# Congress.gov Bills Scraper | US Federal Legislation Export (`parseforge/congress-gov-bills-scraper`) Actor Export US House and Senate bills from congress.gov: number, title, chamber, latest action, update date and direct URL. Filter by Congress number and bill type (HR, S, HJRES, SJRES and resolutions). CSV, Excel, JSON or XML for legislative tracking and policy research. - **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/congress-gov-bills-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community) - **Categories:** Other, News - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $19.00 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ![ParseForge Banner](https://github.com/ParseForge/apify-assets/blob/ad35ccc13ddd068b9d6cba33f323962e39aed5b2/banner.jpg?raw=true) ## ๐Ÿ› Congress.gov Bills Scraper > ๐Ÿš€ **Export US federal legislation in seconds. House and Senate bills with chamber, action, sponsors, and dates.** > ๐Ÿ•’ **Last updated:** 2026-05-26 ยท **๐Ÿ“Š 11 fields** per record ยท **Federal scale** ยท **All US bills since the 93rd Congress** Congress.gov is the official source for US federal legislative information. This actor queries the api.congress.gov bills endpoint and returns clean, one-row-per-bill records. Coverage spans every Congress, every bill type (HR, S, HJRES, SJRES, and resolutions), with chamber, latest action, and timestamps. | ๐ŸŽฏ Target Audience | ๐Ÿ’ก Primary Use Cases | |---|---| | Policy researchers | Track bill movement | | Government affairs teams | Monitor relevant legislation | | Journalists | Cover Congress | | Civic tech developers | Power dashboards | ### ๐Ÿ“‹ What the Congress.gov Bills Scraper does - Pulls bills from the official congress.gov API - Filters by Congress number and bill type - Returns title, chamber, latest action, update date, and direct URL - Sortable by update date > ๐Ÿ’ก **Why it matters:** Tracking legislation is essential for policy, compliance, and advocacy work. ### ๐ŸŽฌ Full Demo (_๐Ÿšง Coming soon_) ### โš™๏ธ Input
FieldTypeDescription
maxItemsintegerCap on rows
congressintegerCongress number (e.g. 118)
billTypeenumhr, s, hjres, sjres, etc.
sortenumSort order
apiKeystringOptional congress.gov key
```json { "maxItems": 50, "congress": 118 } ```` ```json { "maxItems": 100, "congress": 119, "billType": "hr", "sort": "updateDate+desc" } ``` > โš ๏ธ **Good to Know:** The DEMO\_KEY is rate-limited. For high volume, get a free key at api.congress.gov. ### ๐Ÿ“Š Output | Field | Type | Description | |---|---|---| | ๐Ÿ“Œ congress | integer | Congress number | | billType | string | hr, s, hjres, sjres, etc. | | ๐Ÿ”ข billNumber | string | Bill number | | ๐Ÿ“ title | string | Official bill title | | ๐Ÿ› originChamber | string | House or Senate | | latestActionDate | string | Date of last action | | latestActionText | string | Text of last action | | updateDate | string | Last update timestamp | | ๐Ÿ”— url | string | API URL | | ๐ŸŒ congressGovUrl | string | Public bill page | | ๐Ÿ•’ scrapedAt | string | ISO timestamp | ### โœจ Why choose this Actor - Direct congress.gov API: no scraping fragility - Real-time data, no cached responses - Works with Make, Zapier, Airbyte, GitHub Actions, Google Sheets ### ๐Ÿ“ˆ How it compares to alternatives | Approach | Cost | Maintenance | Coverage | |---|---|---|---| | This actor | Pay per result | None | Full | | Manual congress.gov scrape | Free | High | Limited UI | | Commercial legislative trackers | $$$ | None | Curated | ### ๐Ÿš€ How to use 1. [Create a free account w/ $5 credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp) 2. Open the actor page 3. Set inputs 4. Run 5. Download dataset as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML ### ๐Ÿ’ผ Business use cases #### Competitor and market monitoring Track legislation affecting your industry as it moves through Congress. #### Pipeline expansion Build lobbying or advocacy targeting lists by committee or sponsor. #### Compliance and due diligence Audit compliance exposure as new bills are introduced. #### Market sizing and research Quantify legislative activity per session for political-science research. ### ๐Ÿ”Œ Automating Congress.gov Bills Scraper Connects with Make, Zapier, Slack, Airbyte, GitHub Actions, and Google Drive via Apify's standard integrations. ### ๐ŸŒŸ Beyond business use cases #### Research Academic studies on legislative productivity. #### Personal Civic engagement and constituent education. #### Non-profit Non-profit advocacy and watchdog work. #### Experimentation Train models on US legislative text. ### ๐Ÿค– Ask an AI assistant about this scraper ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or Copilot can explain inputs, sample outputs, and integration patterns. ### โ“ Frequently Asked Questions **Q: Do I need an API key?** A: DEMO\_KEY works for light use. Get a free key from api.congress.gov for high volume. **Q: How current is the data?** A: Within hours of official congress.gov updates. **Q: Are sponsors included?** A: This actor returns headline metadata. Sponsor detail is a future enhancement. **Q: How far back does data go?** A: To the 93rd Congress (1973). **Q: Can I filter by status?** A: Filter by Congress and type; status is in latestActionText. **Q: Are amendments included?** A: No, this actor focuses on bills and resolutions. **Q: Does this include treaties?** A: No, treaties have a separate endpoint. **Q: Can I get full bill text?** A: Use congressGovUrl to fetch text; this actor returns metadata. **Q: How accurate is the data?** A: As accurate as congress.gov. **Q: Are votes included?** A: Not directly; use the linked URL. ### ๐Ÿ”Œ Integrate with any app Make, Zapier, Slack, Airbyte, GitHub Actions, Google Sheets, Webhooks. ### ๐Ÿ”— Recommended Actors | Actor | Description | |---|---| | [USAspending Contracts Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/usaspending-contracts-scraper) | Federal contract awards | | [FDIC Bank Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/fdic-bank-scraper) | FDIC institution data | | [SEC EDGAR Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/sec-edgar-scraper) | SEC company filings | > ๐Ÿ’ก **Pro Tip:** browse the complete [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge). **๐Ÿ†˜ Need Help?** [Open our contact form](https://tally.so/r/BzdKgA) > **โš ๏ธ Disclaimer:** independent tool, not affiliated with the source organization. Only publicly available data collected. # Actor input Schema ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Free users: 10. Paid: up to 1,000,000 ## `congress` (type: `integer`): e.g. 118, 119. Leave empty for all. ## `billType` (type: `string`): Bill type slug ## `sort` (type: `string`): Sort order ## `apiKey` (type: `string`): Get a free key at https://api.congress.gov. Leave empty to use DEMO\_KEY (rate-limited). ## Actor input object example ```json { "maxItems": 10, "sort": "updateDate+desc" } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "maxItems": 10 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("parseforge/congress-gov-bills-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`๐Ÿ’พ Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // ๐Ÿ“š Want to learn more ๐Ÿ“–? Go to โ†’ https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "maxItems": 10 } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("parseforge/congress-gov-bills-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("๐Ÿ’พ Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # ๐Ÿ“š Want to learn more ๐Ÿ“–? Go to โ†’ https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "maxItems": 10 }' | apify call parseforge/congress-gov-bills-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=parseforge/congress-gov-bills-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Congress.gov Bills Scraper | US Federal Legislation Export", "description": "Export US House and Senate bills from congress.gov: number, title, chamber, latest action, update date and direct URL. Filter by Congress number and bill type (HR, S, HJRES, SJRES and resolutions). CSV, Excel, JSON or XML for legislative tracking and policy research.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "1Q3WuXvLPLeCat7Go" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/parseforge~congress-gov-bills-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-parseforge-congress-gov-bills-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/parseforge~congress-gov-bills-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-parseforge-congress-gov-bills-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/parseforge~congress-gov-bills-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-parseforge-congress-gov-bills-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "maxItems": { "title": "Max Items", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 1000000, "type": "integer", "description": "Free users: 10. Paid: up to 1,000,000" }, "congress": { "title": "Congress Number", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 200, "type": "integer", "description": "e.g. 118, 119. Leave empty for all." }, "billType": { "title": "Bill Type", "enum": [ "hr", "s", "hjres", "sjres", "hconres", "sconres", "hres", "sres" ], "type": "string", "description": "Bill type slug" }, "sort": { "title": "Sort", "enum": [ "updateDate+desc", "updateDate+asc" ], "type": "string", "description": "Sort order", "default": "updateDate+desc" }, "apiKey": { "title": "congress.gov API Key (optional)", "type": "string", "description": "Get a free key at https://api.congress.gov. Leave empty to use DEMO_KEY (rate-limited)." } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```