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Related Resources at the Library
Several changes have been made to THOMAS for the 111th Congress. These changes are described below.
Homepage Search
The quick search feature on the homepage of THOMAS now searches the Bill Summary & Status (BSS) database. BSS contains information about bills and amendments. Whereas the Bill Text database searches the full text of legislation, the BSS feature searches everything but the actual text of the legislation. The BSS information includes: sponsor(s); cosponsor(s); official, short and popular titles; floor/executive actions; detailed legislative history; Congressional Record page references; bill summary; committee information; amendment information; subjects (indexing terms assigned to each bill); a link to the full text versions of the bill; and if the bill has been enacted into law, a link to the full text of the law on the Government Printing Office Web site.
Just below the quick search box on the homepage, users will now find a link to the BSS Advanced Search page. On the BSS Advanced Search page, BSS information is searchable by word/phrase, subject (index) term, bill/amendment number, stage in the legislative process, dates of introduction, sponsor/cosponsor, and committee.
The full bill text database can be accessed via the Bills, Resolutions link on the left side of most THOMAS pages.