Government Documents

The official directory of the U.S. Congress is prepared by the Joint Committee on Printing (JCP). Published since 1888, the Congressional Directory presents short biographies of each member of the Senate and House, listed by state or district, and additional data, such as committee memberships, terms of service, administrative assistants and/or secretaries, and room and telephone numbers. It also lists officials of the courts, military establishments, and other Federal departments and agencies.

Published biennially by the Joint Committee on Printing of the U.S. Congress, the Congressional Pictorial Directory provides a color photograph of each member of the House of Representatives and the Senate. It also includes information about a Member of Congress' length of service, political party affiliations, and Congressional district. Also contains pictures of the President, Vice President, and House and Senate officers and officials.

Congressional bills are legislative proposals from the House of Representatives and Senate within the United States Congress. There are eight different types of bills. There are numerous different bill versions that track a bill through the legislative process from introduction through passage by both chambers (enrolled version). All final published bill versions are available from GPO. This site contains all published versions of bills from the 103rd (1993-1994) Congress forward. The system is updated by 6 a.m. (EST) daily when bills are published and approved for release.

The 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. GPO Access contains Congressional Record volumes from 140 (1994) to the present. At the back of each daily issue is the "Daily Digest," which summarizes the day's floor and committee activities. The current year’s Congressional Record database is usually updated daily by 11 a.m.

A hearing is a meeting or session of a Senate, House, Joint, or Special Committee of Congress, usually open to the public, to obtain information and opinions on proposed legislation, conduct an investigation, or evaluate/oversee the activities of a government department or the implementation of a Federal law. In addition, hearings may also be purely exploratory in nature, providing testimony and data about topics of current interest.

Annals of Congress (1789 - 1824) formally known as The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States, they cover the 1st Congress through the first session of the 18th Congress.

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.

This is a permanent collection of all laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress.

Register of Debates (1824 - 1837) a record of the congressional debates of the 18th Congress, 2nd Session through the 25th Congress, 1st Session.

Congressional Globe (1833 - 1873) contains the congressional debates of the 23rd through 42nd Congresses.

Vital Statistics on Congress, first published in 1980, long ago became the go-to source of impartial data on the United States Congress. Vital Statistics’ purpose is to collect and provide useful data on America’s first branch of government, including data on the composition of its membership, its formal procedure (such as the use of the filibuster), informal norms, party structure, and staff. With some chapters of data dating back nearly 100 years, Vital Statistics also documents how Congress has changed over time, illustrating, for example, the increasing polarization of Congress and the diversifying demographics of those who are elected to serve.