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Enhancements to Congress.gov and “How To” on Legislative Research From The Law Librarians of Congress.

27 Sunday Dec 2015

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Library of Congress, Research, THOMAS, U.S. Government

≈ Comments Off on Enhancements to Congress.gov and “How To” on Legislative Research From The Law Librarians of Congress.

Tags

Andrew Weber, Barbara Bavis, In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress, Legislative Research, Robert Brammer, THOMAS

New End of Year Congress.gov Enhancements: Quick Search, Congressional Record Index, and More, by Andrew Weber, In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress

http://blogs.loc.gov/law/2015/12/new-end-of-year-congress-gov-enhancements-quick-search-congressional-record-index-and-more/

You may not have heard that THOMAS will be retired by the Library of Congress.  Congress.gov will take its place, and you won’t be disappointed. This post includes more that has been added to Congress.gov, including links to state legislative research. Scroll down the page to see a list of all enhancements thus far to Congress.gov. It is definitely worth a read.

If you are not familiar with how to do legislative research, this Beginner’s Guide will help you. -CCE

Locating a Congressional Committee Print: A Beginner’s Guide, co-authored by Robert Brammer and Barbara Bavis, In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress

http://blogs.loc.gov/law/category/research-guide-2/

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Congress.gov – With New Features and Improvements.

01 Saturday Aug 2015

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Federal Law, Library of Congress, Research, U.S. Government

≈ Comments Off on Congress.gov – With New Features and Improvements.

Tags

Congress.gov, In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress, Robert Brammer

New Features Added to Congress.gov Based On Your Feedback, by Robert Brammer, Law Librarians of Congress, In Custodia Legis

http://blogs.loc.gov/law/2015/07/new-features-added-to-congress-gov-based-on-your-feedback/

The website describes the enhancements, such as email alerts, in detail with instructions on how to use them. The website requests your continued feedback for future ways to improve the website. -CCE

Since the unveiling of Congress.gov in September of 2012, we have been constantly adding new features with each release, and many of the features in this release are based directly on your feedback. . . .

Continue reading →

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There’s New Stuff at Congress.gov.

28 Saturday Mar 2015

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Legislation, Library of Congress, Research, THOMAS, U.S. Government

≈ Comments Off on There’s New Stuff at Congress.gov.

Tags

Andrew Weber, beSpacific Blog., Congress.gov, Congressional Record, Sabrina I. Pacifici, THOMAS, Treaties

Treaties, Text, and Timely Updates – Congress.gov Spring Cleaning, by Sabrina I. Pacifici via Andrew Weber, BeSpacific Blog

http://www.bespacific.com/library-of-congress-treaties-text-and-timely-updates/

‘Since introducing Congress.gov in September 2012, we have continued to add the databases from THOMAS to the new system.  We launched with legislation, followed soon thereafter by the Congressional Record, Committee Reports, and nominations.  Today, we are releasing treaty documents.  You can select “All Sources” and search across all of these data sets at once, something that was not possible on THOMAS.  With this, all of the data sets in the left hand navigation of THOMAS are included in Congress.gov.  We have one more data set that was on the legacy system to add, Senate Executive Communications….’

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New and Improved Congress.gov – Resource Section.

27 Saturday Sep 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Government

≈ Comments Off on New and Improved Congress.gov – Resource Section.

Tags

Andrew Weber, Congress.gov, In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress

Congress.gov: Removing the Beta Label and New Enhancements, by Andrew Weber, In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress

http://tinyurl.com/otfqt3s

The Library of Congress launched Congress.gov in beta two years ago. Today, I’m happy to announce we officially removed the beta label. That’s roughly three years quicker than Gmail took to remove its beta label, but we won’t give you the option of putting it back on Congress.gov. URLs that include beta. Congress.gov will be redirected to Congress.gov.

There are a range of new enhancements in this release. One of the exciting additions is a new Resources section. This section provides an A-to-Z list of hundreds of links related to Congress. If you are not sure where something is located, try looking through this list. I quickly jump through the list using Ctrl+F and searching. You can find the new Resources page in the navigation on the top right or in the footer on every page. . . .

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Cool Developments at Congress.gov, including THOMAS. Check It Out.

22 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Government, Legislation, Legislative History, References, Research, Statistics, THOMAS

≈ Comments Off on Cool Developments at Congress.gov, including THOMAS. Check It Out.

Tags

Andrew Weber, Appropriations Table, Congress.gov, Congressional Record, In Custodia Lexis: Law Librarians of Congress, Nominations, THOMAS

Nominations, Accounts, Saved Searches – Congress.gov Continues to Grow, by Andrew Weber, In Custodia Lexis: Law Librarians of Congress

http://tinyurl.com/o3zc7lt

There’s a lot of information here. Take your time, and give it a good look. I think you’ll find it worth it. -CCE

I have been looking forward to this Congress.gov release for several months.  There is now nomination information, accounts, the ability to save searches, an expanded About section, an FAQ section, easy access to Member remarks in the Congressional Record, and more.

With the new updates, you can locate nominations dating back to 1981.  The nominations section allows you to retrieve information via faceted navigation, just as you do throughout the rest of the site.

*  *  *

On THOMAS, individual accounts were a feature that the system could not support.  Now you will have the option to save your search so you can quickly run it again later.  This is especially useful for those highly complex customized queries.  Adding accounts will enable us to do new things with the system in the future.

*  *  *

The About section has been expanded with the aim of making Congress.gov more user friendly.  Also with this release, you can now access a Frequently Asked Questions section, which covers:

•Congress.gov Overview

•Learn Congress.gov and the Legislative Process

•Features, Updates and Technology (which includes a link to a page on how to embed the Congress.gov search box on your website)

•Congressional Record

•Committees

•Legislation

•THOMAS Retirement

I highlighted some of these Congress.gov enhancements during my presentation at the 2014 Legislative Data Transparency Conference.  Grant Vergottini, in his write up of the conference, stated that although it was ‘still in beta, this site has now essentially replaced the older Thomas site.’  I would have to agree.

These improvements build upon those added in February: Advanced Search, Browse, and the Appropriations Table. . . .

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THOMAS transitions to Congress.gov.

15 Friday Nov 2013

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Research

≈ Comments Off on THOMAS transitions to Congress.gov.

Tags

beSpacific, Congress.gov, Sabrina I. Pacifici, THOMAS

THOMAS will now redirect to congress.gov,by Sabrina I. Pacifici, beSpacific Blog

http://perma.cc/0Y21STraNie

Ms. Pacifici assures us that permanent links to THOMAS will still work and remain operational until 2014. At that time, the transition to congress.gov will be finished, and THOMAS will be retired. CCE

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Find Bills and Amendments and Who Sponsored Them.

25 Sunday Mar 2018

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Government

≈ Comments Off on Find Bills and Amendments and Who Sponsored Them.

Tags

Congress, In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress, Legislation, Robert Brammer

How to Locate the Bills and Amendments a Member of Congress has Sponsored or Cosponsored in Congress.gov, by Robert Brammer, In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress

https://bit.ly/2I1mESZ

This looks handy. -CCE

One of the questions we are frequently asked is how to locate a bill or amendment that a member of Congress has sponsored or cosponsored. There are a few ways to do this on Congress.gov.

  1. Visit a member profile page

Locate a member you are interested in and open their member profile page. Next, you can use the filters on the left-hand side of the screen to narrow down your results. For example, if you are only interested in legislation that the member sponsored or cosponsored in the 115th Congress, under “Congress”, click on “115”. You can also use the filters in combination with one another to further narrow down your results.

If you are looking at a member profile page for a current member of Congress, note that you can click “get alerts” at the top, left-hand side of the screen to sign up to receive an email each time that member sponsors or cosponsors legislation.

Continue reading →

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Say Goodbye to THOMAS.

15 Sunday May 2016

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Congress.gov, Government, Research, THOMAS

≈ Comments Off on Say Goodbye to THOMAS.

Tags

Andrew Weber, Congress.gov, Government, In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress, Research, THOMAS

Time to Turn off THOMAS: July 5, 2016, by Andrew Weber, In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress

http://blogs.loc.gov/law/2016/04/time-to-turn-off-thomas-july-5-2016/?loclr=ealln

THOMAS appeared online on January 5, 1995: http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/1995/95-002.html?loclr=bloglaw. 

THOMAS will be retired on July 5, 2016, and replaced by Congress.gov, which was always the intent when Congress.gov came online in September, 2012.  Congress.gov was designed to replace THOMAS, and it has features that THOMAS did not, and never could, have.

You can find all posts at www.researchingparalegal.com about the additions and improvements made to Congress.gov since its inception here:

https://researchingparalegal.com//?s=congress.gov&search=Go.

Please take a NEW long look at Congress.gov here: https://www.congress.gov/.  There is much, much more to see.  -CCE

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Big Change To Military’s Rape Shield Rule.

10 Saturday Jan 2015

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Evidence, Military Law

≈ Comments Off on Big Change To Military’s Rape Shield Rule.

Tags

Evidence, EvidenceProf Blog, Military Law, Rape, Sexual Assault, Victim's Rights, Writ of Mandamus

Do Ask, Don’t Tell: Significant Change Made to Military’s Rape Shield Rule, by Colin Miller, Evidence ProfBlogger, EvidenceProf Blog

http://tinyurl.com/l2w2bmc

Military Rule of Evidence 412, the military’s rape shield rule, reads as follows:

Rule 412. Nonconsensual sexual offenses; relevance of victim’s behavior or sexual predisposition

(a) Evidence generally inadmissible. The following evidence is not admissible in any proceeding involving alleged sexual misconduct, except as provided in sections (b) and (c):

(1) Evidence offered to prove that any alleged victim engaged in other sexual behavior.

(2) Evidence offered to prove any alleged victim’s sexual predisposition.

(b) Exceptions. In a proceeding under this chapter, the following evidence is admissible, if otherwise admissible under these rules:

(1) evidence of specific instances of sexual behavior by the alleged victim offered to prove that a person other than the accused was the source of semen, injury, or other physical evidence;

(2) evidence of specific instances of sexual behavior by the alleged victim with respect to the person accused of the sexual misconduct offered by the accused to prove consent or by the prosecution; and III-15

(3) evidence the exclusion of which would adversely affect the integrity or fairness of the proceeding.

So, let’s say that a military judge deems evidence of a serviceperson’s sexual history or predisposition admissible under this rape shield rule. What can the serviceperson do?

According to an article in Hawai’i Army Weekly,

victims may now petition the service court of criminal appeals for a writ of mandamus in cases where the victim believes the military judge erred in a ruling pertaining to rape shield evidence under Military Rule of Evidence 412 or violating the psychotherapist-patient privilege under MRE 513.

A writ of mandamus is

an order from a court to an inferior government official ordering the government official to properly fulfill their official duties or correct an abuse of discretion….

In the federal courts, these orders most frequently appear when a party to a suit wants to appeal a judge’s decision but is blocked by rules against interlocutory appeals. Instead of appealing directly, the party simply sues the judge, seeking a mandamus compelling the judge to correct his earlier mistake.

So, assume that a serviceperson is being court martialed for raping another serviceperson, and the military judge deems evidence of the alleged victim’s sexual history or predisposition admissible. Under this new version of Rules 412 and 513, the victim can immediately file a writ of mandamus to have the evidentiary ruling reversed. Here is the specific new language that has been added:

(d) Victim’s Rights. A victim of an offense specified in subsection (b) shall have rights as follows:

(1) To a Special Victims’ Counsel provided under section 1565b(b) of this title.

(2) To have all communications between the victim and any Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, Sexual Assault Victim Advocate, or Special Victims’ Counsel for the victim considered privileged communications for purposes of the case and any proceedings relating to the case.

(e) Availability of Writ of Mandamus. To seek enforcement of the rights accorded a victim under subsection (d), the victim may apply for a writ of mandamus. The right shall first be asserted to the military judge in any court-martial proceeding in which the accused is being tried. The military judge shall take up and decide any motion asserting  a victim’s right in this section. If the military judge denies the  relief sought, the victim may petition the court of criminal appeals  for a writ of mandamus. The Court of Criminal Appeals for an armed force has jurisdiction to grant relief sought under this paragraph. If the court of appeals denies the relief sought, the reasons for the  denial shall be clearly stated on the record in a written opinion.

Given the issues that the military has had with rape and sexual assault, this is a significant change that should make victims of these crimes more willing to come forward.

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Beginner’s Guide to U.S. Treaties.

21 Friday Nov 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in International Law, Native American Law, Treaties

≈ Comments Off on Beginner’s Guide to U.S. Treaties.

Tags

Barbara Bavis, Charles I. Bevans, Goverment Printing Office, In Custodia Legal, International Law, Law Librarians of Congress, Rober Brammer, Treaties, Treaties and Other International Acts

U.S. Treaties: A Beginner’s Guide, co-authored by Barbara Bavis and Robert Brammer, In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress

http://blogs.loc.gov/law/2014/11/u-s-treaties-a-beginners-guide/

Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution states that the President ‘shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur…. ‘ An early attempt by the President and Senate to negotiate the exercise of this power provided an interesting anecdote. According to the Senate Historical Office, on August 22, 1789, President Washington traveled to the Senate to submit a treaty concerning Native American Indian Tribes. While the President waited, the Senate decided to postpone consideration of the treaty rather than debate the questions in front of the President. According to Maclay’s Journal an irritated, President Washington exclaimed, “This defeats every purpose of my coming here!” and resolved to submit subsequent treaty communications to the Senate in writing. To learn more about the development of the treaty power and its application, please refer to the United States Constitution: Analysis and Interpretation’s discussion of Article II, Section 2.

There are several options for researchers trying to find copies of treaties to which the United States is or was a party. In fact, we were inspired to write this post by the new Treaties digital collection added to the Law Library of Congress website. As of now, the digital collection includes a digital copy of the first four volumes of Charles I. Bevans’s Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States of America, 1776-1949, which includes copies of the English version (or English translation) of multilateral treaties to which the United States was a party. Digital copies of the remaining volumes (5-12), which include the bilateral treaties to which the United States was a party during this period, will be added in the near future.

The Treaties page also links to the United States Department of State’s Treaties and Other International Acts webpage, which includes PDF copies of the ‘executed English-language original of [each published international] agreement and certain other key documents’ for published international agreements entered into from 1996 to the present. The Treaties and Other International Acts series (also known as TIAS), which is ‘the official print publication format for treaties and agreements that have entered into force for [the] U.S.,’ was published by the Government Printing Office in paper form from 1945 to 2006, but is now available online. . . .

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