Washington – The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) in partnership with the Library of Congress, U.S. House of Representatives, and U.S. Senate has released ten additional years of Bill Status XML Bulk Data on govinfo. Bill status information, created by the Library of Congress and Congress, describes the activities and status steps for each legislative measure. The original project started at the direction of the House Committee on Appropriations and supports the Legislative Branch Bulk Data Task Force.

The new data, which includes bill status information from 2003–2012 (108th Congress to the 112th Congress), has been populated on GPO’s govinfo Bulk Data Repository and adds to previously available data from 2013–2020 (113th Congress to 116th Congress).

View GPO’s Bulk Data Repository at https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS. The Bill Status Bulk Data page on Congress.gov provides additional background information regarding Congressional bulk data from the House and Senate.

“The addition of this data to govinfo is another step toward GPO fulfilling its mission of Keeping America Informed,” said GPO Director Hugh Nathanial Halpern. “GPO is proud to work with the Library of Congress to continue to provide open and transparent Government information for the American people.”

“One of the Library’s most important jobs is to provide the legislative branch and members of the public with an easy-to-use, authoritative source for up-to-date legislative information, which we know today as Congress.gov,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. “To meet that responsibility, the Library, GPO, the House, and the Senate share more than data — we share a deep dedication to making official Government information as accessible to all Americans as possible. We’re so grateful to GPO for this additional decade of historic legislative information Americans can now explore for themselves.”

Making Government information available in XML permits data to be reused and repurposed for print output and for conversion into eBooks, mobile web applications, and other forms of content delivery, including data mashups and other analytical tools created by third party providers, which contributes to openness and transparency in Government. In addition to the files made available through the govinfo Bulk Data Repository, GPO ensures the authenticity of all information provided on govinfo, which includes making available digitally signed copies in PDF format, which is the official, authentic version that matches the printed document.

GPO is the Federal Government’s official, digital, secure resource for producing, procuring, cataloging, indexing, authenticating, disseminating, and preserving the official information products of the U.S. Government. The GPO is responsible for the production and distribution of information products and services for all three branches of the Federal Government, including U.S. passports for the Department of State as well as the official publications of Congress, the White House, and other Federal agencies in digital and print formats. GPO provides for permanent public access to Federal Government information at no charge through www.govinfo.gov and partnerships with approximately 1,100 libraries nationwide participating in the Federal Depository Library Program. For more information, please visit www.gpo.gov. 

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.