How to Find a Bill
Introduction: Types of Legislation & Citations (Federal)
- Bill or Measure
General legislation is designated by H.R. in the House of Representatives and S. in the Senate. Public bills deal with general matters and, if signed, become public laws. Private bills deal with individual matters, such as a person's claim against the government, and become private laws, if signed. - Joint Resolution
This is a resolution of both chambers, generally used for limited matters, such as commemorative holidays. Designated as H.J.Res. in the House and S.J.Res. in the Senate, joint resolutions are signed by the President and have the force of law.
Joint resolutions also are used to propose an amendment to the Constitution. In this case, they must be agreed to by a two-thirds majority in each chamber and by three-fourths of the states. The President does NOT sign this type of joint resolution. - Concurrent Resolution
This is a resolution dealing with internal matters of both chambers. Designated as H.Con.Res. in the House and S.Con.Res. in the Senate. A concurrent resolution must be passed by both chambers, but is NOT signed into law by the President and does not have the force of law. The Congressional budget resolution is an example of a concurrent resolution. - Resolution
Also known as a "simple resolution," this housekeeping measure is considered by, and affects, only one chamber. Designated H.Res. in the House and S.Res. in the Senate, simple resolutions are not signed by the President and do not become law. A rule for the debate of a bill in the House is a type of simple resolution. This resolution must be approved by the House before debate can begin on the bill itself.
Every piece of legislation introduced in Congress is given its own citation, which usually consists of three parts. Using the bill 106 H.R. 417 as an example, the following illustrates legislation citation:
- The first number denotes the session of Congress in which the bill was introduced. In the example, the bill was introduced in the 106th Congress (1999-2000). A variation on this citation style uses the year the bill was introduced rather than the session of Congress. Under this style, the example would be cited as 1999 H.R. 417.
- The letters in the middle of the citation denote the type of legislation (see above) and the chamber of Congress that introduced it. In the example, H.R. means that this legislation is a bill and was introduced in the House of Representatives.
- The final number in the citation denotes the sequence order in which this legislation was introduced. In the example, 417 means that this bill was the 417th introduced in the 106th session of the House of Representatives.
For more information about bills and other types of legislation, check out the THOMAS pages: How our laws are made (House), Enactment of Law (Senate) or Summary of Congressional Activity. For a shorter summary of this information, check out Ben's Guide to U.S. Government: How Laws are Made. (It's geared for high school students, but does provide a nice outline of the legislative process).
Finding Legislation: Federal Resources
- Congressional Universe
Congressional Universe provides the full text of legislation from Congress (federal) from the 101st Congress (1989) onward and information about legislation introduced from 1970 onward. NOTE: In order to use Congressional Universe you must be a current Bucknell faculty, student or staff member. Members of the community may come into Bertrand Library to use Congressional Universe or can use the other resources listed below which are freely available.
*Available to anyone at Bertrand Library or online to current faculty, staff or students. - Congressional Bills
A database hosted by GPO Access, Congressional Bills contains the full text of bills and other legislation from the 103rd (1993-1994) Congress onward. For help searching this database, check out Congressional Bills: Helpful Hints.
*Available to anyone online - Congressional Record
Gov Doc X 1.1: (1st floor mezzanine)
The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress (although it can be, and has been revised and edited by members of Congress to make themselves look better). It is published daily when Congress is in session. The text of bills being considered may be included in the Congressional Record. The Congressional Record from 1994 on is available online.
*Available to anyone at Bertrand Library (cannot be checked out) / *Available online - Microfiche: Bills and Legislation
(Microfiche cabinet) - Y1.4/(1,2,3,4,5,or 6):(Session of Congress)-(NOS.)
Bertrand Library received the text of bills and other legislation from the 97th Congress (1981) to the early part of the 107th Congress on microfiche through our participation in the government depository program. To find the fiche that contains the text of a particular item, use the finding aids on top of the microfiche shelf. (Note: The depository program no longer prints or sends these microfiche and the finding aids only cover up to the 105th Congress. Please try THOMAS or the Congressional Bills database to find more recent text of legislation. Please contact the reference desk if you need assistance.)
*Available to anyone at Bertrand Library (cannot be checked out) - THOMAS
Produced by the Library of Congress, THOMAS contains summaries of bills from the 93rd Congress (1973-74) to the current Congress and the full text of bills from the 101st Congress (1989-90) to the current Congress. THOMAS also provides the full text of the Congressional Record (see above) from the 101st Congress onward, and information on House and Senate committees.
*Available to anyone online
Finding Legislation: PA State Resources
- State Capital Universe
State Capital Universe provides the full text of legislation from state legislatures from 1991 onward. In order to use State Capital Universe you must be a current Bucknell faculty, student or staff member. Members of the community may come into Bertrand Library to use State Capital Universe or can use the other resource listed below which is freely available.
*Available to anyone at Bertrand Library or online to current faculty, staff or students. - Electronic Bill Room - State of PA
Search for bills introduced by the state legislature of Pennsylvania from 1981-current by citation, keyword, or by using a topical index.
*Available to anyone online
