Now in Beta: A New Go-To Source for Federal Law


February 10, 2016

Earlier this month, the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) announced that a new, redesigned and expanded platform – govinfo – will replace FDsys as the go-to source for federal primary law in 2017. The site is available at https://www.govinfo.gov and is now accessible online in beta form, giving researchers the chance to familiarize themselves with the platform and offer feedback to developers. 

The redesigned site will include new ways to browse content (alphabetically and by category) and will incorporate improved search technologies. Perhaps most interesting is the introduction of a “related documents” feature, which will be continuously implemented in an effort to present like items on the same issue together from different parts of the site. To learn more about the new features and for a list of everything available on the new platform, visit the GPO’s helpful site inviting you to get to know govinfo.

Here are the major resources you’ll be able to search and browse on govinfo:

Executive Branch Materials:

  • The Federal Register
  • The Code of Federal Regulations
  • The Federal Budget

Legislative Branch Materials:

  • The U.S. Code
  • House and Senate Bills
  • The Congressional Record
  • Congressional Calendars, Hearings, and Reports 

Judicial Branch Materials:

  • U.S. Court Opinions

The GPO has come a long way in recent years to make federal legal authorities available online. In 2011, the GPO migrated to the current FDsys platform from what was then known as GPO Access. In 2012, the GPO created a standalone site for the e-CFR. The GPO also made many Presidential documents available in one place. And just this past year, the GPO announced plans to offer digital access to every copy of the Federal Register. While all of these resources have been available through FDsys, the information existed in a multitude of places and without strong browsing features, which is why a new “one-stop-shop” for federal materials should make researchers breathe a sigh of relief.

Happy searching!