Why use CIS Congressional Universe?
Congress is a good first place to look for background information of topical interest since it is the single most important information-producing institution in the United States. Behind every major bill debated, behind every issue discussed, lie months of intensive investigation and analysis. The "working papers" that result from these efforts often represent the best information available. That is because Congress has some of the nation's top experts on its staff and the authority to call witnesses from throughout the country to testify on virtually any issue of concern. And the topics that concern Congress are the same topics that are of interest to library patrons.

What's in CIS Congressional Universe?
Congressional Universe gives comprehensive access to U.S. legislative information. The service offers access to a variety of information by and about the United States Congress, including complete and thorough access to the full text of congressional working papers, transcripts of committee hearings, and legislation. It also includes a variety of information about Congress itself, including members' biographies, committee assignments, voting records, and financial data.

And unlike other databases that cover just a few years of information, Congressional Universe gives you access through indexing and abstracts to almost 30 years of congressional information. You can perform in-depth legislative history research; see how congressional attitudes have evolved over time; and locate information on critical topics, both current and recent history. In addition, much of the information is also available in full-text. For example:

• Hearing transcripts and submitted testimony from the 100th Congress forward
• Committee reports from the 101st Congress forward
• Bills-all versions of all legislation introduced from the 101st Congress forward
• Public laws from the 100th Congress forward
• Selected committee prints from the 104th Congress forward
• Congressional documents from the 104th Congress forward
• Congressional Record from the 99th Congress forward
• Federal Register from 1980 forward
• Current Code of Federal Regulations
• Current U.S. Code
• National Journal (1977-present)
• Congress Daily (1991-present)

Congressional Universe has a multitude of access points to search from. Researchers can easily find information by:

• Subject
• Source Committee
• Session of Congress
• Title
• Witness name and affiliation
• Public law number/Bill number
• SuDoc number
• Document number
• Date