence bearing on the geologic age of the vast lava flows that form the Columbia Plateau of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho."
Screenshot of "Contamination of natural waters and mud with Pasteurella tularensis and tularemia in beavers and muskrats in the northwestern United States"

Contamination of natural waters and mud with Pasteurella tularensis and tularemia in beavers and muskrats in the northwestern United States

  • Publication Date: 1951
  • Quoted excerpt: "In general, the results and data gained from the field observations and laboratory experiments indicate that water and mud contamination, and the occurrence of tularemia in muskrats and beavers are widespread phenomena in the Northwestern States. Water and mud contamination may be present at any season of the year and may persist for at least 16 months."