Guides: SOWK 2430: Policies, Issues, and Programs in Social Welfare: Finding Policy Information

Federal bills and policy reports

Congress.gov
Use the keyword search to find federal bills by topic.
Congressional Research Service Reports
Search CRS by topic to find reports from 2018 and forward on major policy issues. Reports include research and analysis to support Congress' legislative, oversight, and representational duties. All reports adhere to the core values of CRS; they are authoritative, objective and nonpartisan. Reports range in length from several pages to more than one-hundred pages and cover the full breadth of topics of interest to Congress.
Congressional Research Service Reports via the UNT Digital Library
CRS does not provide direct public access to its reports published prior to 2018. This site is not affiliated with the Congressional Research Service, but aims to provide integrated, searchable access to many of the full-text CRS reports that have been available at a variety of different web sites since 1990. The information on this site is compiled and made available as a public service by the Government Documents Department at the UNT Libraries.

ProQuest Congressional
Find congressional hearings and reports from 1789 - present. Also searches news sources for news stories related to the topic.

Regulations.gov
Search regulations.gov for federal rules, comments, adjudications or supporting documents. Regulations guide the implementation of new laws. You can also use regulations.gov to comment publicly on regulations.

State bills

Texas Legislature Online
Use the keyword search to find Texas state bills by topic.
TX Leg - Follow the status of a bill instructions
Basic steps involved in passing a bill into law. Links to information available on the Texas Legislature Online are provided to aid in following these steps.
LegiScan: Texas 88th Legislative Session (2023)
This link provides a list of all legislation filed in the Texas 88th legislative session. The list includes the latest bill actions.
LegiScan is keyword searchable.
National Conference of State Legislatures
National Conference of State Legislatures policy research and legislation database.

Nexis Uni
Search for statutes and legislation at the state or the federal level.

Legislative Reference Library of Texas
An independent agency of the Legislature that performs research for Texas legislators, their staff, and legislative committees. The library also assists the public and other state agencies with legislative research.
Texas Tribune Analysis of the 88th Texas Legislative Session
The Texas Tribune is a member-supported publication covering public policy, politics, and government state-wide.

US national research and advocacy groups

The following library databases contain research and policy information published by think tanks and advocacy groups. CQ Press Library, for example is a great database to search by topic- you'll find extensive reports that include bibliography sections that point to additional relevant think tanks/policy groups, government websites and reports, and other credible sources for policy information.

Library databases for policy research

CQ Press library
Created and hosted by CQ Press, the CQ Press Library is the definitive reference resource for research in American government, politics, history, public policy, and current affairs.
Policy File Index
Policy File Index is a resource for U.S. public policy research. Information is provided from public policy think tanks, nongovernmental organizations, research institutes, university centers, advocacy groups, and other entities. Foreign and domestic policy topics are included. Some records link directly to the full-text report, paper, document, or other source. Subject coverage includes social sciences, political science, public policy, international relations, public administration, and economics.

Select think tank, policy and advocacy group, and professional association websites

NASW Policy Issues
Key policy issues from the National Association of Social Workers.
Advocacy Tools from NASW/TX
Advocacy tools and other information from the National Association of Social Workers, Texas Chapter.
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, DC, whose mission is to conduct in-depth research that leads to new ideas for solving problems facing society at the local, national and global level.
Rand Corporation
The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous.
Urban Institute
The Urban Institute is a nonprofit research organization that believes decisions shaped by facts, rather than ideology, have the power to improve public policy and practice, strengthen communities, and transform people’s lives for the better.
Pew Research Center
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research.

Federal government information and statistics

US Census Bureau
Find data by topic, use American FactFinder to search statistics from the Census, Economic Census, and the American Community Survey, and more.
US Government Accountability Office
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. Often called the "congressional watchdog," GAO examines how taxpayer dollars are spent and provides Congress and federal agencies with objective, reliable information to help the government save money and work more efficiently. Browse or search reports and testimonies by keyword.
US Health and Human Services
browse information about programs or link to healthdata.gov for statistics.
Administration of Children and Families
The Administration for Children & Families (ACF) is a division of the Department of Health & Human Services. ACF promotes the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals and communities.
US Senate
US House of Representatives

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