Research Guides: *U.S. Government: Legislative

About the Legislative Branch

The Legislative Branch is described in Article 1 of the United States Constitution. It includes the U.S. Congress and information resources produced by the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate and support agencies assisting Congress in carrying out its legislative oversight and governmental funding responsibilities.

Key Resources

Congress.gov
View current legislative activities.
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports
The Library of Congress' Congressional Research Service (CRS) presents unbiased reports on various public policy issues for members of Congress, their staff, and the American public.
House of Representatives
Official U.S. House of Representatives website - access House committees, representatives, legislative activity and more.
The Legislative Branch
Information about the legislative branch from whitehouse.gov.
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is a research library and officially serves the United States Congress and is the de facto national library of the United States.
Senate.gov
U.S. Senate website - search for hearings, proceedings, committees and more.

Resources (A-Z)

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Biographical information on members of Congress from 1774-present.
Congressional Committee Hearings (1995-present)
Collection U.S. Congress hearings.
Congressional Committee Prints (1995-present)
Congressional Committee Prints are publications issued by Congressional Committees that include topics related to their legislative or research activities, as well as other matters such as memorial tributes.
Congressional Documents 1869-present
Reports prepared by executive branch and independent agencies to Congress.
Congressional Executive Commission on China
Monitors human rights and the development of the rule of law in China and submits an annual report to the President and the Congress. The Commission consists of nine Senators, nine Members of the House of Representatives, and five senior Administration officials appointed by the President.
Congressional Reports 1995-present
Reports on legislation prepared by congressional committees and investigative reports on numerous topics. Pre-1995 holdings are not as comprehensive.
Congressional Institute
The Congressional Institute is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to helping Members of Congress better serve their constituents and helping their constituents better understand the operations of the national legislature.
Congressional Web Harvest 2005-present
National Archives Center for Legislative Archives resource harvesting congressional websites from 2005 (109th) Congress to present.
Dirksen Congressional Center
The Dirksen Congressional Center promotes research and scholarship to advance the public understanding of the U.S. Congress.

Fedspending.org (Non-governmental)
The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) has relaunched Fedspending.org as a tool for tracking federal spending and holding agencies accountable for their management of public funds.
Financial Disclosure Reports
Financial Disclosure Reports include information about the source, type, amount, or value of the incomes of Members, officers, certain employees of the U.S. House of Representatives and related offices, and candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
This agency evaluates the management performance of government programs for Congress.
GovTrack
Non-governmental resource monitoring Congress.
The Hill
Congressional oriented newspaper.
House Majority Leader
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA)
House Majority Whip
Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN)
House Republican Conference Chair
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY)
House Republican Policy Committee Chair
Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL)
House Minority Leader
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)
House Minority Whip
Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA)
House Minority Caucus Chair
Rep. Peter Aguilar (D-CA)
Asst. Democratic Leader
Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC(

Joint Economic Committee
Congressional committee of Representatives and Senators that conducts hearings, issues reports, and advises Congress on economic policy issues. Features links to minority party perspectives on these issues. Historic committee hearings may be available from HathiTrust.
Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
Non-partisan legislative branch agency providing policy and data analysis and making recommendations to Congress, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and states on a wide array of issues affecting Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives
Official website of the U.S. House of Representatives Office of the Clerk.
Pig Book (non-governmental)
Annual non-governmental report documenting Citizens Against Government Waste examples of what it considers wasteful congressional and governmental spending.

Roll Call Magazine
A premier source of timely news, objective facts and analysis, and coverage of elections and the politics of legislation.
Senate Democratic and Republican Leadership
Speaker of the House
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) as of Oct. 25, 2023.
Stennis Center for Public Service
Federal, bipartisan legislative branch agency established by the U.S. Congress to promote public service and strengthen the highest ideals of public service in America. Codified in 1988, the Stennis Center provides a variety of public service programs and development opportunities for young people, leaders in local, state, and federal government, and congressional staff. In addition to its Starkville, Mississippi, headquarters, the Center also has a Washington, D.C., office on Capitol Hill.