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Northwest Missouri State University


[ Tracking a Bill ]


Bill Tracking | How a Bill Becomes Law

Click here to view step by step instructions for locating legislative information in Lexis Nexis Congressional, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the National Journal, CQ Researcher, Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report, and Congressional Committee Reports.

Use the links below to trace a bill through its legislative history.

All sites are recommended,[ blue star ] indicates a highly recommended site.

Bill Summary and Status
Search the current Congress by word, phrase, subject, bill/amendment number, stage in the legislative process, dates, sponsor/cosponsor, or committee.
Search older Congresses (back to 1973).

Congressional Bills
This page, sponsored by the US Government Printing Office, "contains all published versions of bills from the 103rd (1993-1994) Congress forward" to the current congress. Also available are histories of bills that are reported in the Congressional Record.

Use the links below to find the process through which a bill must go to become law.

How a Bill Becomes a Law
A guide sponsored by Project Vote Smart provides background information regarding the legal process of how a bill becomes a law. Elected officials are searchable by zip code or last name. It is then possible to locate the voting records of the elected officials in each state.

How Our Laws Are Made
This page "[d]escribes the numerous steps of our Federal lawmaking process from the origin of an idea for a legislative proposal through its publication as a law." It has been revised and updated by Charles W. Johnson, Parliamentarian, United States House of Representatives.

Legal Process
"This page traces the process by which a bill becomes a law in the United States." It provides numerous links to information regarding the legal process in addition to the steps a bill must take to become law. The page also provides other useful links to legal research. This page was created at the North Harris College Library by Government Documents Librarian, Maryann Readal.

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All quoted material is from the respective source.