GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys)
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/home.action
FDsys provides free online access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government. If you need help searching FDsys, watch the tutorials to learn how to use the site.
Budget of the United States
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collectionGPO.action?collectionCode=BUDGET
Links to the Budget from 1996 to the present
Committee Reports
http://beta.congress.gov/congressional-reports
The Committee report files include the full text of legislative reports from House, Senate, Conference, and Joint Committees dating back to 1995 with the beginning of the 104th Congress.
Congressional Record
http://beta.congress.gov/congressional-record
The Congressional Record is a verbatim account of remarks made during the proceedings of the House and Senate. It has been published by the Government Printing Office (GPO) since 1873.
Users can access the Congressional Record via three online sources, found in the table below:
| Source | Start Date |
|---|---|
| Congress.gov | 104th Congress (1995) to present |
| GPO FDsys | 2nd Session of the 103rd Congress (1994) |
| THOMAS.gov | 101st Congress (1989) |
Federal Register
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action?collectionCode=FR
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.
GAO Reports and Testimonies
http://www.gao.gov/browse/topic
All GAO reports issued since 1971 are available on this website. Earlier reports may be available. Use keywords or a report number to search for GAO reports. The reports can also be browsed by date, topic, and agency.
Circulars
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars_default
Instructions or information issued by OMB to Federal agencies.
Code of Federal Regulations
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collectionCfr.action?collectionCode=CFR
The Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/p/ppotpus/
Covers the administrations of Presidents Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton.
U.S. Supreme Court Decisions
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/home
Includes all Supreme Court decisions since 1990.
Oyez Project
http://www.oyez.org/
The Oyez Project at Chicago-Kent aims to be a complete and authoritative source for all audio recorded in the U.S. Supreme Court since 1955.
Research
Govtrack.us
https://www.govtrack.us/
Uses simple keyword search to find and track bills by searches across government websites. Users can sign up for a free account and sign up for daily or weekly emails tracking the progress of selected bills. The site also provides information on Congress members, voting records, and provide suggestions for similar bills to watch.
LLSDC Legislative Source Book
http://www.llsdc.org/sourcebook
A great resource for conducting legislative research, containing how-to guides and explanations of different resources.
Lexis Web
http://www.lexisweb.com/
A free resource that searches legal sources which have been validated by Lexis attorney editors. Basically, a legal focused Google. Some of the content can only be accessed by Lexis subscribers, but it links to other great free content. Additionally, any content that NED staff cannot access, like law journal articles, may be requested through ILL.
Wex Legal Dictionary and Encyclopedia
http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex
A free legal dictionary and encyclopedia sponsored and hosted by the Legal Information Institute at the Cornell Law School.
Historical Documents
American Memory: A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation consists of a linked set of published congressional records of the United States of America from the Continental Congress through the 43rd Congress, 1774-1875.
The Avalon Project
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/
Documents in law, history, and diplomacy from ancient times until the 20th century. The project includes the Code of Hammurabi, the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, the Treaty of Westphalia, and more.
Historic U.S. Supreme Court Decisions
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/cases/name.htm
Contains over 300 of the U.S. Supreme Court’s most important decisions through the whole period of its existence.
U.S. Constitution Annotated
http://www.law.cornell.edu/anncon/
The text of the U.S. constitution was annotated by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) at the Library of Congress. This edition links to Supreme Court opinions, the U.S. Code, and the Code of Federal Regulations, as well as enhancing navigation through linked footnotes and tables of contents.
