Search Tools
You can search Congress.gov using the search bar available on most pages, a collection-specific search form, or advanced search. Advanced search gives you the option of using a form optimized for legislation, a query builder for customized searches, or a command line entry box for using SOLR query syntax. Additional help on searching is listed on the left.
Use fields to control where your search term or phrase is found in a document. Field searching is available from the search bar, the words & phrases box on search forms and the advanced search command line. Expand the accordion below for a complete list of fields, search operators, and examples.
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To search, enter the prefix and number with or without periods and in upper or lowercase.
Bill, resolution and amendment numbers include an alphabetical prefix and a number. To search, enter the prefix and number with or without periods and in upper or lowercase. To eliminate hits on related bills or bill numbers in summaries, use the field label cite:. For example, cite:”hr933″.
Committee reports include an alphabetical prefix, Congress number and report number. Enter only the report number without a prefix when using the Report Numbers search box on the Committee Reports search form.
Public laws include an alphabetical prefix, Congress number and law number.
| Document Type | Prefixes | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| House Bill | H.R. hr h |
H.R.1060 117hr1060 |
| House Joint Resolution | H.J.Res. hjres hj hjr |
hjres47 117hj47 |
| House Concurrent Resolution | H.Con.Res. hconres hcres hc hcr |
HCONRES35 117hc35 |
| House Resolution | H.Res. he |
Hres103 117he97 |
| House Amendment | H.Amdt. hamdt ha hz |
hamdt745 |
| House Report | H.Rept. hrept hrpt house report |
hrept117-252 117hrept252 |
| Senate Bill | S. s |
s823 117s823 |
| Senate Joint Resolution | S.J.Res. sjres sj sjr |
sjres12 117sj12 |
| Senate Concurrent Resolution | S.Con.Res. sconres scres scr sc |
sconres5 117sc11 |
| Senate Resolution | S.Res. sres sr se |
S.Res.89 117sr89 |
| Senate Amendment | S.Amdt. samdt sa sp |
SA64 |
| Senate Report | S.Rept. srept srpt senate report |
srept117-87 117srept87 |
| Public Law | P.L. pl public law |
PL117-80 117PL80 |
| Private Law | priv private law |
priv115-1 111priv2 |
| Statutes at Large citation | Stat | 106Stat5136 |
| Nomination | pn | pn243 pn1744-2 117pn243 |
| Treaty Document | none | 113-5 114-13(a) |
| Executive Communication (House) | ec | ec821 |
| Presidential Message (House) | pm | pm5 |
| Petition (House) | pt | pt13 |
| Memorial (House) | ml | ml34 |
| Requirement (House) | r | r12690 |
| Executive Communication (Senate) | ec | ec985 |
| Presidential Message (Senate) | pm | pm11 |
| Petition or Memorial (Senate) | pom | pom16 |
Search operators for use on all search forms except Legislation Text.
Search operators must be entered in uppercase.
| Operator | Use | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| space between words (no operator) | Defaults to AND operator. Finds results that contain all search terms. | elementary secondary |
| ” ” (quotation marks) | Use quotation marks around two or more words to find words or word variants in an exact order. | “polar bear” |
| OR | Use between search terms to find results containing at least one of the terms. | college OR university |
| AND | Use between search terms (words or phrases) to find results containing both. | elementary AND secondary |
| + (plus sign) | Use before a search term to find results containing that term. | +student |
| NOT
– (minus sign) |
Use before a search term to find results that do not include the term. | sanctuary NOT immigration |
| ( )
(parenthesis) |
Use around search terms to group terms when using OR, AND and NOT. | (disaster OR emergency) AND (funding OR appropriations) |
| ~ (tilde) | Use with a number after two or more words enclosed in quotation marks to find results containing all words (or word variants) within the specified distance from each other.
NOTE: Do not include ‘wildcard’ characters (? or *) within a proximity search query. |
“enhanced body armor”~10 |
| ? (question mark) | Use in the middle or end of a word to indicate a single character ‘wildcard’. Finds results that include the search term with a single character variant.
NOTE: When using from search forms, be sure to uncheck Word Variants underneath the Words entry box. |
wom?n |
| * (asterisk) | Use in the middle or end of a word to indicate a multiple character ‘wildcard’. Finds results that include the search term with zero or more character variants.
NOTE: When using from search forms, be sure to uncheck Word Variants underneath the Words entry box. |
approp* |
Search operators for use on Legislation Text search form.
| Operator | Use | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| space between words (no operator) | Finds results that contain all search terms. | elementary secondary |
| ” ” (quotation marks) | Use quotation marks around two or more words to find words in an exact order. | “investment incentives” |
| ~ (tilde) | The OR operator. Use between search terms to find results containing at least one of the terms. | ~(superstorm hurricane) ~(’42 U.S.C. 651′ ’42 U.S.C. 652′ ’42 U.S.C. 653′) |
| + (plus sign) | The MUST operator. Use before a search term to find results containing that term. | +student |
| ! (exclamation point) | The NOT operator. Use before a search term to find results that do not include the term. | sanctuary !immigration |
| ( )
(parenthesis) |
Use around search terms to group terms to apply an operator to all terms in the group. | ~(disaster emergency) |
| N/ | Use with a number before two or more words enclosed in parenthesis to find results containing all words within the specified distance from each other in any order. | N/25(pesticide insect) |
| W/ | Use with a number before two or more words enclosed in parenthesis to find results containing all words within the specified distance from each other in the exact order. | W/3(secretary education) |
| * (asterisk) | Use at the end of a word to indicate a multiple character wildcard. Finds results that include the search term with zero or more character variants. Wildcards are restricted to suffix wildcards. | approp* |
| Operator Combinations | Examples |
|---|---|
| Wildcard within proximity search | w/10(private invest* corporation) |
| Proximity search with phrases | n/20(“transmitted to congress” “annual report”) |
| Proximity search with combinations of phrases and keywords | n/25(“95 percent” renewable) |
| Proximity search combined with SHOULD operator | ~w/5(gun violence) ~w/5(firearm violence) |
| To restrict your search to… | Use this field label… | Example |
|---|---|---|
| All Fields Except Text | metadata: | metadata:”community oriented policing” |
| Congress | congressId: | congressId:117 |
| Chamber | chamber: | chamber:”House” |
| Title | title: | title:“national defense authorization” |
| Citation (bill, resolution, amendment, report, nomination, treaty or communication number) | cite: | cite:“hr4512” cite:“s578” |
| Committee Meetings, including hearing transcripts | legislativeSource: | legislativeSource:“Committee Meetings” |
| Committee Publications, including committee prints | legislativeSource: | legislativeSource:“Committee Publications” |
| Committee Reports | legislativeSource: | legislativeSource:“Committee Reports” |
| Communications to the House | legislativeSource: | legislativeSource:“House Communications” |
| Communications to the Senate | legislativeSource: | legislativeSource:“Senate Communications” |
| Congressional Record | legislativeSource: | legislativeSource:“Congressional Record” |
| Legislation | legislativeSource: | legislativeSource:“Legislation” |
| Member profiles | legislativeSource: | legislativeSource:“Members” |
| Nominations | legislativeSource: | legislativeSource:“Nominations” |
| Treaty Documents | legislativeSource: | legislativeSource:“Treaty Documents” |
–Action Dates
For more on the Legislation collection see About Legislation and About Legislation Text.
| To restrict your search to… | Use this field label… | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Members | legislativeSource: | legislativeSource:”Members” |
| Current Members | isSittingMember: | isSittingMember:”Y” |
| Name | memberName: | memberName:”Murphy” memberName:”Murphy Christopher” memberName:”Christopher Murphy” |
| Congress | congressId: | congressId:113 |
| Chamber | chamber: | chamber:”Senate” |
| Bioguide Id | memberBioguideId: | memberBioguideId:”C001080″ Bioguide Id list |
| Party | politicalParty: | politicalParty:”Democratic” |
| State | memberState: | memberState:”Kansas” |
For more on the Member Profiles collection see About Members
| To restrict your search to… | Use this field label… | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Congressional Record | legislativeSource: | legislativeSource:”Congressional Record” |
| Congress | congressId: | congressId:117 |
| Section | crArticleSectionName: | crArticleSectionName:”Extensions of Remarks” |
| Title | crArticleTitle: | crArticleTitle:”text of amendments” |
| Text | crArticleContent: | crArticleContent:”emergency unemployment” |
| Member Speaking | crMemberRemarks: | crMemberRemarks:”Smith” crMemberRemarks:”Adrian Smith” crMemberRemarks:”Smith Adrian” crMemberRemarks:”S001172″ |
| Volume Number (Year) | crArticleVolume: | crArticleVolume:”150″ |
| Issue Date | crArticleDateStr: | crArticleDateStr:”2014-05-22″ crArticleDateStr:[“2014-01-01” TO “2014-03-31”] |
| Issue Number | crIssueNumber: | crIssueNumber:”125″ |
| Page Number | crArticleStartPage: | crArticleStartPage:”H6609″ |
| Volume Number | crArticleVolume: | crArticleVolume:”137″ |
| Issue Part Number | crIssuePartNumber: | crIssuePartNumber:”25″ |
| Congressional Session Number | congSessionNum: | congSessionNum:”4″ |
| Article Date | crArticleDateStr: | crArticleDateStr:“1901-03-01” |
For more on the Congressional Record collection see About the Congressional Record
| To restrict your search to… | Use this field label… | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Committee Reports | legislativeSource: | legislativeSource:”Committee Reports” |
| Congress | congressId: | congressId:117 |
| Title | congReportTitle: | congReportTitle:”chemical safety” |
| Committee | congReportCommittee: | congReportCommittee:”appropriations” congReportCommittee:hshm00 congReportCommittee:ssga00 Committee Name History help page |
| Committee – House | houseCommittee: | houseCommittee:”foreign affairs” |
| Committee – Senate | senateCommittee: | senateCommittee:”energy and natural resources” |
| Committee – Joint | jointCommittee: | jointCommittee:”economic” |
| Conference Reports | congReportIsConferenceReport: | congReportIsConferenceReport:”Y” |
| Report Type | congReportType: | congReportType:”House Report” |
| Citation | cite: | cite:”117hrept252″ |
| Bill Number | congReportBillNum: | congReportBillNum:”HR5376″ |
| Text | congReportContent: | congReportContent:”early childhood education” |
| Committee Activity Report | isCommitteeActivityReport: | isCommitteeActivityReport:Y |
For more on the Committee Reports collection see About Committee Reports of the U.S. Congress.
| To restrict your search to… | Use this field label… | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Committee Meetings, including hearing transcripts | legislativeSource: | legislativeSource:”Committee Meetings” |
| Congress | congressId: | congressId:116 |
| Citation | cite: | cite:”shrg115-6177″ |
| Committee | meetingCommittee: | meetingCommittee:”foreign affairs” |
| Date(s) of Meeting or Hearing | meetingHearingHeldDates: | meetingHearingHeldDates:2022-03-03 meetingHearingHeldDates:[2022-02-28 TO 2022-03-04] meetingHearingHeldDates:2021* |
| Title | title: | title:”abandoned mines” |
| Meeting Type | meetingTypeShortName | meetingTypeShortName:”Markup” meetingTypeShortName:”Hearing” meetingTypeShortName:”Meeting” |
| Meeting with related legislation | meetingBill: | meetingBill:”116HR6395″ |
| Meeting or committee print with related legislation | relatedBill: | relatedBill:”117HR1915″ |
| Meeting with related nomination | meetingNomination: | meetingNomination:”116PN2205″ |
| Meeting with related treaty | meetingTreaty: | meetingTreaty:”116-1″ |
| Meetings with video | hasVideo: | hasVideo:”Y” |
| Hearing transcript | hearingTranscript: | hearingTranscript:”mixed martial arts” |
| Hearing transcript with related legislation | hearingBillNum: | hearingBillNum:”116S2662″ |
| Hearing transcript with related treaty | hearingTreaty: | hearingTreaty:”114TD6″ hearingTreaty:”115-1″ |
| Witness Name | witness: | witness:”John Graham” |
| Witness Organization | witnessOrganization: | witnessOrganization:”Columbia University” |
| Witness Position/Title | witnessPosition: | witnessPosition:”Inspector General” |
For more on Committee Meetings and Transcripts see About Committees and Committee Materials
For more on the Nominations collection see About Nominations
| To restrict your search to… | Use this field label… | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Treaty Documents | legislativeSource: | legislativeSource:”Treaty Documents” |
| All Fields Except Text | metadata: | metadata:”sea” AND legislativeSource:”Treaty Documents” |
| Congress | congressId: | congressId:116 AND legislativeSource:”Treaty Documents” |
| Citation | cite: | (cite:”110-22″ OR cite:”105-26″) AND legislativeSource:”Treaty Documents” |
| Actions – Words and Phrases | action: | action:”reported” AND legislativeSource:”Treaty Documents” |
| Action Code | actionCode: | actionCode:”S05215″ AND legislativeSource:”Treaty Documents” |
| Latest Action | latestAction: | latestAction:”returned” AND legislativeSource:”Treaty Documents” |
| Date Received in Senate | treatyReceivedDateStr: | treatyReceivedDateStr:”2020-06-18″ |
| Latest Action Date | latestActionDateStr: | latestActionDateStr:”2016-12-09″ AND legislativeSource:”Treaty Documents” |
| All Treaty Titles | allTreatyTitles: | allTreatyTitles:”extradition” |
| Formal Title | treatyFormalTitle: | treatyFormalTitle:”tax convention” |
| Short Title | treatyShortTitle: | treatyShortTitle:”oil pollution” |
| Text – Resolution of Ratification | treatyResolutionText: | treatyResolutionText:”reservation” |
| Text – Treaty Document | treatyDocText: | treatyDocText:”fisheries” |
| Topic | treatyTopic: | treatyTopic:”Human Rights” |
| Organization | treatyOrganization: | treatyOrganization:”United Nations” |
| Country | treatyCountry: | treatyCountry:”Bulgaria” |
| Amendments to a Treaty | amendsTreaty: | amendsTreaty:116-1 Note: All amendments including treaty amendments are in the Legislation collection. You must be searching in the Legislation collection in order to return results using the amendsTreaty: field label. |
For more on the Treaty Documents collection see About Treaty Documents
For more on the House Communications collection see About House Communications
For more on the Senate Communications collection see About Senate Communications