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Social Policy and Politics - HMNS207 - Gutshall-Seidman
Finding Government Information
Many government policies and regulations can be found on the Internet. Use a search tool targeted to find government information to ensure that you are getting the most accurate, reliable sources.
- usa.govUSA.gov is a one-stop catch-all for government information and searches. In addition to browsing topically, there are indexes for federal government agencies and links to state and local governments as well.
- Congress.govUse Congress.gov's advanced search to search by title, keyword, or law number. You can narrow your search to a certain congress or legislation type.
- Code of Federal Regulations (Annual Edition)Browse the Code of Federal Regulations back to 1996. The CFR is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation.
- eCFR - the regularly updated online version of the Code of Federal RegulationsThe Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR) provides a way of exploring the Code of Federal Regulations as it exists today and at points in time back to January 2017. It allows you to: browse the Code of Federal Regulations as it existed at any point in time, compare the regulations as they existed on any two dates, view a timeline of how the CFR content has changed, and search for specific terms. The eCFR is not an official legal edition of the CFR.
- Federal RegisterThe official source for Executive Orders, rules, and notices from federal agencies. Their site says "The daily journal of the US Government."
- Federal Register: Executive OrdersBrowse through executive orders signed by each president back to FDR in 1937.
- JustiaJustia is proud to offer free access to federal and state court decisions, codes, and regulations. They also provide the full text of the Annotated U.S. Constitution, as well as recent dockets and selected case filings from the U.S. federal district and appellate courts.
- OyezOyez is a free law project from Cornell’s Legal Information Institute (LII), Justia, and Chicago-Kent College of Law. Oyez offers transcript-synchronized and searchable audio, plain-English case summaries, illustrated decision information, and full-text Supreme Court opinions (through Justia).
- US CodeSearch or browse a list of laws by subject using the U.S. Code, which compiles most public laws currently in force.
Missing government info
If a government policy or regulation is missing from the page it belongs on, you may be able to find it elsewhere! Other organizations and colleges/universities have been making efforts to "save" government information before it gets taken down.
- Internet ArchiveExplore more than 928 billion web pages saved over time. The WayBack Machine in the Internet Archive preserves webpages.
- GovWaybackThis website provides simple instructions - Access historical versions of U.S. government websites from before January 20, 2025 with a simple URL change. How it works: Take any .gov URL and add wayback.com right after .gov, and you'll be redirected to the Wayback Machine's archived version of the page.
- End of Term Web ArchiveThe End of Term Web Archive captures and saves U.S. Government websites at the end of presidential administrations. The EOT has thus far preserved websites from administration changes in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020.
- Archived Biden White HouseIn January 2025, the White House website was archived as a way to preserve the online presence of the administration of President Joseph R. Biden Jr. In order for the public to easily access the websites, the National Archives has taken an additional step to "freeze" the websites and make them available online.
- Trump archived websites (first term)In January 2021, the White House website was archived as a way to preserve the online presence of the administration of President Donald J. Trump. Additionally, the following websites have also been archived: Be Best Initiative, Artificial Intelligence for the American People, Coronavirus Disease 2019, Opioids: the Crisis Next Door, We the People Petitions, and Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative.
- Obama archived websitesOn January 2017, the White House website was archived as a way to preserve the online presence of the administration of President Barack Obama. The websites for Mrs. Obama’s Let’s Move! Initiative, the We The People Petitions, and the White House Data Catalog (open.whitehouse.gov) were also preserved.
- Archived ReproductiveRights.govtheSkimm has copied the entire content of the Reproductive Rights web page from the Biden administration.
- Archived Federal Websites & DataThis page from the NJ State Library serves as a starting point to help users navigate changes made to federal government websites and data portals since the 2025 presidential transition.
- Last Updated: Apr 1, 2025 9:34 AM
- URL: https://library.raritanval.edu/HMNS207
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