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Government Information Guide
This guide will assist you in locating information from international, U.S. government, state, and local governments.
U.S. Laws and Regulations
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United States Code "The United States Code is the codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. It is divided by broad subjects into 53 titles and published by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives."
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U.S Statutes at Large "he United States Statutes at Large, typically referred to as the Statutes at Large, is the permanent collection of all laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress."
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Federal Register "Published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) , 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.
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Code of Federal Regulations "The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) annual edition is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the departments and agencies of the Federal Government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. The 50 subject matter titles contain one or more individual volumes, which are updated once each calendar year, on a staggered basis.
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eCFR "The Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR) is a web version of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) that we update daily to better reflect its current status. The eCFR is an editorial compilation of CFR material and amendments published in the daily Federal Register........While we try to ensure that the material on the eCFR is accurate, those relying on it for legal research should verify their results against the most current official edition of the CFR, the daily Federal Register, and the List of CFR Sections Affected (LSA), available online at www.federalregister.gov and www.govinfo.gov. For complete information about, and access to, our official publications and services, go to the OFR’s website on www.archives.gov."
Specialized Research Databases
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Congressional Publications Database of congressional publications and legislative histories. Also includes member biographies, committee assignments, voting records, and financial data; and the full text of key regulatory and statutory resources. If you are not a member of the Hofstra Community, please contact the Depository Coordinator for assistance with government information.
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CQ Press Library Reference resource for research in American government, politics, history, public policy, and current affairs. Includes all of the individual CQ databases, listed separately. If you are not a member of the Hofstra Community, please contact the Depository Coordinator for assistance with government information.
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CQ Guide to Congress The institutional history of Congress along with analysis on the 2008 and 2010 shifts in power of the U.S. Senate and House of Represenatives. If you are not a member of the Hofstra Community, please contact the Depository Coordinator for assistance with government information.
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CQ Congress and the Nation Comprehensive coverage of Congressional action from 1945 to 2008 If you are not a member of the Hofstra Community, please contact the Depository Coordinator for assistance with government information.
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CQ Almanac Building on the reporting and analysis done throughout the year by CQ's news staff, the Almanac offers original narrative accounts of every major piece of legislation that lawmakers considered during a congressional session since 1946. If you are not a member of the Hofstra Community, please contact the Depository Coordinator for assistance with government information.
Government Websites
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Congress.gov Extensive site for legislative research. Track current legislation as it moves through the legislative process.
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United States Senate Homepage of the U.S. Senate. Find biographical information on individual senators, committee information, and recent legislative activity
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United States House of Representatives Homepage of the U.S. House of Representatives. See current committee schedules and hearings, access laws, bills, debates and voting information. Also provides links to legislative branch agencies. Need to find your representative? Search by zipcode.
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Government Accountability Office (GAO) GAO functions as "watchdog" of Congress and provides reports on current policy issues.
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GovInfo govinfo provides free public access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.
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U.S. Congress Courtesy of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), this site provides general information and publications relating to Congress.
Selected Congressional Resources
The following resources are available online on GovInfo.gov. If you are looking for older documents, please check the links listed on the "Find legislative resources by type" page.
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Congressional Bills "Congressional bills are legislative proposals from the House of Representatives and Senate within the United States Congress." 103rd Congress to the present.
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Congressional Committee Prints "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. The prints are an excellent resource for statistical and historical information, and for legislative analysis. The subjects of the Committee Prints vary greatly due to the different concerns and actions of each committee. Some basic categories of Congressional Committee Prints are: draft reports and bills, directories, statistical materials, investigative reports, historical reports, situational studies, confidential staff reports, hearings, and legislative analyses." 94th Congress to present.
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Congressional Directory "The Congressional Directory is the official directory of the U.S. Congress, prepared by the Joint Committee on Printing (JCP). It presents: •Short biographies of each member of the Senate and House, listed by state or district. •Committee memberships, terms of service, administrative assistants and/or secretaries, and room and telephone numbers for Members of Congress. •Lists officials of the courts, military establishments, and other Federal departments and agencies, including D.C. government officials, governors of states and territories, foreign diplomats, and members of the press, radio, and television galleries." 105th Congress (1997-1998) to 114th Congress (2015-2016)
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Congressional Documents "The Congressional Documents collection consists of House Documents, Senate Documents, and Senate Treaty Documents. House and Senate documents contain various kinds of materials ordered to be printed by both chambers of Congress. Documents can include reports of executive departments and agencies, as well as committee prints, that were ordered to be printed as documents. Senate Treaty Documents contain the text of a treaty as it is submitted to the U. S. Senate for ratification by the President of the United States." 94th Congress to present.
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Congressional Hearings "A hearing is a meeting or session of a Senate, House, joint, or special committee of Congress, usually open to the public, to obtain information and opinions on proposed legislation, conduct an investigation, or evaluate/oversee the activities of a government department or the implementation of a Federal law. In addition, hearings may also be purely exploratory in nature, providing testimony and data about topics of current interest. Most congressional hearings are published two months to two years after they are held. Not all congressional hearings are available on FDsys. Whether or not a hearing is disseminated on FDsys depends on the committee." 99th Congress to present.
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Congressional Record (Bound) "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. The Congressional Record began publication in 1873 and is still published today. At the end of each session of Congress, all of the daily editions are collected, re-paginated, and re-indexed into a permanent, bound edition. This permanent edition, referred to as the Congressional Record (Bound Edition), is made up of one volume per session of Congress, with each volume published in multiple parts, each part containing approximately 10 to 20 days of Congressional proceedings. The primary ways in which the bound edition differs from the daily edition are continuous pagination; somewhat edited, revised, and rearranged text; and the dropping of the prefixes H, S, and E before page numbers." 1999 to present. (Hofstra users can use HeinOnline database to access earlier editions of Congressional Record).
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Congressional Record (Daily) "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. FDsys contains Congressional record volumes from 140 (1994) to the present. At the back of each daily issue is the "Daily Digest," which summarizes the day's floor and committee activities." 1994 to present (Hofstra users can use the HeinOnline database to access earlier CR editions).
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Congressional Reports "Congressional reports originate from congressional committees and deal with proposed legislation and issues under investigation. There are two types of reports: House and Senate Reports: Reports of congressional committees concerning proposed legislation and/or contain findings on matters under investigation. Senate Executive Reports: Reports of the Committee on Foreign Relations relating to treaties between the United States and foreign nations which have been submitted to the U.S. Senate for ratification, or are reports of various Senate committees regarding nomination of individuals." 104th Congress (1995-1996) to 115th Congress (2017-2018).
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Public and Private Laws "Public and private laws are also known as slip laws. A slip law is an official publication of the law and is competent evidence admissible in all state and Federal courts and tribunals of the United States. Public laws affect society as a whole, while private laws affect an individual, family, or small group. After the President signs a bill into law, it is delivered to the Office of the Federal Register (OFR), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) where it is assigned a law number, legal statutory citation (public laws only), and prepared for publication as a slip law. Private laws receive their legal statutory citations when they are published in the United States Statutes at Large."
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United States Code "The United States Code is the codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. It is divided by broad subjects into 53 titles and published by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives. The U.S. Code was first published in 1926. The next main edition was published in 1934, and subsequent main editions have been published every six years since 1934. In between editions, annual cumulative supplements are published in order to present the most current information. FDsys contains virtual main editions of the U.S. Code. The information contained in the U.S. Code on FDsys has been provided to GPO by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives. [Please note]: While every effort has been made to ensure that the U.S. Code on FDsys is accurate, those using it for legal research should verify their results against the printed version of the U.S. Code available through the Government Publishing Office."
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United States Statutes at Large "The United States Statutes at Large, typically referred to as the Statutes at Large, is the permanent collection of all laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress. The Statutes at Large is prepared and published by the Office of the Federal Register (OFR), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Under the provisions of 1 U.S.C. 112, the printed edition of the Statutes at Large is legal evidence of the laws, concurrent resolutions, proclamations by the President, and proposed and ratified amendments to the Constitution." 1951-present.