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The U.S. House of Representatives Document Repository (docs.house.gov) provides public access to text of legislation that may be considered on the House Floor during a legislative week and documents related to scheduled Committee meetings. Documents are made available in accordance with the rules of the House of Representatives and standards adopted by the Committee on House Administration.

Q. What is available on the Document Repository?

A. Text of legislation that may be considered on the House Floor is posted each legislative week at docs.house.gov/floor. Documents related to scheduled Committee meetings are posted at docs.house.gov/committee.

If available, both PDF and XML versions of documents are posted. Documents processed and published by the Government Publishing Office (GPO) may be linked directly to GovInfo.gov, a certified ISO 16363:2012 Trusted Digital Repository that provides access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.

Q. Whom should I contact if I have a question about a document on the Document Repository?

A. The Majority Leader and Committee on Rules provide content for “Bills to Be Considered on the House Floor” at docs.house.gov. For inquiries, please contact the Majority Leader’s Office at 202-225-0197.

The standing and select Committees of the House are responsible for posting documents related to their scheduled meetings on the “Committee Repository” at docs.house.gov/committee. Links to each Committee website with contact information can be found on house.gov/committees and clerk.house.gov/committees.

Legal Status and Authenticity of the XML Files on the Document Repository

Q. Are XML files digitally signed?

A. XML files available for download are not digitally signed. They can be manipulated and enriched to operate in the various applications that users may devise.

Q. Are PDF documents digitally signed?

A. GPO uses digital signature technology on PDF documents to add a visible Seal of Authenticity (a graphic of an eagle) to authenticated and certified documents. The technology allows GPO to secure data integrity and assure users that the content is unchanged since it was published. The Seal of Authenticity displays in print. Signed and certified documents also display a blue ribbon icon to the left of the Seal of Authenticity and in the Signatures tab within Adobe Acrobat or Reader but the blue ribbon will not display in print. Not all documents in the repository have been or will be authenticated by GPO.

Q. What is the authenticity of data files from the Document Repository after they have been downloaded to another site?

A. We cannot guarantee the authenticity of data that is not under the control of the U.S. House of Representatives. The House does not endorse third-party applications and does not evaluate how our data is displayed elsewhere. Consumers should form their own conclusions as to the reliability of downloaded data or enriched results from third-party applications.

XML Description for Re-publishers and Third-party Data Users

An XML file for each legislative week is available for “Bills to be Considered on the House Floor” at docs.house.gov/floor. This XML is well-formed and the elements and attributes are self-describing.

An XML file for each posted Committee meeting is available in the “Committee Repository” at docs.house.gov/committee. This XML is well-formed and the elements and attributes are self-describing.

The <current-status> element describes the status of the meeting and it can contain one of the following values:

• S = scheduled
• R = rescheduled
• P = postponed (and not yet rescheduled)
• C = cancelled

Bill, Resolution, and Amendment Documents

The XML for bills, resolutions, and amendment documents posted on the Committee Repository adhere to the Legislative Branch Exchange Document Type Definitions (DTDs) as described on the Legislative Documents in XML at the United States House of Representatives site (xml.house.gov). The style sheet used to display the XML is maintained by GPO and managed by the Legislative Branch XML Working Group. XML files in this format are also available on GovInfo.gov and the Library of Congress (LOC) websites.