Bills in Congress

What it is

Every bill and resolution introduced in the House or Senate is recorded on Congress.gov, the Library of Congress's website. Each has a sponsor, a policy area and a running list of actions: referred to a committee, passed a chamber, signed into law. This feed lists them by the date of their latest action, so the ones that moved most recently come first.

Who files it

The Library of Congress publishes it, from the official record of the House and Senate. The sponsor is the member who introduced the bill.

How current

Congress.gov updates through the day and we collect it daily. A bill returns to the top of the list each time it takes a new step.

Terms

CosponsorA member who signs on to support a bill alongside the member who introduced it, its sponsor. A bill can gain cosponsors for as long as it is active.ResolutionCongress passes bills and joint resolutions to make law: both chambers must agree and the President must sign. Simple and concurrent resolutions are votes of one chamber, or of both without the President, and do not become law. They are often used to mark an occasion or set the rules of a chamber.Policy areaThe subject the Congressional Research Service, part of the Library of Congress, files each bill under. It assigns one of 32 policy areas after the bill is introduced, so the newest bills may have none yet.Latest actionThe most recent step recorded for the bill, such as referred to a committee, passed the House or signed by the President. Every new step moves the bill to the top of the list.

Worth knowing

Introducing a bill is not the same as passing it: most bills never get a vote, and many resolutions only mark an occasion. Policy areas are assigned after introduction, so the newest bills may have none. The party shown is the sponsor's party in the congressional record. Searching by words looks at titles only, and when you do, the date window is lifted so every match shows. Placeholder numbers the House reserves for its leaders are left out.

All of this comes from public filings.