Legislative Branch

Activities and responsibilities of the Legislative Branch in the U.S. Federal Government. This includes the Congress, which is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Sub-headings:

Senate

U.S. Legislative body with two elected officials per state.

Senate Committees

Standing and other committes of the United States Senate.

Congressional Agencies

Agencies that provide support services for Congress

Legislation

Formally introduced bills and laws of the United States.

House Committees

Standing and other committees of the United States House of Representatives.

House of Representatives

A group of 435 elected officials, each representing an area of a state.

Resources in this category:

A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates
http://rs6.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lawhome.html

"A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation consists of a linked set of published congressional records of the United States of America from the Continental Congress through the 43rd Congress, 1774-1875. It includes the Journals of the Continental Congress (1774-89); the Letters of Delegates to Congress (1774-89); the Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, or Farrand's Records," and more.

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
http://bioguide.congress.gov/

This directory covers senators, representatives, and other elected officials from 1774 to the present. Search by name, position, and/or state. Each entry consists of a short biography, including information about when the individual served. Research collections with the person's papers as well as a bibliography are also provided.

C-Span Congressional Information Center
http://www3.capwiz.com/c-span/home/

This C-SPAN site allows you to search for your elected officials, and get information on important issues, recent votes, and current legislation.

Congressional Record
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/crecord/index.html

"The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. Helpful Hints provide instructions for searching the Congressional Record database." This database contains the Congressional Record from 1995 to the present.

National Environmental Scorecard
http://www.lcv.org/scorecard/

"The National Environmental Scorecard provides objective, factual information about the environmental voting records of U.S. Representatives and Senators. The Scorecard represents the consensus of experts from numerous respected environmental and conservation organizations who selected the key votes on which members of Congress should be graded. LCV scores votes on the most important issues of environmental health and safety protection, resource conservation, and spending for environmental programs. Votes included in the Scorecard presented members of Congress with a real choice on protecting the environment and help distinguish which legislators are working for environmental protection."

Open Secrets Interactive
http://www.opensecrets.org/

"You can look up a detailed financial profile of your own Senators and representatives in Congress, showing exactly which industries and interest groups contributed to their 1996 campaigns, and even which states and metro areas were their richest sources of campaign cash." Browsable by state.

Project Vote Smart's U.S. Government Basics
http://www.vote-smart.org/resource_govt101_01.php

Project Vote Smart's U.S. Government primer is a concise U.S. civics lesson with emphasis on the political process. Here, you can learn about the election process, campaign finance, how a bill becomes a law, and much, much more. Project Vote Smart also follows what your elected officials are voting for in office on its Congress Tracking pages. In addition, you can explore their archives of historical documents and other political resources.

Registered Federal Lobbyist Database
http://www.opensecrets.org/lobbyists/index.asp

Database of lobbyist information for registered federal lobbyists in the United States. Searchable by Company Name, Client Name or Lobbyist Name, or look for lobbyists by interest or industry area.

Voter Information Services
http://www.vis.org/

Evaluations of individual congresspeople and senators from the viewpoint of a large number of disparate organizations, based on several key votes.