Library Resources for Tracking a Bill
POS 4424 U.S. Congress – 11/10/05
Librarian: Bruce Barron

ACCESSING INFORMATION

The address of the Library’s web site is (http://www.fau.edu/library). In order to access databases from home you must use EZ Proxy. This can be done by going to “Quick Links” on the homepage and then clicking <EZ Proxy>. You must then enter your Owl Card number.

To find National Journal, CQ Weekly and LexisNexis Congressional, select Indexes/Databases under “Quick Links” on the Library’s homepage. Choose the                     appropriate letter from “Databases by Title.”  Read below for information on finding              Thomas.

You should be familiar with the legislative process and applicable terminology before beginning this assignment. A good source of information about this topic is available in Thomas.

SELECTED RESOURCES

Thomas – Legislative Information on the Internet

Locate this resource from the Library’s homepage by selecting Research Resources, then Government Resources, followed by Federal Government Resources. Look under “Legislative Branch” to find the link.

Review detailed information concerning the legislative process by selecting “How Congress Makes Laws” under Links from the homepage.

To choose a bill, select Search Bills and Resolutions and then Summary and Status Information in Advanced Searches. Choose a Congress and keywords to search and make sure that PUBLIC LAW is selected under "Stage in Legislative Process."

To start tracking a bill, select All Information and then All Action. You will find committee actions, reports, roll call votes, and links to the Congressional Record for your bill.

National Journal

Use this resource to read commentary about your bill. Use the Advanced Search mode and select keywords as well as dates when your bill was being discussed.

Information on the dealings that involve your bill can also be found by searching appropriate dates in “This Week on the Hill”. In addition, you may search for more details in “Congress Daily”.

CQ Weekly

Use this resource to read about the “inside story” concerning your bill. Remember to write down the dates when your bill was being acted upon to help you locate articles about it.

You may search articles in this database using keywords in “Quick Search” and then modify the results page to date order. You may also search in the Archives by selecting Browse by Issue Date or Browse by Topic.

LexisNexis Congressional

Use this database to find hearings conducted on your bill, many of which will be available full text. From the homepage, select CIS Index and then Committee. Type in the committee name and include date information to find a list of hearings.

  If the hearing is available full text, you may print or email the information. If only an abstract is available, check the Library’s catalog to see if the full text print version is owned.

  You may do a search to track a bill similar to Thomas by selecting Bills and then searching by keyword or bill number.

FINDING ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE

Ask-A-Librarian email reference help

Government Documents Department phone number: 561-297-3788

Reference Desk phone number: 561-297-3785

Make an appointment with a librarian: One-on-one reference consultation