Congress.gov makes federal United States legislative information freely available to the public. Launched Sept. 19, 2012, this version of the site is an initial beta release of Congress.gov, created as a successor to THOMAS.gov, the current public site for legislative information. The Congress.gov beta site contains legislation from the 107th Congress (2001) to the present, member of Congress profiles from the 93rd Congress (1973) to the present, and selected member profiles from the 80th through the 92nd Congresses (1947 to 1972). Over the next two years, Congress.gov will be adding information and features, eventually incorporating all of the information currently available on THOMAS.gov.

(To compare the scope of legislative information available on THOMAS.gov and the scope of legislative information on the beta site, see Coverage Dates for Legislative Information.)

What's New in Congress.gov?

Improved Searching

  • Ability to simultaneously search all content across all available years
  • Ability to narrow and refine search results
  • Easier identification of bill progress/status
  • Links to House and Senate floor video, top searched bills and save/share features

User-Friendly Design

  • Updated, easy-to-understand page designs for bills, members, and related items
  • Clean search results display
  • Responsive design for mobile devices
  • Consistent, meaningful and permanent URLs

Legislation

Each piece of legislation has a landing page with tabs to help users find key information for the bill including Summary and Text, Major Actions, Titles, Amendments, Cosponsors, Committees and Related Bills.

Go to the legislation page

Profiles of Members of Congress

All member of Congress profiles since 1973 and some profiles from 1947 to 1972 can be searched by Congress, chamber (House or Senate), state, or party. Member profiles include:

  • a picture (when available)
  • a biography
  • the years and the Congresses in which he or she served
  • the member's state
  • the congressional district (in the profiles of representatives)
  • party history
  • member website link, and
  • other key data.

Each member’s profile page also displays the legislation sponsored or cosponsored by that member while they served in the Congress.

See member profiles

The Legislative Process

Learn more about the legislative process through video and audio presentations specifically created for Congress.gov. Watch a video providing a general overview of the process. Listen to recordings that explain each of the common stages of how a bill becomes a law, including the introduction and referral of a bill, committee consideration, calendars and scheduling, House and Senate floor actions, executive business in the Senate, bicameral resolution, and presidential actions.

Learn about the legislative process

What Is the Timeline for New Releases to Congress.gov?

Phase 1

This initial launch of the beta site includes bill status and summary data, as well as bill text from the 107th Congress (2001) to the present, member profiles from the 93rd Congress (1973) to the present, and some member profiles from the 80th through the 92nd Congresses (1947 to 1972).

Phase 2

Following the initial beta phase, subsequent releases will make additional data available, including the Congressional Record, Congressional reports, the Congressional Record Index, House and Senate Calendars, nominations and treaties.