Government Glossary

Congressional Record

Short Definition

The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the U.S. Congress. For every day.

Long Explanation

The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the U.S. Congress. For every day Congress is in session, an issue of the Congressional Record is printed by the Government Publishing Office. Each issue summarizes the day’s floor and committee actions and records all remarks delivered in the House and Senate. For more on the Congressional Record, see About the Congressional Record.

In practice, Congressional Record is useful because it helps a visitor connect a word or phrase to law making, committee work, oversight, votes, or congressional records. When you see the term in an official source, ask which office has authority, what decision is being made, which deadline or rule matters, and where the public record can be checked.

Examples

Simple exampleA visitor sees “Congressional Record” while reading about a bill and uses Congress.gov or a committee page to find the official record.

Civic exampleA citizen trying to follow lawmaking checks the bill text, committee action, vote record, and chamber rules before relying on a summary.

Common Misconception

A common mistake is treating Congressional Record as a complete explanation of what Congress did. The term is usually a starting point. To know what happened, check the bill text, committee action, chamber record, and vote information where available.

Related Terms

CongressCongress CommitteesGovernment ResourcesHouseLegislative BranchLegislative ProcessSenate

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