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Category: Congress

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In God We Trust

Posted by: Margaret Wood

When I began my research on the history of this national motto which prominently appears on U.S. currency, I glanced at the Wikipedia article on “In God we trust.”  The entry contends that the motto was inspired by the fourth verse of the Star Spangled Banner: “Then conquer we must, when our cause is just, And …

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History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives: A One-Stop-Shop for House Heritage

Posted by: Kelly Buchanan

The following is a guest post by Laura Turner O’Hara, Historical Publications Specialist in the Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives. What powers does the Constitution grant the House of Representatives? How many women Members of Congress are from Nebraska? What was the mood on Capitol Hill during the Bonus March? Why are …

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All Actions Added to Congress.gov (and Other Updates)

Posted by: Andrew Weber

I recently blogged about some of the enhancements to Congress.gov in its first six months. Today’s update marks the fourth round of enhancements to Congress.gov since launch.  We are continuing the push to retire the beta label on the new system. As with previous releases, Jeanine updated the About section of Congress.gov to detail what’s …

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Model of the United States Capitol – Pic of the Week

Posted by: Hanibal Goitom

The United States Capitol building, like Rome, wasn’t built in a day.  Construction of the building actually began in 1793.  When Congress, the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress moved in at the end of 1800 only the north wing, although not fully complete, was ready for occupancy.  Major construction works continued gradually into …

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Women’s History Month

Posted by: Margaret Wood

March is Women’s History Month.  This year, March has also seen the Centennial of the 1913 Suffrage March, and International Women’s Day.  Women’s History Month was established in 1981 when Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28 to establish Women’s History Week.  Both this law and the subsequent Presidential Proclamation 4903 speak to the important role women played …

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Six Months of Congress.gov

Posted by: Andrew Weber

It has been six months since we introduced Congress.gov. During that time we’ve been busy working to develop the beta into a full system. The first update after the September launch was in October when we made searching variants of citations easier. In November we continued to revise Congress.gov. With the start of the 113th Congress …

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Washington’s Farewell Address

Posted by: Margaret Wood

In 1796, towards the end of his second term, President Washington wrote a letter to the “People of the United States” in which he announced that he would not be seeking a third term.  This letter to the nation was originally published in the American Daily Advertiser and then in other papers throughout the country but …

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Concurrent Resolutions for Lying in State

Posted by: Donna Sokol

The recent passing of Senator Inouye [D-HI] led to a discussion among some friends about who can lie in state in the Capitol.  I asked the Law Library’s instructional librarian, Pam Craig, whether it took an act of Congress to permit this.  And indeed it does. To allow the Capitol’s rotunda to be used for …

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Congressional Record Added to Congress.gov

Posted by: Andrew Weber

Following the launch of Congress.gov in September 2012, we made minor updates in October and November, and made the transition to the 113th Congress at the beginning of January.  Today, our public beta gets a big enhancement with the addition of the Congressional Record. The Congressional Record page defaults to the most recent issue with the tab for the Daily Digest selected and …