Tracking federal legislation

As Congress pushes to pass a number of bills in the coming weeks, it’s important to know how to best track and understand legislation. Sometimes it’s helpful to read a bill directly. But in the case of long or confusing bills, it may be better to turn to expert analysis. 

The public can track bills and legislative actions at Congress.gov. Search for a bill topic, title, or number to find the summary, text, and status of a bill. Hint: Bills that begin with an “S.” were introduced in the Senate, while bills that begin with “H.R.” originated in the House (e.g., S.4787 vs H.R.8685). 

On Congress.gov, an indicator graphic below the bill name shows where a bill is located in the process of becoming a law: introduction, passing the House and Senate, being sent to the president, and being signed into law. 

Register for a free account on Congress.gov if you would like e-mail alerts about changes to a bill’s text or status. Click “get alerts” under the bill’s title on the summary page to set up your alert parameters.

For fastest bill updates, follow the social media accounts and websites of the bill’s sponsors, which are listed with each bill. 

If you are struggling to understand the text and potential effects of a bill, turn to reliable news analysis and check in with affected stakeholders. Think tanks, political groups, and legal and academic scholars can also offer insights into bills. Be sure to take into account their potential biases. 

Conduct a Google News search of the bill to find recent analysis of the legislation, including interviews of the sponsors. Give more weight to news sources that cover Congress and rank high on reliability and low in partisan bias. Such organizations include:

-The Hill

-Axios

-Reuters

-PBS NewsHour

-BBC News

-Wall Street Journal

Be an informed consumer. Know how to track and analyze federal legislation.