American Government: Policy Research: Websites

Congress.gov is the official website for U.S. federal legislative information. The site provides access to accurate, timely, and complete legislative information for Members of Congress, legislative agencies, and the public. Do keyword searches and find the bills associated with a topic. In the section "Current Members of Congress" find out more about the legislation supported by different congressmen.

The website for the United States House of Representatives contains information about its function, as well as its legislative activities. Helpful features are the COMMITTEES link, the LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY. If you look up an individual representative, click on their ISSUES button to see what topics they are advocating in Congress.

The website for the United States Senate contains information about its function, as well as its legislative activities. Helpful features are the COMMITTEES link, the LEGISLATION & RECORDS. If you look up an individual senators, click on their ISSUES button to see what legislation they are advocating in Congress.

CRS reports are created by the Congressional Research Service, which serves congressional committees and Members of Congress. CRS experts assist at every stage of the legislative process — from the early considerations that precede bill drafting, through committee hearings and floor debate, to the oversight of enacted laws and various agency activities. Their CRS reports approach complex topics from a variety of perspectives and examine all sides of an issue. Staff members analyze current policies and present the impact of proposed policy alternatives. Do a keyword search to find out if a CRS report exists based on a topic you are interested in exploring.

GovTrack.us’s mission is to help Americans participate in their government. They make information about the United States Congress accessible, understandable, and actionable for public use. They do this by putting the information in context, tracking new developments on issues, and helping users take action to make a meaningful difference.

Vote Smart's mission is to provide free, factual, unbiased information on candidates
and elected officials to ALL Americans. Click on an ISSUE CATEGORY and see all the related legislation as well as who voted for it.

C-SPAN provides access to the live gavel-to-gavel proceedings of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, and to other forums where public policy is discussed, debated and decided––all without editing, commentary or analysis and with a balanced presentation of points of view. Find video commentary of congressmen discussing your topic.

This is the clearinghouse for all U.S. government information, including federal, state, and local government agencies. Do a keyword search to see how a variety of U.S. agencies are discussing a topic. If you do a keyword search and add the term "AND STATISTICS" to your search, you can find many different statistics collected by the U.S. government.

Factcheck is a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. Scan the articles or search for specific topics to see how politicians are discussing them.

Although the whitehouse.gov website represents the executive branch, this is a good place to find information on the president and his cabinet stand on topics.

"The Supreme Court is the highest tribunal in the nation for all cases and controversies arising under the Constitution or the laws of the United States. The Court stands as the final arbiter of the law and guardian of constitutional liberties."