Government Documents - SW 334 — Social Welfare Policy & Service, Legislative History (Kominkiewicz) - Library Guides at University of Notre Dame

Federal Government

Legislative Branch -- Proposing, Debating and Creating Laws

Congressional Bills
Search all bills introduced in the House or Senate since 1993.
Congressional Hearings
Hearings from the mid-20th century until now.
U.S. Code
Codification by subject matter of the permanent laws of the U.S.
U.S. Statutes at Large
Permanent collection of all laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress.

Executive Branch -- Carrying out the Laws

Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents
From GovInfo.gov
The Federal Register
The official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as presidential documents. When a federal agency proposes a new rule, this is where the proposal is published so the public can comment.
Code of Federal Regulations
The CFR is the annual codification of the general and permanent rules of the departments & agencies of the Federal Government.

Combination from Different Branches

USA.gov
Includes docs from all branches of U.S. government. Includes state, local, and tribal docs.

Judicial Branch -- Interpreting Laws

Nexis Uni (St. Mary's)
Search federal and state court decisions.

Indiana State Government

Legislative Branch -- Proposing, Debating and Creating Laws

Indiana General Assembly Sources
The General Assembly is responsible for enacting the laws by which the state of Indiana is governed.
Indiana Code
Code of laws for the state of Indiana.
Indiana General Assembly: Session Journals 1997- 2013

Executive Branch -- Carrying out the Laws

Gubernatorial Documents
Orders from the Governor
Indiana State Agencies
The easiest way to find reports and documents from the State's executive branch is to go directly to the agency's website. Find the agencies here.

Judicial Branch -- Interpreting Laws

Nexis Uni (formerly LexisNexis Academic) This link opens in a new window
Find court decisions at the state appellate and supreme court levels.

Local Governments

Local (city and county) laws are usually referred to as ordinances. Another useful term might be resolutions. These laws are usually passed by a town, city or county council.

The best way to locate a town, city or county's laws are to visit the official websites of these councils. Then look for a page that lists their ordinances and resolutions. These laws might all be gathered in one official living document, called a code. If it's a code for a city, it will probably be called a municipal code.