Friday, November 18, 2005

Redesigned THOMAS (Library of Congress) Website - A Portal to Capitol Hill

Category: Miscellaneous Musings

From bespacific, "Redesigned THOMAS Launched Today:
Sharing navigation and design similarities with the Library of Congress site as well as the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration site, today's launch of the upgraded THOMAS Congressional information site offers citizens, educators and researchers additional browse and search features (including the ability to Search Multiple Congresses, from the 101 to the 109; links to full text treaties; and a Presidential nominations search feature with links to Senate hearings). This year was the twentieth anniversary of the site, which has undergone a series of changes, updates and redesigns."

THOMAS is THE source for what is going on at Capitol Hill, and now is an improved portal to federal law in effect and in creation.

About THOMAS (Library of Congress): "THOMAS was launched in January of 1995, at the inception of the 104th Congress. The leadership of the 104th Congress directed the Library of Congress to make federal legislative information freely available to the public. Since that time THOMAS has expanded the scope of its offerings to include the features and content listed below.
Bills, Resolutions Activity in Congress Congressional Record Schedules, Calendars Committee Information Presidential Nominations Treaties Government Resources For Teachers Help and Contact "

You can browse bills and their legislative history, and search for them by text, number, and sponsorer.

Information available on THOMAS includes:

  • Bills, Resolutions
  • Activity in Congress / Yesterday in Congress
  • Congressional Record
  • Schedules, Calendars including Days-in-Session Calendars
  • Committee Information
  • Treaties
  • Government Resources - THOMAS contains a list of legislative and other government resources. THOMAS also provides resources for learning about the legislative process and resources for legislative researchers.