Finding Congressional and other Government Information & Documents
The best place to find to most Congressional and other government documents is govinfo
Govinfo has the following documents and information:
- Legislative, Executive, and Judicial content:
- Bills and Statutes, congressional committee materials, and proceedings of Congress
- Presidential and regulatory materials
- Opinions from more than 100 U.S. courts
- New content daily- Congressional Record, Federal Register, House and Senate Calendars
- Curated collections- Nancy Reagan tribute, documents related to the sinking of the Titanic
- Digitized historical content- oldest dates back to 1849
- High-profile publications- 9-11 Report, Post JFK Assassination Audio, Warren Commission Report and Hearings, Financial Crisis Inquiry Report, Nixon’s Watergate Grand Jury Testimony, and landmark legislation: Civil Rights Act and Obamacare
Govinfo is replacing FDsys. Most information has been migrated to the new platform.
If you do not find your document here, try the other links below.
- GovTrack.usHelps you track issues/bills in Congress as well as the actions of any representative.
- United States Code This link opens in a new windowFederal laws are passed by Congress and then organized by subject into the United States Code.
- Find U.S. Departments and AgenciesMany departments and agencies maintain documents and other information on their websites.
- Congressional RecordThe Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session.
- Catalog of U.S. Government PublicationsSearch tool for finding government publications with links to those available electronically.
- USA.govAs the U.S. government's official web portal, USA.gov makes it easy for the public to get U.S. government information and services on the web.
- Census Datademographics, population, housing statistics; pulled from various census reports; available at the city/town/zipcode level
- C-SPANProvides public access to political process through streaming and archiving video, audio, and commentary on elections, congress, and other public affairs topics. Use the C-SPAN Archives to find every C-SPAN program aired since 1987.
- Video Feeds from the U.S. House of Representatives FloorThe U.S. House of Representatives offers streaming video feeds of the House Floor Proceedings dating back to the beginning of the 111th Congress.
- Presidential Recordings ProgramBetween 1940 and 1973, six American presidents from both political parties—Franklin Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Nixon—secretly recorded on tape just under 5,000 hours of their meetings and telephone conversations. Find transcripts and audio of these recordings here.
- Federal Register.govThe Federal Register publishes documents created from the rule-making activities of government agencies. This government site provides easy access to recent articles in the Federal Register.
- Regulations.govOn Regulations.gov, you can find and comment on proposed regulations and related documents published by the U.S. Federal government.
Books To Get Started
The Encyclopedia of the United States Congress by Call Number: JK1067 .E63 1995ISBN: 0132763613Publication Date: 1995-01-01
Landmark Decisions of the United States Supreme Court by Call Number: KF4549 .F56 2003ISBN: 1568027206Publication Date: 2002-01-01
The Oxford Guide to United States Supreme Court Decisions by Call Number: KF4548.5 .O97 2009ISBN: 9780195379396Publication Date: 2009-03-11
Atlas of American Politics, 1960-2000 by Call Number: G1201.F1 A8 2002ISBN: 9781568026657Publication Date: 2001-01-01
Need a Specific Report or Document?
Sometimes the easiest way to find a government document is using Google.
- Search the exact name of the report in quotes.
- If needed, narrow your search by using the author of the report or year of publication if known.
- Not finding your document? Search Worldcat and then request through interlibrary loan.
US Government Diagram
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C-Span Video Archive
"The C-SPAN Archives records, indexes, and archives all C-SPAN programming for historical, educational, research, and archival uses. Every C-SPAN program aired since 1987, now totaling over 170,000 hours, is contained in the C-SPAN Archives"
