The Constitution, as stated in Article I, section 1, grants all legislative powers to the Congress. The chief function of Congress is the making of laws, a multi-step process. In addition, the Senate has the power of advice and consent with regard to treaties and nominations.
Finding Legislation
Learn how and where to find bills on the Web or in a library. If you are trying to locate legislation that has been in the news,
Active Legislation
is a good place to start.
To find out how a particular law was enacted, or to determine congressional intent, one must track the steps a bill went through before becoming law. This may involve looking at copies of the legislation at each stage in the process, scanning hearings, and tracking down floor statements as well as committee reports. The
How to . . .
section will show you where to find some of these items, while the links below will help you piece together a legislative history.