The Legislative Branch

Established by Article I of the Constitution, the Legislative Branch consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the United States Congress. The Constitution grants Congress the sole authority to enact legislation and declare war, the right to confirm or reject many Presidential appointments, and substantial investigative powers.

Members of Congress

Find your Congresspersons

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress 1774-present
A searchable biographical directory of Congress.

Congressional Pictorial Directory
Having trouble putting a face to a name, the pictorial directory can help. Access photos for members of Congress from the 105th Congress (1997-98) forward.

Women in Congress
A project of the Clerk of the House, this site offers historical essays, biographical information, educational resources and more about female members of Congress.

Finding Legislation Online

Bills for current and past Congresses can be found several places. Here are two sites to get you started. If you still have trouble contact the TCCL Government Documents department.

Thomas.loc.gov
In the spirit of Thomas Jefferson, legislative information from the Library of Congress
Congressional Bills via FDsys
Accesses bills from the 103rd Congress forward.

The Legislative Process in brief

The Legislative Process or How Our Laws are Made seems fairly straight forward and painfully complicated all at the same time.

Forms of Congressional Action

Bills	A bill is the form used for most legislation, whether permanent or temporary, general or special, public or private.
Joint Resolutions	There is little practical difference between a bill and a joint resolution. Both are subject to the same procedure, except for a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution.
Concurrent Resolutions	Matters affecting the operations of both the House of Representatives and Senate are usually initiated by means of concurrent resolutions. They are not presented to the President for action.
Simple Resolutions	A matter concerning the operation of either the House of Representatives or Senate alone is initiated by a simple resolution. They are not presented to the President for action.