The U.S. Congress: The Legislative Branch
The U.S. Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government and is responsible for making laws. The decisions of Congress affect the lives of everyone in the United States and have significant international ramifications as well. Online you’ll find the information you need on the congressional issues that have special relevance to you. These links will also help you contact your congressperson, research legislation or gain greater insight into the role of Congress.
Expand All Guide SectionsU.S. Congress at a Glance
The best way to find out about Congress is directly from the source: the federal government. However, there are additional sources that provide accurate and valuable information: nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations are an excellent outlet, and resources directed at students and teachers are informative, even if you’re not currently in school. The sources below offer information about the legislative process, the U.S. representatives who comprise Congress and more.
Dulcinea's Insight
- You’ll find some overlap of information between these sites. Be sure to check out all the menus or the sitemaps to investigate the full range of Congress-related information at each one. You may find something you didn’t even know you were looking for.
- Even if you’re past school age, don’t underestimate the value of Web sites aimed at kids. These sites can be excellent for quick, concise explanations of the structure and duties of Congress.
For a general audience...
The U.S. House of Representatives
Web site has an “Educational Resources” page providing details on the legislative process, including “How Our Laws are Made,” and “Tying it All Together: The Legislative Process Explained.”
Project Vote Smart
is a citizens’ organization dedicated to raising political awareness. This section of the site provides an overview of Congress, including a section detailing how a bill becomes a law. The site also includes information on the budget process and other legislative issues affected by Congress.
The Congressional Institute
raises American awareness of what Congress does and how it functions. You'll find current congressional news, as well as helpful sections like the "Myth Buster," which debunks some typical misunderstandings about Congress. The "Floor Procedures Manual" explains what happens when Congress is in session, and "Contacting Congress" helps you reach a representative.
For kids...
Kids in the House The Office of the Clerk
is a colorful, informative way for kids to learn about Congress. The sections "Learn About Congress" and "How Laws are Made" are especially insightful and include interactive quizes.
Congress for Kids
is maintained by The Dirksen Center, a nonprofit organization focused on promoting the understanding of Congress to increase civic involvement. This site offers a tour of the federal government, including a detailed explanation of the legislative branch. The design on this site is excellent and it is easy to navigate.
For legislative terminology...
C-Span
offers this Congressional Glossary. The glossary is extensive and features terms from “absence of a quorum” to “zero-based budgeting.” Use this glossary anytime you don’t recognize a term.
TheCapitol.Net
provides this Glossary of Congressional and Legislative Terms. Words and phrases are displayed directly on the homepage in alphabetical order.
Who knew?
Fantasy Congress
is like a fantasy sports league, but with politicians instead of players. This is an entertaining, interactive way to learn about how Congress works and to try your hand at the legislative process. The site includes a system for monitoring and learning about senators and representatives as well.
Congressional News
While regular news media always covers politics (often addressing issues specific to Congress) there are publications focused solely on what happens on Capitol Hill. Have a look at these sources in addition to the regular news Web sites you rely on for up-to-date political coverage.
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- To find the committees and hearing schedules, go to House Committee Meetings for the House and the U.S. Senate page for the Senate.
- For more political news sites, visit the findingDulcinea Politics Web Guide, or our Supreme Court Web Guide.
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For news and multimedia …
Congressional Quarterly
has been in publication since 1945, and has a staff of over 100 people who focus primarily on Congress and national politics. The premium services are subscription-based, but this free public Web site contains a substantial amount of congressional news.
The Hill
is a newspaper covering Congress with a slant toward investigative journalism and the interplay between politics and business. Don't miss “The Hil's Congress Blog,” where members of Congress post opinion pieces on current topics of interest.
C-Span.org
provides cable access to congressional proceedings. Here you can read (and watch) the latest news. The site has three live C-Span video streams to choose from, as well as C-Span Radio. The site also features a video library and a selection of Web resources about Congress.
Congressional Legislation
Since Congress makes laws involving everything from healthcare to education, the massive amount of resources available can seem daunting. Fortunately, finding what you want is simpler than it seems. These resources let you track Congressional legislation, including Congressional reports, Congressional records and bills that have been passed or are still pending.
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- When researching Congress, note the distinction between legislation and law. Legislation includes bills and proposals that are being reviewed and debated, as well as enacted laws. Several sites present information on legislation, but to learn about current law, the U.S. Code is your resource. (The Code has its own subsection below.)
- If you need more in-depth information about an issue or topic than bills and voting records provide, look at the Congressional Research Service Reports available on the Web. These go deeper into the issues and often give a historical or economic background.
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For past and current legislation …
The United States Senate
offers a “Legislation and Records” section that lets you search for legislation and publishes the recent floor activity. The “Active Legislation” page contains an alphabetical list of current and popular legislation by subject matter.
The United States House of Representatives
provides this “Legislative Resources” page, which details roll call votes, bill text, the 2007 calendar, and more.
OpenCongress
has a wealth of information on Congress, including bills and voting records and committee information. It covers current bills in depth, with links to both related news articles and blog coverage. It even provides a list of the most viewed bills.
For the U.S. Code …
The U.S. House of Representatives
presents the complete laws of the United States, published and maintained by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel. Here you can search for and download chapters of the U.S. Code. Visit THOMAS by the Library of Congress for extensive historical and current Congressional information.
Cornell University Law School
offers the U.S. Code in a user-friendly format, clickable by title, topic, chapters and sections.
Representative Voting Records and How to Contact A Representative
This guide shows you where to find representatives in various regions and how to contact individual members of Congress. In some cases, you’ll even get tips for how to increase your impact or chance of receiving a response.
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- Senators’ official pages are easily reached through “http://lastname.senate.gov”, i.e., "http://lieberman.senate.gov." The House system is not as straightforward, so you’ll need to link directly from the House of Representatives Web site itself.
- If you’re contacting your senator or representative about a legislative issue, consider contacting the chairperson of the relevant committee as well. Committees are listed in a dropdown menu on the House Web site and through a link on the Senate Web site.
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For contact information …
The United States House of Representatives
Web site allows you to search for your representative by zip code or last name. You can contact a representative directly through the site.
The United States Senate
Web site provides a list of current senators, searchable by state, senator, or class. Each senator has a quick and easy contact feature on his or her Web site.
Congress.org
lets you enter your zip code to find your elected officials, or search by topic for a list of current issues and pre-written letters to send to your congressperson. The site also gives advice for how to get your point across for the best results.
For biographical information …
GPO Access
contains brief but detailed biographies of senators and representatives from 1995 to the present. The site also explains how to obtain older directories.
The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
spans back to 1774, and is an invaluable resource for historical information. The directory offers a variety of search options, including name, state, position, and year.
For voting information …
The U.S. Congress Votes Database
from The Washington Post lets you browse votes back to 1991 by member, date, bill, or through several other useful parameters. It includes a recent voting record, and votes by type (treaties, impeachments, and more).
Voter Information Services
provides a variety of voting details, including Congressional Report Cards. The service allows you to track the advocacy groups of each Congressperson and rate his or her performance.
For elections …
The United States Senate
site offers historical election data and more. Browse back to the rest of the site for more information on historical votes or contemporary election issues.
Office of the Clerk U.S. House of Representatives
offers federal election voting data since 1920 in PDF format. Browse through the rest of the site for more congressional information—or go to the site map to view all of the possible topics in one place.
Special Interest Groups and Lobbying Information
While much of the information about lobbying and the influence of interest groups is biased, there are some neutral sources that provide valuable insight into the political process. This section of the guide shows you where to look for lobbying resources, and how to glean information on fundraising and donations.
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- While not technically categorized as lobbying, financial data about donations to political parties or candidates can be a revealing indicator of where political alliances may lie. A number of organizations exist to promote the disclosure of this information and are presented in this section of the guide.
- For more information on lobbying you can do yourself, visit findingDulcinea's Getting Politically Active Web Guide.
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For lobbying …
LobbyWatch
presented by the Center for Public Integrity, investigates and examines the influence of lobbying on the federal government. A variety of search methods are available. Search by state, issue, and industry, for example.
Lobbying Ethics
from the Markula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, is an informative discussion on the role of ethics in lobbying. The discussion covers themes like transparency, the common good, and fairness in lobbying.
For fundraising and donation information …
The Center for Responsive Politics
hosts opensecrets.org, dedicated to transparency in government influence. It allows you to search by “Who Gives” (industries, political action committees, etc.) and “Who Gets” (members of Congress, parties, congressional committees, etc.). There are lots of other parts worth browsing as well, and it’s a good source of political engagement.
CQ MoneyLine
allows you to search for and view political donations based on either donor or recipient. Available search parameters include zip code, name, state, employer, party, candidate, and lobbying firm. Campaign finance news is kept up to date on the homepage.
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