Multiple Item Display
The results of a search may be one item of legislation or many. In the latter case, a results page displays a list of legislation, along with brief information about each item. Here is an example of a BSS results page containing more than one result:
Bill Summary & Status for the 107th Congress |
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Search Results: |
Items 1 through 100 of 123 |
2. S.486: A bill to reduce the risk that innocent persons may be executed, and for other purposes. |
The display may include Title and Note about interrelationships as well, if they exist for the given bill.
Bill Summary & Status Display
When one item is selected from the results list (by clicking on the bill number), the Bill Summary & Status contents page is displayed. This page contains more detailed information than was found in the initial search result and links to still more information. If the search produced only one bill, this page is displayed immediately.
The BSS display page contains the following:
All Information |
Contains all Bill Summary & Status information on one page |
Titles |
A bill may have one or more titles |
Related Bills |
Links of other bills and resolutions closely related to the current bill |
CBO Cost Estimates |
Cost estimates from the Congressional Budget Office |
Text of Legislation |
Links to the full text of all versions of the legislation |
Cosponsors |
List of cosponsor names and links to other bills the given members have sponsored or cosponsored. |
Amendments |
Links to the text of proposed amendments |
Bill Status with Amendments |
As above but with links to amendments proposed |
Subjects (CRS Index Terms) |
Links to standardized index terms used by the Congressional
Research Service; may be used in Subject Term search box |
CRS Summary |
Summary of the content of the legislation prepared by
the Congressional Research Service; brief summaries are prepared for all measures upon introduction followed by more detailed summaries upon further action |
Committees |
Committees to which the bill has been referred; links
to other bills considered by the same committees |
Related Committee Documents |
Links to committee documents such as hearing transcripts, witness lists, statements, etc |
Major Congressional Actions |
Lists major actions in reverse chronological order -- that is, the most recent action on the bill is displayed at the top of the page. Floor actions such as roll call vote numbers and final vote tallies are included |
All Congressional Actions |
A chronological history of the legislative stages the bill has achieved; dates in black represent House actions, in maroon (or some shade thereof) Senate actions; links to any roll call votes, Congressional Record page references and reports are also provided. |
All Congressional Actions with Amendments |
Complete display as indicated in "All Congressional Actions," including links to the text of amendments offered |
Most items are available in BSS the day after a bill is introduced. Status information is updated the day after a change has occurred. Index terms, short titles and summaries are available as soon as possible, but since they are prepared by hand, much depends on the complexity of the legislation and the overall amount of legislative activity.
Navigating the Full Display: Top Level
At the top of the full display for each bill or amendment record is a "navigation panel" that allows you to navigate through the record. You can choose from these links in the "navigation panel":
- Previous: Links to the full display for the previous bill or amendment in your search results list
- Next: Links to the full display for the next bill or amendment on your search results list. Use this link if you want to see detailed information, sequentially, for each item on your results list
- New Search: Links to the Bill Summary & Status search page for the Congress you were searching
- Home: Links to the THOMAS home page
- Help: Links to the Help home page
Full Display: Option Level
From the top-level full display page for each bill, you can select any one of the available options (e.g., All Bill Summary & Status Information, Titles, Committees, Amendments, Subjects, etc.)
If you select any of the options, you will get the "navigation panel" at the top of the option page. You can select from these links in the option page "navigation panel."
- Previous: Links to the top-level full display for the previous bill or amendment in your search results
- Next: Links to the top-level full display for the next bill or amendment on your search results list. Use this link if you want to you want to see detailed information, sequentially, for each item on your results list.
- Previous [Name of Option (e.g., Titles, Committees)]: Links to the option display you are currently in for the previous bill in your search results.
- Next [Name of Option]: Links to the option display you are currently in for the next bill on your search results. Use this link, for example, if you want to view sequentially the digests for each bill in your search results list.
- New Search: Links to the Bill Summary & Status search page for the Congress you were searching.
- Home: Links to the THOMAS home page.
- Help: Links to the Help home page.
- About [Option]: Gives background on the source and scope of information in each of the THOMAS Bill Summary & Status full-display options (e.g., Titles, Status, Committees, Amendments, Subjects, Cosponsors, etc.).