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Government Information Guide: Tracking Federal and State Legislation Online

Since we are not a government repository, it makes the most sense to create a guide to open government information and tools that can be used by Ottawa University students.

Tracking Federal Legislation

Tracking Federal Legislation

Online access through gpo.gov. for Tacking Federal Legislation

  • Federal legislation process explained at USA.gov
  • Federal Statutes are laws or "Acts" are enacted by Congress and compiled in the United States Code
  • Regulations are published in the Federal Register and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations
  • Bills are legislative proposals that can be introduced in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. If the bill passes both chambers, it may be signed into law by the President. If the bill does not pass both chambers, it may result in a resolution.

Congress.gov, formerly known as THOMAS, provides U.S. legislative information such as: the Bill Summary and Status database (1973-present), the Congressional Record database (1989-present in full text, index from 1995), the Committee Reports database (1995-present), Presidential Nominations (1987-present), and Treaties (1975-present).

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a branch of the Library of Congress. The CRS Reports are short and unbiased and cover many Congressional topics. They can be used to bring a congressman up to speed on a topic in a short amount of time.

GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys) provides free online access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.

GovInfo will soon replace FDsys. It also provides free online access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.

Use this advanced search at GovTrack to find bills in a similar format to Congress.gov.

This PDF from the Government Publishing Office shows a diagram of how a bill becomes a law.

Learn more about U.S. Federal Law, view digitized documents, and find links to related resources.

This site provides links to other librarians' research guides that focus on topics such as the Federal Legislative History, the Congressional Serial Set, the Federal Register, the Code of Federal Regulations, the U.S. Statutes and U.S. Code, etc.

Browse regulations by topic.

 

Tracking Federal Legislation II

Tracking US Legislation

Online access through FDsys.

·  Federal Register of the United States by Office of the Federal Register. National Archives (U.S.)

Publication Date: 1936-present

Available online through FDsys and other websites listed below. Print available on the first floor in the government stacks. The Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents. It is updated daily by 6 a.m. and is published Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. FDsys contains Federal Register volumes from 59 (1994) to the present.

"ASTHO’s State Health Policy team tracks and analyzes legislation across the states to identify trends and emerging issues impacting public health and state health agencies."

Find the legislators in your geographical area or search legislation by subject area.

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) provides a searchable bill tracking database.

Browse regulations by topic.

The Law Library of Congress produces reports primarily for members of Congress. These reports are listed by topic. They provide commentary and recommended resources on issues and events. These reports are provided for reference purposes only and do not constitute legal advice.

Search policy by topic area. This program is provided by Temple University.

"One way to learn about federal laws and regulations is through the federal agencies charged with enforcing them. Check the list for links to agency sites on popular legal topics. Where no federal law exists, sites offer compilations of state laws on a topic."

Congressional Resources

Congressional Documents in the Government Documents Collection at Ablah Library. 

Track by date.

Publication Date: 1936-present

Available online through FDsys and other websites listed below. Print available on the first floor in the government stacks. The Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents. It is updated daily by 6 a.m. and is published Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. FDsys contains Federal Register volumes from 59 (1994) to the present.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tracking State Legislation

Process for State legislation tracking

  • State Statutes are laws or "Acts" enacted by the state legislature.
  • Regulations are enacted by an agency to implement or interpret legislation.
  • Bills are legislative proposals that can be introduced in either the House or the Senate. If the bill passes both chambers, it may be signed into law by the Governor. If the bill does not pass both chambers, it may result in a resolution

BEST BET: Browse or search for Kansas legislation.

Track bills progressing through the Kansas State Legislature.

This site contains user-friendly summaries of Kansas laws with citations and links to relevant statutes, organized by topic.

Use keywords such as "health" or "education" to search for currently effective permanent regulations, or click on "view proposed regulations currently open for comment."

Browse state legislation by policy area to see summaries and reports provided by the Kansas Legislative Research Department, which are prepared for state legislators and the public.

See Kansas statutes by chapter/topic, including amendments and new laws enacted during the 2017 legislative session.

The Wichita Eagle 6/29/17

The Wichita Eagle 1/16/16