Legislation & Policy
There are various sources to find government information at the federal, state, and local levels. The sources for federal legislation have comprehensive search features, while the state and local levels can be more difficult to navigate. It may help to conduct a Google and newspaper search to find the latest state and local legislation, and then look up those bills in the sources, rather than attempting to perform keyword searches in the sources directly.
Federal
- Congress.gov This link opens in a new window
Congress.gov is the official website for U.S. federal legislative information. Search through Committee Hearings, Committee Reports, Legislation, and Members of Congress. Bills are searchable from 1973-present, the Congressional Record from 1995-present, and Members from 1929-present. Data are usually updated the morning after a session adjourns.
- GovTrack.usNongovernment source containing U.S. legislative information and statistics. Contains bills and legislation, voting records, congressmen profiles, and more.
- GovInfoPublic access to official government documents from all three branches
- Laws & Regulations - Dept. of Health & Human ServicesIncludes information in HIPAA, Human Subjects Research Protections, and more
- Conscience & Religious Freedom - Dept. of Health & Human ServicesInformation on conscience protections and religious freedom laws for healthcare providers
- Health Policy ResourcesThis list from the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine contains links for government resources, research foundations, and associations related to health policy at the state, federal, and international levels.
- Kaiser Family FoundationThe independent source for health policy research, polling, and news. A good place to find examples of current bills and legislation.
State
- Illinois General AssemblyIllinois State government legislative information
- Illinois Dept. of Public Health - Laws & RulesContains a comprehensive list of laws and rules related to Illinois Dept. of Health organized by topic
- Illinois State Agency DatabasesA listing of publicly searchable databases produced by agencies of the State of Illinois
Local
- City of ChicagoWebsite for the City of Chicago that includes programs and initiatives, department information, news, and more.
- Chicago Office of the City ClerkSearch for Chicago legislative records.
- Chicago Department of Public HealthIncludes reports, data, and publications on public health in Chicago.
- Municipal Code of ChicagoPublished by Order of the City Council, 1990.
Current through Council Journal of September 27, 2023.
Databases
- Policy File Index This link opens in a new window
Indexes, abstracts, and links directly to current research on public policy issues, with international coverage from many organizations around the world, as well as in-depth coverage of U.S. domestic policy organizations. It forms part of the Politics Collection.
Dates covered: 1990-present. - PAIS Index This link opens in a new window
Covers public affairs, policy & politics, international affairs & statistics. Includes publications from over 120 countries throughout the world, journal articles, books, government documents, statistical directories, grey literature, research reports, conference papers, web content, and more.
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Includes full text of over 15,000 news, business and legal sources, including U.S. Supreme Court decisions dating back to 1790. Additional topics covered are wire service reports and transcripts of TV and radio broadcasts, national and international news, legal cases, law reviews, company profiles, SEC filings, and people. This database is the successor of LexisNexis Academic.
- CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
A weekly publication that covers current and controversial issues with complete summaries, timelines and bibliographies.
Dates Covered: 11/1/1991-present. - Political Science Database (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Provides full text access to more than 450 leading political science and international relations journals, political science dissertaions from U.S. and Canadian universities, and other countries such as country reports and policy papers. It forms part of the Politics Collection.
Dates covered: 1985-present. - Politics Collection (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Includes PAIS Index, Policy File Index, Political Science Database, and Worldwide Political Science Abstracts. Covers international literature in political science and public administration/policy, along with related fields. It forms part of the Social Science Premium Collection.
Dates covered: 1914-present.
Policy Briefs & White Papers
- Congressional Research Service ReportsThe Congressional Research Service (CRS) is the public policy research arm of Congress. This legislative branch agency works exclusively for Members of Congress, their committees and their staffs.
- Annenberg Public Policy CenterPolicy briefs and research on the role of communication in politics, adolescent behavior, child development, health care, civics and mental health, and other areas.
- RAND CorporationProvides research in a variety of areas such as arts, civil justice, education, national security, public safety, and other areas.
Find Your Legislators
AOTA Links
- AdvocacyDiscover issues, news, committees, and policies related to advocacy in occupational therapy.