Find a Policy - FAM SERV 3162: Issues in Family Policy - Fleming - Research Guides at University of Northern Iowa

Research Tips

GovTrack.us
Search or browse by issue. Alerts/bill tracking available. Current session bills connected to social welfare, as well as social work & related areas.

Video: GovTrack.us: Basics for Finding Federal Legislation (10:20)
Glossary of Legislative Terms
Congress.gov (formerly THOMAS database)
Search or browse. See a short video tutorial (no sound) here.

If selecting state-level legislation, focus only on the state where you are registered to vote.

Iowa Legislature
Use Bill search in left sidebar to search by bill Number or Keyword (issue). Topic browsing also available here. Note that Iowa legislature runs Jan-approx. Apr, so there is no pending legislation other months.

Video: Searching for Iowa bills (5:54)

Legislative Terminology
Illinois General Assembly
Search by bill number or keyword. You can set up "My Legislation" email alerts for bills of interest.
Wisconsin State Legislature
Use "Find a Proposal" box to search by bill number, title, or topic keyword.
Minnesota State Legislature
Search House & Senate bills separately by number, or browse each by topic. "My Bills" tracking available with free account.
For other states, Google your state's name and "bill search" or "legislature".
50-state bill search by issue
National Conference of State Legislatures database. Includes state bills on a variety of topics. Updated weekly. Free account required to view bill text.