Locating Congressionally Mandated Reports

 

Join The Library of Congress Law Library on January 28, 2025, at 1 p.m. EST for their latest Lunch and Learn webinar, “Locating Congressionally Mandated Reports.” This webinar is the latest installment in the Law Library’s lunchtime learning program. Earlier webinars in this series have covered federal legislative history research, the Law Library’s historical legal reports, and treaty research.

This presentation will answer several questions about congressionally mandated reports, including:

1. What is a congressionally mandated report?
2. Why do federal agencies write these reports?
3. Where do these reports go after they are written?
4. How do I know if a report was submitted to Congress?
5. How do I locate copies of these reports?

This webinar will also include live demonstrations and recommendations on when and how to consult the National Archives, commercial publications, or online resources to find these materials.

Information provided by the Library of Congress Law Library.

Public Feedback Sought for Congress.gov

If you want current information on the federal legislation that is accurate and official, the best site to use is Congress.gov. 

Congress.gov is a collaboration among the Library of Congress, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Government Publishing Office. The site is searchable and free and provides the status, full text, and summary to each bill before Congress. It also provides direct links to the Congressional Budget Office which analyzes the cost estimates of each bill. The Congressional Record (which provides a daily transcript of speeches and actions of Congress) provides the process of the bill through Congress. The site gives access to the entire Congressional Record back to its first publication in 1873. Background information on the site are profiles of each member of Congress, legislative process videos, Committee profile pages, historic access to previous bills, and previous public forums. 

Once a year, in September, the Library of Congress conducts a public forum to educate the public and to gather feedback on the site. The next public forum has been scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 18 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET. 

If you would like to attend the forum virtually here is the registration link. If you are lucky enough to be in Washington and can attend in person at the beautiful Library of Congress, register here. 

The forum will present enhancements to Congress.gov based on previous user feedback. It will also show how “legislative information is gathered and made available to the public.” There will also be Q&A discussion segments where attendees can learn about the site and share ideas for future enhancements. Those who cannot attend can also submit suggestions before and after the forum at Congress.gov Public Forum Survey Form.

From the Library of Congress: The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.

It's Complicated: Modernization Requires Legal Statute(s)

On March 20, 2024 the Modernization Subcommittee of the Committee on House Administration of the U.S. House of Representatives held a hearing entitled "Legislative Proposals to Support Modernizing the Congressional Research Service and the Use of Federal Data.” 

The Congressional Research Service, or CRS, serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. Since 1914, CRS has existed by law as a department of the Library of Congress and works directly for Congress. CRS gathers, synthesizes, and analyzes information and data to assist in the formation and enaction of legislation – from earliest bill drafting through oversight of implementation. The CRS approaches complex topics and policy issues with meticulous and comprehensive research, expert and diversified resources, confidential consultation, and a nonpartisan mindset. The statute empowering the CRS was last updated in 1970. 

Much of the information in CRS reports relies on data from the various Federal agencies which are under the authority of the Executive Branch of the government. Federal agencies are required by law to comply with a request for information by the CRS when the request has been authorized by a Congressional committee. 

The first bill before the subcommittee was a CRS request to be freed from the legal requirement to publish a print edition of the Constitution of the United States Analysis and Interpretation, also called Constitution Annotated or CONAN. In 1970 Congress passed a law requiring CRS to publish every 10 years annotations of all cases decided by the Supreme Court up to that date, with biennial cumulative updates. (Previous annotations had been published but not at regular intervals.) The last published edition cost $1 million to produce. However, since 2019, CRS has also maintained the Constitution Annotated website which is updated much more frequently. Eliminating the print edition of CONAN would free up time, personnel, and financial resources for the CRS. 

A second bill discussed in the subcommittee hearing addresses the need for CRS to have access to data produced by federal agencies. Although federal agencies must comply with a CRS request for information authorized by a committee, they do not have to legally comply with requests authorized by an individual member of Congress. This bill would also allow CRS on its own to request information when they anticipate a need for information. 

Other elements of modernization CRS is exploring at this time are presentation and use of data (use of visualizations, data dashboards, cloud based solutions, etc.) in their reports and implementation of AI.

To see the opening remarks of Mr. Robert Randolph Newlen, Interim Director, Congressional Research Service click here.

To see the opening remarks of witnesses (Ms. Elise Bean, Director, Washington Office, Carl Levin Center for Oversight & Democracy, Dr. Matthew Glassman, Senior Fellow, Government Affairs Institute, Georgetown University, and Dr. Nicholas Hart, President & CEO, Data Foundation) in support of the second bill click here.  

 

Issues and Challenges for new Executive and Congressional Policymakers

One place that might not be on many people's radar to check for helpful information during new Presidential and Congressional transitions is the Government Accountability Office (GAO). GAO is often called the "congressional watchdog" since it "investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars."  It has a Presidential and Congressional Transition page with three topics to help new leaders focus on important issues and challenges:

1. Priority Recommendations: The GAO sent letters to key federal departments and agencies urging them to focus on recommendations available for viewing by subject term, federal agency, or topic.
2. Key Issues and High Risk List: "GAO’s High Risk List calls attention to agencies and program areas that are vulnerable to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, or are in need of transformation."
3. Management Agenda: "The Management Agenda provides high-level information for new leaders about the critical management challenges facing the federal government and lays out the actions needed to address those challenges."

Congressional Staff Pay Implications

On December 21, 2010 the Sunlight Foundation, a non-profit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to government transparency, released a report about Congressional staff pay and turnover. Keeping Congress Competent: Staff Pay, Turnover, And What It Means for Democracy by Daniel Schuman compares the generally higher salaries offered by the private sector with those of Congressional staffers and the resulting exodus of experienced Congressional staff. Schuman also discusses the limitations of this report due to the lack of easily accessible House and Senate employment data.

In November 2009 the  House of Representatives began making data more accessible by offering online House Expenditure Reports in PDF format. Since the format of those reports is not easy to search, the Sunlight Foundation  created the  House Expenditure Reports Database. The Senate plans to release comparable data online starting the third quarter of 2011.

New Multimedia Congressional Timeline

The Dirksen Center has created a fun and informative multimedia Congressional timeline by session from 1933 to the present. Using a clever revolving cube to access audio, videos, photos, and documents, the site spotlights major legislation during each session and includes information about women and African American members, measures of productivity, and the partisan composition of each Congress.  A wiki allows for participation by viewers.

Transition Web Site - New Administration & Congress

As Barack Obama and newly elected Congress members work to effect a smooth transition, help is available from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). On its Serving the Congress and the Nation page, the GAO "provides insight into, and recommendations for addressing the nation’s major issues, risks and challenges." The site also includes video messages from experts and reports for further research.

The following are listed as "urgent issues" for the newly elected leaders to address:

• oversight of financial institutions and markets,
  
• U.S. efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan,
  
• protecting the homeland,
  
• undisciplined defense spending,
  
• improving the U.S. image abroad,
  
• finalizing plans for the 2010 Census,
  
• caring for service members,
  
• preparing for public health emergencies,
  
• revamping oversight of food safety,
  
• restructuring the approach to surface transportation,
  
• retirement of the Space Shuttle,
  
• ensuring an effective transition to digital TV, and
  
• rebuilding military readiness.

Congress in the Classroom

If you are a middle school or high school social studies teacher, this is an exciting year to apply to attend the Dirksen Congressional Center's Congress in the Classroom education program at the Hotel Pere Marquette in Peoria, Illinois, Monday, July 21 - Thursday, July 24. April 15 is the deadline to apply (online application) for the program which features sessions focusing on recent research about both congressional and presidential elections and ways to teach students about Congress and elections. Those selected for the program will receive three nights lodging, workshop materials, local transportation, and all but three meals, but must pay a non-refundable $135 registration fee and transportation costs to and from the event.

A small sampling of the proposed sessions include the following:

• Where We Stand in the Presidential Race and What to Look For
  Tim Teehan, National Sales Director, Campaigns and Elections.
  
• "I’m No Lady, I’m a Member of Congress": Women in Congress, 1917-2006
  Kathleen Johnson, Historical Publications Specialist, Office of History and Preservation, House of Representatives
  
• Teaching with Primary Sources
  Cindy Rich, Project Director, Teaching with Primary Sources, Eastern Illinois University.
  
• Predicting the Outcome of the Presidential Election
  Frank H. Mackaman, The Dirksen Congressional Center

See the Dirksen Center Web site for a complete listing and further information.

Dissertation Funds for Congressional Research

The Dirksen Congressional Center is accepting applications for grants to fund research on congressional leadership and the U.S. Congress. The competition is open to anyone "with a serious interest in studying Congress" such as "political scientists, historians, biographers, scholars of public administration or American studies, and journalists." The Center encourages graduate students who have successfully defended their dissertation prospectus to apply for awards ranging from a few hundred dollars to $3,500. However, undergraduates or pre-Ph.D. students are not eligible. Details are available at The Dirksen Congressional Center Web site.

Election Wikis

If you like to research and share information about current elections,
Congresspedia (from the Sunlight Foundation and the Center for Media and Democracy) now provides you a forum. Nicknamed the “citizen's encyclopedia on Congress that you can edit, ” the wiki includes the following sections:

• Wiki the Vote which focuses on U.S. Congressional elections with information about candidates, election coverage, and listings of local U.S. Congressional-related blogs by state.


• U.S. Presidential Election, 2008 which discusses announced and rumored presidential candidates and provides some information about primaries, debates, Congressional endorsements, and political ads.

Congressional Earmarks Database

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has established a website to provide information about earmarks. According to the OMB, earmarks are "funds provided by the Congress for projects or programs where the congressional direction (in bill or report language) circumvents the merit-based or competitive allocation process, or specifies the location or recipient, or otherwise curtails the ability of the Executive Branch to properly allocate funds." Earmarks can be included in appropriation bills and in authorization bills.

Prewar Intelligence Assessments About Postwar Iraq

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has just released its 226-page report Prewar Intelligence Assessments About Postwar Iraq together with Additional Views . For a discussion about the details of the report and Democratic and Republican reactions, see "Senate Democrats Say Bush Ignored Spy Agencies’ Prewar Warnings of Iraq Perils" in the May 26 edition of the New York Times.

Congressional Actions - U.S. Attorney Firings

Given concerns about the firing of federal attorneys, the Senate passed S. 214, the "Preserving United States Attorney Independence Act of 2007." The House Committee on the Judiciary has likewise referred to the Whole House H.R. 580, a bill which provides for a 120-day limit to the term of a United States attorney appointed on an interim basis by the Attorney General.

OpenCongress Website

Take a look at OpenCongress, a wonderful new resource that combines offical legislative resources such as Thomas with blogs, and news coverage. The goal, as they say on their website, is to "bring together, for the first time in one place, all the best data on what's really happening in Congress." OpenCongress includes:

• Official Congressional information from Thomas, made available by GovTrack.us: bills, votes, committee reports, and more.
• News articles about bills and Members of Congress from Google News.
• Blog posts about bills and Members of Congress from Google Blog Search and Technorati.
• Campaign contribution information for every Member of Congress from the website of the non-profit, non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, OpenSecrets.org.
• Congress Gossip Blog: a blog written by the site editors of OpenCongress that highlights useful news and blog reporting from around the web. The blog also solicits tips, either anonymous or attributed, from political insiders, citizen journalists, and the public in order to build public knowledge about Congress.

Congressional Reaction to Walter Reed Revelations

On Monday, March 5, 2007 Congress addressed problems revealed by the
Washington Post about the out-patient medical treatment of veterans with physical or psychological injuries. Representative McCarthy of New York proposed that implementing health information technology would prevent medical records from being lost and make transitioning from the hospital to out-patient care easier especially for brain-injured patients. Senator Dorgan expressed concern about the lack of resources for the Veterans Administration (VA) to which many patients are transitioned. He described the suicide of a veteran home from Iraq who had not been able to get immediate attention despite showing up at a VA hospital and admitting he was suicidal. To address these concerns, Senator Akaka recommended a $2.9 billion increase over figures submitted by the administration for the fiscal year 2008 Department of Veterans Affairs' budget. The increase includes an additional $300 million for the treatment of brain injury and and an additional $693 million for VA mental health programs.

President's Budget for FY 2008

The President's Budget of the United States for FY 2008 was sent to Congress on Friday. The total budget requested equals approximately $2.9 trillion, including $716.5 billion for defense. Use the Library of Congress Thomas database to view the status of appropriations measures back to 1998.


For information about the budget process see:

Budget of the United States: About
Searching guide from GPO Access
Wikipedia article on the United States budget process
A Glossary of Terms Used in the Federal Budget Process from the GAO (500 pages!)
The Budget Process from the House Committee on Rules

Iraq - Testimonies Before Congress

Iraq has been a hot topic in Congress during January 2007 as recorded in the Congressional Record. On Jan. 11 Representative Foxx spoke in support of President Bush's plan for Iraq. On the same day McDermott expressed concerns about the PSA (Production Sharing Agreements) American oil companies are pursuing in Iraq. On Jan. 17 sixteen Congressmen introduced H.R. 508. If enacted, among other things, the bill would require a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops and government contractors within six months of enactment. On Jan. 16 Representative Chet Edwards submitted to the Congressional Record the observations of a young Army officer who recently served in Iraq. On Jan. 18 members of the House of Representatives introduced by Congresswoman Waters recounted the reasons they originally voted to authorize military force in Iraq. On Jan.22 the Democratic Blue Dog Coalition spoke about providing cost accountability for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Finally, on Jan. 30 Senator Bond spoke about introducing the National Defense Enhancement and National Guard Empowerment Act to recognize the Guard's contribution to our country's stability. (If any of the above links do not work, try them again in a few minutes.)

Troop expansion in Iraq

On Wednesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a non-binding resolution opposing President Bush's decision to send 21,500 additional troops to Iraq. The President announced his plan in his address to the nation on January 10 and discussed it in the State of the Union address on Tuesday. The Senate Armed Services Committee today heard testimony from Dr. William J. Perry, Ambassador Dennis B. Ross, and General John M. Keane on the current situation in Iraq and the President's plan for an increased military presence.

Senate Democrats Announce Leadership

Incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced incoming leadership for the 110th Congress as well as likely committee assignments.

Close Senate Races in Montana and Virginia

For details on the Virginia and Montana Senate races and election laws, check out the Virginia State Board of Elections and the Montana Secretary of State as well as election results in Virginia and Montana.