Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Congress.gov Overview

What is Congress.gov?

Congress.gov is the official website for U.S. federal legislative information. This modern, integrated system provides accurate, timely, and complete legislative information to Congress and the public. More About Congress.gov.

What's next for Congress.gov?

Additional content and functionality continue to be phased in. Coverage Dates for Legislative Information specifies data collections that are coming soon.

For what time periods does Congress.gov have legislative information?

Data are usually updated the morning after a session adjourns. The start date for bill records is 1973, bill texts is 1993, and the Congressional Record is 1995. See Coverage Dates for Legislative Information for the update schedule and collection coverage dates.

Which years are associated with a particular Congress?

The Congresses field value list associates congress numbers with years. Each Congress (i.e., 2-year time-frame) since the 93rd Congress (1973-1974) is a facet and searchable field in Congress.gov.

How can I make suggestions or report problems to Congress.gov?

Use the Give Feedback survey link located on the top right of every page to access a short user survey. These surveys are considered carefully and used in plans for future features or improvements to Congress.gov.

Learn Congress.gov and the Legislative Process

Where can I get help with my search?

For self-guided instruction on how to search Congress.gov collections, review the Search Tips.

Where can I get Congress.gov training?

The Law Library of Congress offers webinar and in-person orientation overviews of Congress.gov. The focus of the orientation is searching legislation and the Congressional member information attached to the legislation, and also to highlight new Congress.gov features. To register, sign up in person in the Law Library Reading Room (LM201), call 202-707-9801, or complete the Seminar Form.

Where can I learn about The Legislative Process?

The Legislative Process is a set of nine videos that explain the common legislative stages, and that the process by which a bill becomes law is rarely predictable.

How do I find older legislative information that is not available on Congress.gov?

The start date for bill records is 1973, bill texts is 1993, and the Congressional Record is 1995.  See Coverage Dates for Legislative Information for the complete update schedule and collection coverage dates. Visit a federal depository library for information not listed on that page.

Features, Updates and Technology

How do I transition my THOMAS handles to Congress.gov?

See Linking to Congress.gov for instructions.

How do I save searches?

See Congress.gov Accounts for instructions on creating personal accounts to save searches.

How do I find out what's new and get tips on using Congress.gov?

To find out about new features and enhancements to Congress.gov, visit the Congress.gov Enhancements page, follow @Congressdotgov on Twitter, or view posts from the Law Library of Congress blog In Custodia Legis.

Is there a way I can embed a search box on my website?

For instructions and code go to How to Embed the Search Box on Your Website.

What browsers are supported?

• Internet Explorer 8 and higher without compatibility mode
• Firefox 4 and higher
• Chrome 4 and higher
• Safari 5 and higher

JavaScript is required for all browsers.

Can I use Congress.gov from my mobile device?

Yes, the responsive, uncluttered design makes it easy to see all the information on a page from a mobile device. Add Congress.gov to Your Home Screen provides step-by-step instructions.

Congressional Record

What is the Congressional Record?

Learn About the Congressional Record.

Where can I find the most recent Congressional Record?

You can view the most recent issue of the Congressional Record from the Congress.gov homepage. Look for the link under the Congress.gov logo at the top of the screen. From the Congressional Record page, you can browse full-text issues by date, pick a date from the calendar, or find specific issues using the volume and page finder. To search the Record, choose Congressional Record from the Main Search Box drop-down menu and enter a keyword or phrase.

The Congressional Record is also available as an app for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users, with content back to 1995. The app is free to download via the iTunes store.

Committees

Where can I find information on committees?

All current committees are listed at Committees of the U.S. Congress. That directory provides access to each committee's page which serves as a gateway to more information. Learn more About Congressional Committee Profiles.

How do I find Committee Reports?

Committee reports may be searched in three ways from Congress.gov:

From the Main Search Box, choose the Committee Report option in the drop-down menu and enter report number, bill number, or keyword/phrase.
From the Committee Reports finder, enter the report number.
From the Legislation and Committee Reports by Number browse list.

Links to committee reports display on associated bill records in the Overview, and the Committees and Actions tabs. Learn more About Committee Reports.

Legislation

How are bills identified?

There are four types of legislation: bills, joint resolutions, concurrent resolutions and simple resolutions. Any of these may be introduced in either chamber. Searching by Number is a guide for finding legislation in Congress.gov.

Why are there different versions of bills?

Legislation may be changed or amended as it makes its way through the legislative process. You will sometimes see different bill text versions in the Text tab of a bill record. A table defining each of the possible bill text versions can be found on the GPO website: Definitions of Common Versions of Bills.

The full text of a bill I need is not on Congress.gov yet. What can I do?

Check to see if the bill is available on GPO's FDsys. Since GPO is the source of bills for Congress.gov, a bill may appear sooner on GPO. In the current Congress, a bill or resolution normally will appear under the bill profile Text tab a day or two after it has been introduced on the floor of the House or Senate. Delays can occur when there is a large number of bills to prepare or when a very large bill has to be printed quickly. The system checks for new electronic copies sent from GPO throughout the day and begins the update process as soon as a bill or resolution is received.

Why has the short title not yet been added to a bill?

Short titles are manually added to bill records after the bill text has been published and is available on FDsys. The bill's official title will display until the bill text is available and the short title can be verified. The Congress.gov glossary provides more information about short titles.

Where do I find Conference Reports?

Conference reports are available from Congress.gov.

Conference reports are published in the Congressional Record and also in the congressional report document series. They may be available on House committee websites, especially the House Committee on Rules site or on the House Text of Bills to be Considered on the House Floor site before they are published in the Congressional Record.

THOMAS Retirement

The THOMAS.gov homepage has redirected me here. Is THOMAS gone?

The Library of Congress is moving closer to retiring THOMAS. In September 2014, the Congress.gov beta website URL changed from beta.congress.gov to Congress.gov.

Thomas.loc.gov and www.thomas.gov direct visitors to Congress.gov. Researchers with a continued need to access THOMAS can bookmark http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.php.

Why is THOMAS being replaced?

THOMAS is a comprehensive system that was launched in the mid-1990s, and which is approaching the end of its lifecycle. The new Congress.gov platform enhances access through features such as videos explaining the legislative process, compatibility with mobile devices, and a user-friendly presentation.

The new beta.congress.gov provides modern functionality, including -

• Single search across all collections and all dates
• Meaningful, persistent URLs
• Faceted search results

When will THOMAS be retired?

A specific date for retiring THOMAS has not been determined, but the Library expects to be able to announce a date in early 2016. As part of the future announcement, an ample grace period will be allowed for users to adjust their processes and systems to the change.

For the past year, the Library has been actively encouraging THOMAS users to begin using the Congress.gov site. Most of the outstanding content and features of THOMAS have been incorporated into Congress.gov. Remaining items will be incorporated in early 2016.

What about THOMAS links that I have saved?

See Linking to Congress.gov for instructions.