U.S. Government Information
Jump to a section: Core Web Resources | Agencies | Executive Branch (President) | Judicial Branch (Courts) | Legislative Branch (Congress)
Core Web Resources
- USA.gov - - This government sponsored search covers municipal, state and federal government sites, as well as .mil (military, US Department of Defense) websites.
- Catalog of Government Publications - - from the US Government Printing Office, provides an index to print and electronic publications created by Federal agencies. The database covers from 1976 to the present. One new aspect of the search is that it also covers a growing number of older, print titles that have been scanned and are now available as full-text electronic documents.
- GPO Access - - primary source for US government electronic information. Includes executive, legislative and Judicial branch
- Lexis-Nexis Congressional [NIU subscription] - - From Lexis-Nexis, this database indexes publications of Congress from 1789 to the present. Included are: leglislative histories for laws from 1970 to the present, bill-tracking for current legislation, and full-text for most current material such as hearings and committee reports on a given bill. This site also covers individual members of Congress through their voting records, financial disclosures as well as campaign contributions from individuals and political action committees.
- U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1980 (with) American State Papers 1789-1838 [NIU subscription] - - The Serial Set “offers an unparalleled view of the activities of the United States federal government from the founding of the Republic through most of the twentieth century”[NIU description]. This series provides an in-depth record of US history from the government's perspective, covering a broad range of topics. This electronic version of the Serial Set also includes a browseable map collection. The American State Papers cover the period from the Revolutionary War to the 1830's.
Agencies
- LSU Libraries Federal Agency Directory - - This directory offers an alphabetical or hierarchical listing and a basic search option for U.S. government web sites.
- USA.gov : A-Z Agencies - - US Government pages alphabetic listing, includes many state-level government agencies.
- U.S. Government Manual - - directory of all three branches of the federal government, with brief explanations of agencies, legislation that established them and organization charts. Includes contact information.
- Contact Elected Officials - - USA.gov provides a central page for contacting the President, Vice President, U.S. Senators and Representatives, State Governors, or State Legislators.
- GovSearch [NIU subscription] - - This database publishes news from agencies of the federal government and also includes a directory of government offices from the national to the local level
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Executive Branch Information
- The White House - - Current policy, press briefings, photos from the President.
- Budget of the United States Government - - This site includes the documents that outline and support the President's proposed budget. The Government Printing Office maintains a page for past years budgets, from 1996 to the present.
- Code of Federal Regulations - - The Code brings together the rules published by executive branch agencies and departments, into a systematic whole. Each section (or title, as they are named), covers a general subject, such as Title 26: Internal Revenue, or Title 42: Public Health. Proposed rules are published in the Federal Register (below).
- Economic Report of the President - - This site includes this annual report from 1995 forward. While the first part of each report focuses on the administration's policies, the second part provides statistical tables of economic data such as gross domestic product, income, employment, business activity, the consumer price index, government finance and corporate finance. Many of the tables cover thirty years or more. The FRASER site (St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank) hosts the historical run of Economic Reports back to 1947.
- Federal Register - - Daily record of proposed regulations and notices from the executive branch. This includes the various cabinet level departments like Agriculture, Commerce, Interior, etc., as well as executive orders from the office of the President.
- Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States - - Compilation of presidential remarks, addresses, bill signings and other events (1992 to the present). The University of Michigan hosts a digital version of the historical collection, covering the administrations of Herbert Hoover and presidents from Harry Truman to the present.
- Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents - - Weekly listing of presidential remarks, addresses, bill signings and other events as they happen (1993 to the present).
- CyberCemetery - - The University of North Texas Libraries and the U.S. Government Printing Office, as part of the Federal Depository Library Program, created a partnership to provide permanent public access to the Web sites and publications of defunct U.S. government agencies and commissions. This collection was named the "CyberCemetery" by early users of the site.
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Judicial Branch Information
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Legislative Branch Information
- Lexis-Nexis Congressional [NIU subscription] - - From Lexis-Nexis, this database indexes publications of Congress from 1789 to the present. Included are: leglislative histories for laws from 1970 to the present, bill-tracking for current legislation, and full-text for most current material such as hearings and committee reports on a given bill. This site also covers individual members of Congress through their voting records, financial disclosures as well as campaign contributions from individuals and political action committees.
- Thomas - - Look for Congressional Bills, Resolutions, legislative summaries & status, browse the Congressional Record.
- Congressional Record - - the official record of the proceedings and debates on the floor of Congress (1994 to the present).
- Legislative Branch Resources on GPO Access - - find reports of Congress and committee hearings, from 1995-96 to the present, along with other publications, at the official site.
- Congressional Reports - - reports dealing with committee views on proposed legislation (supporting or opposing) and issues being investigated.
- Congressional Documents - - reports from the office of the President, independent agencies, international agreements, submitted to committees of Congress.
- Congressional Committee Material - - good place to start a search by committee, first selecting one from the list of committees.
- Congressional Hearings - - good for browsing all committees, includes a search option, or browse each chamber, by Congress [104th (1995-1996) forward].
- Congressional Committee Prints - - search only, no browse feature. Prints are “non-hearings”, including committee rules, research by committee staff on a given topic, or statistical reports.
- Conference Reports - - presents the compromise version of legislation, worked out between the House and Senate.
- Statutes at Large - - online version of the permanent collection of laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress. The laws are presented in order of the date enacted. At present, this site only offers the 108th Congress, but more will be added over time.
- United States Code - - “The United States Code is the codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. It is divided by broad subjects into 50 titles.”
- United States House of Representatives - - includes links to Representatives websites, and Committee websites, Congressional schedule information, vote information and information on legislation before the House.
- United States Senate - - links to Senators and Committee websites, and information on Legislation and Records, nominations and treaties. Other resources include the Virtual Reference Desk, and a guide on how to find the Congressional Record either in print, or online.
- Almanac of American Politics, States & Districts [NIU subscription] - - available through the Libraries' subscription to the National Journal, the Almanac gives the kind of biographical detail for U.S. representatives and senators, not easily found elsewhere. Also gives a detailed political and social profile for the district or state the legislator represents.
- Biographical Directory of the United States Congress - - Database of biographical information on every member of Congress (senator, representative) from 1774 to the present. Searchable by first name, last name, party, position, state and year or congress. The Government Printing Office also offers a static version of the 2005 edition presented as a set of pdf documents.
- Congressional Directory - - the official directory of the US Congress, includes short biographical information on each member, as well as committee memberships, staff, and contact information. For representatives, the directory includes a listing of counties, cities and towns in their elected district, along with ZIP codes. This looks like the best place to get address, phone number, FAX number for members of Congress, which is not always easy to find on their homepages.
- Congressional District Wall Maps - - These maps provide high resolution detailed outlines of each congressional district, and district locator maps for each state. A small preview is provided in .gif format, but each full-size wall map image is provided in .pdf format. Some of the files are larger than 5MB depending on the detail needed to graphically describe the district. The same is true for State Congressional District Wall Maps provided at this site. Print versions of the maps can also be ordered from the Census Bureau. Information is available for the 110th Congress, as well. The National Atlas also provides printable maps of Congressional Districts.
- Congressional Pictorial Directory - - Includes a color photograph of each member of the House and Senate. The site has editions of the Pictorial Directory from the 105th Congress (1997) forward.
- Congress votes database | washingtonpost.com - - “This site lets you browse every vote in the U.S. Congress since 1991.” Details include listing of Congressional vote missers, narrow and wide margins on votes, and late-night votes.
- From a Bill to a Law - - offers detailed descriptions of steps in the legislative process, and definitions of documents that arise from it, such as bills and resolutions, enrollment, slip laws and the United States Code.
- Legislative History: a basic guide for constituents [PDF] - - This brief guide is an introduction to the lawmaking process, with a focus on legislative history. Describes each type of document created along the way and the sources that can be used.
- LLSCD's Legislative Source Book - - at the top of the list is a status table on selected current legislation and listings of the final status of legislation from recent Congresses. The sourcebook also provides a wealth of legislative-related information not found elsewhere, such as a guide to Federal Legislative History Research.
- U.S. Congressional Documents & Debates 1774-1875 - - Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention, Statutes, Journals and early volumes of the Congressional Record and its predecessors.
- U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1980 (with) American State Papers 1789-1838 [NIU subscription] - - The Serial Set “offers an unparalleled view of the activities of the United States federal government from the founding of the Republic through most of the twentieth century”[NIU description]. This series provides an in-depth record of US history from the government's perspective, covering a broad range of topics. This electronic version of the Serial Set also includes a browseable map collection. The American State Papers cover the period from the Revolutionary War to the 1830's.
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