Research Guides: Researching American Politics and Government: The Legislative Branch

These reference books will give you the background on the structure and history of the legislative branch and important topics of study.

Congress A to Z (6th ed.) by CQ Press
Call Number: Sage ebook
Publication Date: 2014
Covers shorter introductions to topics, people, organizations, and ideas relevant to the study of Congress in alphabetical order.
Guide to Congress (6th ed.) by CQ Press Staff
Call Number: Reference 328.73 G94147 2008 (3rd floor)
Publication Date: 2008
Narrative introduction to the legislative branch, its powers, who has been elected to it, and how people and groups try to influence it.

Resources to help you figure out what Congress as a whole is doing and what your Senators and Representative are doing.

Congress.gov
Congress.gov is a great all-in-one resources for looking at both houses of Congress. You can find members & their committees, track bills & votes, find committee reports, and see current nominations.
Congressional Record
This is the official proceedings of both houses of Congress. New editions are published daily.
US Code
All laws currently in effect.

C-SPAN | Congress
C-SPAN has video and transcripts of all public debate and votes in both houses of Congress, all public committee hearings, and many public appearances of Congresspeople. You can find video for your Senators and Representative as well as their votes, sponsored bills, and committee memberships.
GovTrack.us
Find proposed legislation by topic or your representatives' votes,sponsored bills, committees, and rankings from advocacy groups. GovTrack.us will send you ongoing alerts on what your legislators are doing.
Vote Smart
Collects information on politicians' votes, their stated beliefs on policy issues, public appearances, funding, and ratings from advocacy groups.

Researching American Politics and Government