Your Librarian
Your Librarian
Katie Lewis
Contact:
klewis@carleton.edu
507-222-5552
LibKey Nomad
Major Sources
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ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window(Searches through citations and the full text)
The record of Congressional activities, current and past. Includes legislation, hearings, research reports, and more. -
ProQuest Legislative Insight This link opens in a new window(Searches through citations and the full text)
Maps out the Congressional debates and documents that go into enactment of all U.S. Public Laws 1789-2025, in full text, and including all hearings and reports. -
Congress.gov This link opens in a new window(Searches through citations and the full text)
Search by keyword, member, Congress, or bill number. The default searches only the current Congress -- use the advanced search to search across multiple Congresses. It's easy to browse the Daily Digest from this site. 1989-forward. -
HeinOnline This link opens in a new windowTraditional legal materials (reported cases, statutes, government regulations, academic law reviews, commercially produced law journals and magazines, and classic treatises), historical, governmental, and political documents, legislative debates, legislative and executive branch reports, world constitutions, international treaties, military history, and reports and other documents of international organizations.
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U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1994 This link opens in a new window(Searches through citations and the full text)
One of the core U.S. government publications, with Congressional records from 1817-1994. Also *the* primary source for executive branch reports, treaties, statements, maps and more from the 1800s.
Congressional Activity and News
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Senate WebsiteFind information about current and past senators, committees, and recorded floor proceedings.
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House of Representatives WebsiteFind information about current and past representatives, committees, and recorded floor proceedings.
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Roll Call Votes1989 - present. Also available via Proquest Congressional.
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CQ Almanac This link opens in a new windowAn almanac of issues covered by Congress each year. Organized by topic area. Lists major bills.
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CQ Magazine This link opens in a new windowA weekly magazine covering what is happening in Congress. Excellent resource for helping to track legislation by topic or member.
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Open SecretsFrom the Center for Responsive Politics, this site allows you to track campaign contributions from many different angles.
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voxgov This link opens in a new window(Searches through citations and the full text)
A repository of US government information gleaned from official websites, legislation, congressional and regulatory documents, social media, press releases, and more.
Sources for Election Results
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CQ Politics in America This link opens in a new window(Searches through citations and the full text)
A guide to politics with information on each member of Congress and the district he or she represents. Note: You can also search across all of the CQ Press reference resources here. -
CQ Voting and Elections Collection This link opens in a new windowExtensive data on elections at the national and state level. In database format.
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Library Guide to U.S. Elections StatisticsComprehensive guide to sources for finding U.S. elections statistics and related information.
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Almanac of American PoliticsDemographic profiles of U.S. legislative districts, including past voting patterns, and profiles of elected officials.
Congressional Record
The Congressional Record is a transcript of proceedings in the House and Senate, including all bills that have been introduced and debated, committee reports, and presidential actions or communications. It is published each day that Congress is in session.
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An Overview of the Congressional Record and Its Predecessor Publications: A Research Guideby Richard J. McKinney, Assistant Law Librarian, Federal Reserve Board Law Library, Last revised in October, 2011
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ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window(Searches through citations and the full text)
The record of Congressional activities, current and past. Includes legislation, hearings, research reports, and more. -
HeinOnline This link opens in a new windowTraditional legal materials (reported cases, statutes, government regulations, academic law reviews, commercially produced law journals and magazines, and classic treatises), historical, governmental, and political documents, legislative debates, legislative and executive branch reports, world constitutions, international treaties, military history, and reports and other documents of international organizations.
Earlier printed records of Congressional debate have been published under multiple names, including Annals of Congress (1789-1824), Register of Debates (1824-1837), and Congressional Globe (1833-1873).
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Congressional Record (1873-present ; congress.gov)Includes transcripts of proceedings for each day that Congress is in session, available by the next day. The Record's Daily Digest lists bills introduced or passed, along with nominations and committee reports. Issues available back to 1873.
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1789-1824: Annals of Congress(aka Debates & Proceedings of Congress): 1st - 18th (1789 - 1824)
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1824-1837: Register of Debates18th - 25th (1824 - 1837)
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1833-1873: Congressional Globe23rd - 42nd (1833 - 1873)
Research Help
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How to Trace Federal Legislation - A Research GuideHelp from the Library of Congress in tracing a code back to legislation.
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CRS Report - Legislative HistoryA report from the Congressional Research Service about tracing legislation and how a bill becomes a law.
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CRS Report - Legislative History Research: A Basic GuideAnother more recent report from CRS on tracing legislation and the legislative process in general.
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Congressional Research Service (CRS) reportsCongressional Research Service reports are prepared by researchers and experts on a variety of topics as a service to Congress.
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Finding or Compiling Federal Legislative Histories Electronicallyby Richard J. McKinney, Assistant Law Librarian, Federal Reserve Board, 2013
