CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICES (CRS) REPORTS

The Congressional Research Service (a division of the Library of Congress) prepares research reports and analysis for members of Congress.  These reports are well-written and many are regularly updated.  CRS produces or updates more than 3,000 studies and other publications each year, none of which are distributed to the public.  Access to these reports is available in a variety of ways.

Online Sources

CRS Reports - CRS Reports provide extensive background information on the development of legislative issues. Published by the Congressional Research Service, members of Congress and their staff rely on CRS Reports to inform and shape their understanding of the issues. CRS Reports offers the most comprehensive collection available, dating back to 1993.

Congressional Research Service Reports (University of North Texas) – This site provides an integrated, searchable database of CRS reports since 1990.  Both older and current reports on the same topic are archived so that users can see how the issues have changed over time.

Congressional Research Service via the web (zFacts.com) – Uses Google to search for CRS reports available on the web.

CRS Reports (Thurgood Marshall Law Library) – Searching available by broad subject category and provides reports browsable by title, date, and order code.

Reports by Subject Content

Federation of American Scientists – Includes reports on intelligence, military and national security, special weapons, and civil space.

GlobalSecurity.org – Provides access to reports dealing with national security and weapons.

National Library for the Environment – Provides CRS reports dealing with the environment from 1993 forward.

OpenCRS (Center for Democracy and Technology) – Provides links to several existing collections of more than  8,000 reports.

Selected CRS Reports on Congress and Its Procedures (Law Librarian’s Society of DC) – Includes reports on Congressional procedure and also includes links to other sources of CRS reports available on the Internet.

U.S. House of Congress. Rules Committee. Congressional Research Service Reports - Contains reports that focus on legislative procedures, committee, relations between the House and the Senate and between Congress and the President, and the budget process.

U.S. Dept. of State. Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs – Includes reports from 1999 forward that deal with matters of national security,  foreign relations, and other international topics.

Print/Microfilm Sources

Major Studies & Issue Briefs of the Congressional Research Service (print holdings) – Index to reports dating from 1988 forward.  The reports are owned at Langsam Library on microfilm (Microfilm 5388).  Reports for 1988-1992 are also available in the online catalog by individual title.