Federal Legislation

Locating Current Bills

A good database to use to locate current bills is CQ Weekly. From the opening page of this database, scroll down past Weekly Report and click on Bills to Watch.

Another source is the LexisNexis Congressional database. Click on "Bills and Laws" on the left side, then "browse Hot Bills" on the top, right side. This section features "organized links to bills and news articles related to issues of national importance. It features bills under consideration or recently enacted, along with news links grouped by topic area. LexisNexis editors update the site monthly."

Texts of Current Bills

All current House and Senate Bills are located on the Library of Congress Thomas.

All current House and Senate Bills are also located on GPO's Federal Digital System (FDsys) site.

All House and Senate Bills (and indexing) from the 101st Congress (1989-1990) to the present are also located in the LexisNexis Congressional database. Click on "Bills and Laws" on the left side.

The website, GovTrack.us has full-text bills with many different ways of searching, such as by Committee.

The Congressional Record is the primary source for recording votes on legislation. See the History of Bills section. Strozier Library has print copies of the Congressional Record in STROZIER, Documents General Collection -- X.  Other sources on this page have links to online versions.

Besides the sources below, often full-text of bill may be found in Committee hearings and in some House and Senate Committee Reports.

Older Bills

House and Senate Bills and Resolutions for the 6th (1799-1800)-42nd(1871-73) Congresses (Some omitted) can be found in A Century of Law Making for a New Nation (Library of Congress.) Senate Joint Resolutions for the 18th, (1824-25)-42nd (1871-73) Congresses (Some omitted) can also be found on this site.

House Bills and Resolutions for 1st Congress (1789/91)-72nd Congress (1931/33) are in STROZIER LIBRARY -- Micromaterials -- Film 1159

Senate Bills and Resolutions for the 1st Congress (1789/91)-72nd Congress (1931/33) are in STROZIER LIBRARY -- Micromaterials -- Film 1160.

Senate Joint resolutions for the 57th Congress (1901/03)-69th Congress (1925/27)and 71st Congress (1929/31)are in STROZIER LIBRARY -- Micromaterials -- Film 1160.

House Resolutions for 88th Congress (1963)-95 Congress (1978) in CIS microfiche filed as Y1.4:

House and Senate Bills and Resolutions for the 96th Congress (1979)-106th Congress (2000) are indexed in Final cumulative finding aid, House and Senate bills and located in STROZIER LIBRARY -- Micromaterials -- GP3.28: The Bills and Resoultions are in microfiche in the following call numbers on the ground floor of Strozier:

Y1.4/1:Senate Bills (S.)   STROZIER, Documents -- Microfiche -- Y1.4/1:
Y1.4/2:Senate Resolutions (S.Res.) STROZIER, Documents -- Microfiche -- Y1.4/2:
Y1.4/3: Senate Joint Resolutions (S.J. Res.) STROZIER, Documents -- Microfiche -- Y1.4/3:
Y1.4/4: Senate Concurrent Resolutions (S.Con.Res) STROZIER, Documents -- Microfiche -- Y1.4/4:
Y1.4/6: House Bills  (H.R.) STROZIER, Documents -- Microfiche -- Y1.4/6:
Y1.4/7: House Resolutions (H.Res)  STROZIER, Documents -- Microfiche -- Y1.4/7:
Y1.4/8: House Joint Resolutions (H.J. Res) STROZIER, Documents -- Microfiche -- Y1.4/8:
Y1.4/9: House Concurrent Resolutions (H.Con.Res.) STROZIER, Documents -- Microfiche -- Y1.4/9:

All House and Senate Bills from the 101st Congress (1989-1990) to the present are located on the Library of Congress Thomas and only the bill summary and status search are available for the 93rd Congress (1973-74) to the 100th Congress (1987-88.) 

All House and Senate Bills (and indexing) from the 101st Congress (1989-1990) to the present are also located in the LexisNexis Congressional database. Click on "Bills and Laws" on the left side.

All House and Senate Bills from the 103rd Congress (1993-1994) to the present are located on GPO's Federal Digital System (FDsys) site.

Bill Summaries

Digest of Public General Bills and Resolutions for 75th Congress (1937-38)- 101st Congress (1990) in STROZIER, Documents General Collection  -- LC14.6: 

History of Bills lists legislative actions on bills that are reported in the Congressional Record. Covers 98th Congress (1983-84) to the current Congress. 

GovTrack.us Bill information from the 106th Congress (1999) to the current Congress. Contains the full-text of the bill when available.

Congressional Calendars from the 104th Congress (1995-1996) to the current Congress. This site includes the Calendars of the U.S. House of Representatives and History of Legislation and the Senate Calendar of Business. To find a History of Bills and Resolutions, (for both the House and the Senate), click on the desired Congress, then the House, then go down to the specific day.

Calendars and History of Legislation- 56th Congress (1899-1901) to current Congress. Links to full-text in the Proquest Congressional database.

Congressional Quarterly Almanac covers major bills from the previous Congress. STROZIER, Documents General Collection -- JK1.C663. 

Current Bills

All current House and Senate Bills are located on the Library of Congress Thomas.

All current House and Senate Bills are also located on GPO's Federal Digital System (FDsys) site.

All House and Senate Bills (and indexing) from the 101st Congress (1989-1990) to the present are also located in the Proquest Congressional database. Click on "Bills and Laws" on the left side.

Bill Summaries (House) 113th Congress (2013-2014)  (FDsys)

GovTrack.us has full-text bills with many different ways of searching, such as by Committee.

Statements of Administration Policy on Non-Appropriations and Appropropriations Bills White House policy on current bills before Congress.