Congressional Research Report on Tracking Federal Issues
It may be seem, well ... counter-intuitive that a comprehensive report on how to obtain information on public issues in the public records would not be a public document. But this is a report prepared by The Congressional Research Service and their studies are not released to the public. This report, "Tracking Current Federal Legislation and Regulations: A Guide to Basic Sources" was obtained by the Federation of American Scientists Project on Government Secrecy.
The U.S. Code contains the general and permanent laws of the United States. It’s organized alphabetically by subject matter: agriculture to war and national defense.
Statutes at Large
Every law enacted by the Congress in chronological order.
Congressional Record
The official record of the proceedings and debates of Congress. Published daily when Congress is in session.
Public Laws
All laws adopted since the 104th Congress (1995).
The federal government’s legal notices, daily. It presents agency regulations; proposed rules, notices, and executive orders.
Code of Federal Regulations
The codification of all rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies. Regulations are listed by one of 50 titles, sorted according to the issuing agency. Each title is updated once a year on a staggered schedule.
- For a list of agencies and their CFR reference see Appendix C of the U.S. Government Manual.
Thomas
The Library of Congress’s Internet guide to legislative information. It provides bill summaries, status search, complete text of legislation, committee reports, votes,and search by bill number or key word.
Congressional Record
The official record of the proceedings and debates of Congress. Published daily when Congress is in session.
GPO Access
Brief descriptions of, and links to, online resources posted by the Office of the Federal Register
FirstGov
The federal government’s official homepage, maintained by the General Services Administration. Links to departments and agencies, Congress, etc.
Federal, state, county and city website links.
TheCapitol.Net
A non-profit firm that provides training on government advocacy. Its website has a comprehensive list of links to government, and to research and reference sites.
Cornell University Law School posts a U.S. Code search engine. Lists Title Number and Department/Agency, and lets you search by section within a title.
