# US Congress Bill Status Scraper (GovInfo) (`soogrow_berries/us-congress-bills-scraper`) Actor

Status of US House and Senate bills from GovInfo's official bulk data: title, sponsor, cosponsor count, committees, policy area, subjects, latest action, CRS summary and law number. Newest updates first.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/soogrow_berries/us-congress-bills-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Matt](https://apify.com/soogrow_berries) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$3.33 / 1,000 bill saveds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## US Congress Bill Status Scraper (GovInfo)

Track legislative changes for a policy watchlist using GovInfo's official US House and Senate bill-status data. Get up to Maximum results bills per run, one row per bill, with newest changes first when reading bill lists.

### What does this Actor do?

- **You give:** nothing (the 20 newest-changed House and Senate bills), bill numbers such as `HR 1` or `S 2875`, GovInfo bill lists such as [House bills of the 119th Congress](https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/hr), or congress.gov bill pages such as [H.R. 1](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1).
- **You get:** bill ID, type and number, title, chamber, date introduced, sponsor (name, party, state, Bioguide ID), number of cosponsors, policy area, subjects, committees, latest action and its date, number of actions, the latest summary by the Congressional Research Service, the law number when it became law, the time of the latest change, and links to congress.gov and the source file.
- **How many:** up to Maximum results bills (20 by default) from the selected Congress and bill types. The newest changes come first for bill lists; "Updated since" keeps only bills changed on or after a date.
- **Speed and limits:** in local test runs on 2026-10-08 (UTC), a run of 20 bills took 5 s, and 30 bills from three lists took 3 s. Each list is one file naming up to about 10,000 bills; each bill is one small file, read 2 at a time, up to 60 a minute.
- **Price:** $3.33 per 1,000 bills (20 bills = $0.0666). No start fee. No proxy needed.
- **Not included:** bill text, votes, amendments and the list of cosponsor names.

### Input

| Field | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| GovInfo bill lists or bills | Lists per Congress and bill type (`.../BILLSTATUS/119/hr`), bill status files, or congress.gov bill pages | House and Senate bills, 119th Congress |
| Bill numbers | Bills by number, such as `HR 1`, `S 2875`, `H.J.Res. 12`, `118 HR 815` | None |
| Updated since | Lists only: keep bills changed on or after this date; the rest are not read or charged | None |
| Maximum results | Stop after this many bills | 20 |
| Only new results | Skip bills an earlier run with the same input already saved, unless their status changed since; they are not saved or charged | Off |
| Leave out names of people | Empty the sponsor name and Bioguide ID | Off |
| Proxy configuration | Optional; the Actor runs without one | No proxy |

Bill types: `hr` (House bill), `s` (Senate bill), `hjres`, `sjres` (joint resolutions), `hconres`, `sconres` (concurrent resolutions), `hres`, `sres` (simple resolutions).

Example: up to 1,000 House bills whose status changed since 1 October 2026.

```json
{
    "startUrls": [
        { "url": "https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/hr" }
    ],
    "updatedSince": "2026-10-01",
    "maxItems": 1000
}
```

Run it daily with "Only new results" on to skip previously saved bill versions. Each run still stops at Maximum results; it does not guarantee every intermediate status change between runs.

### Output

One record per bill. Download it as JSON, CSV, Excel or HTML from the Output tab, or read it through the Apify API.

```json
{
    "billId": "119-hr-1178",
    "congress": 119,
    "billType": "HR",
    "billNumber": 1178,
    "title": "Alpha-gal Allergen Inclusion Act",
    "originChamber": "House",
    "introducedDate": "2025-02-10",
    "sponsorName": "Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2]",
    "sponsorParty": "R",
    "sponsorState": "NJ",
    "cosponsorCount": 46,
    "policyArea": "Health",
    "subjects": [
        "Allergies"
    ],
    "committees": [
        "Energy and Commerce Committee"
    ],
    "latestActionDate": "2025-02-10",
    "latestActionText": "Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.",
    "actionCount": 3,
    "lawNumber": null,
    "updatedAt": "2026-10-07T20:30:21Z",
    "congressGovUrl": "https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1178",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-10-08T03:11:31.111Z"
}
```

A real record from a local test run on 2026-10-08 (UTC), shortened to 21 of its 25 fields. Not shown: `recordId`, `sponsorBioguideId`, `summary`, `sourceUrl`.

`recordId` is the bill ID plus the time of its latest change, so a bill whose status changes shows up again under "Only new results". `summary` is plain text, `null` until the Congressional Research Service writes one.

The run also saves an `OUTCOME` record in its key-value store, and the same sentence as the run's status message: `COMPLETE` (no more bills), `MAX_RESULTS` (stopped at Maximum results), `SPENDING_LIMIT`, `PARTIAL` (some files failed to load), `PAGE_LIMIT`, `NO_NEW_RESULTS` (Only new results is on and nothing is new), `NO_RESULTS` (no bill changed since your date) or `FAILED`. Only `FAILED` ends the run as failed.

### Pricing

You pay $3.33 per 1,000 bills, only for bills saved. No start fee. Platform costs are included in the price.
Example: the default maximum of 20 saved bills costs $0.0666 (20 × $0.00333). Fewer saved bills cost proportionally less.

- A bill found in two of your lists or inputs is saved and charged once per run.
- Bills left out by "Updated since" are not read or charged.
- A run that cannot read anything stops with a reason and costs nothing.
- A bill seen again in a later run is saved and charged again, unless "Only new results" is on.
- Set "Maximum results" or a spending limit to cap the cost.

### Notes

- This Actor is an independent tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by GovInfo, the US Government Publishing Office, the Library of Congress or congress.gov.
- It reads GovInfo's public bulk data files, which need no key. US government works are in the public domain.
- Sponsor names are those of members of Congress acting in office. "Leave out names of people" empties them if your use needs no names.
- Found a problem? Open an issue on the Issues tab and include the run link.

# Actor input Schema

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

GovInfo bill status lists, one per Congress and bill type, such as https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/hr (House bills of the 119th Congress) or .../119/s (Senate bills). Types: hr, s, hjres, sjres, hconres, sconres, hres, sres. Single bills also work: a GovInfo bill status file or a congress.gov bill page such as https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1 (the Actor reads the GovInfo file for it).

## `bills` (type: `array`):

Optional. Bills by number, such as "HR 1", "S 2875", "H.J.Res. 12" or "118 HR 815" (a number before the type picks the Congress; the default is the 119th). In the Console, clear the lists above if you want these bills only.

## `updatedSince` (type: `string`):

Optional, for lists only. Keep only bills whose GovInfo status file changed on or after this date (YYYY-MM-DD). Bills left out are not read and not charged.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Stop after saving this many bills. You pay per result, so this also caps the cost.

## `onlyNew` (type: `boolean`):

Skip bills that an earlier run with the same lists and filters already saved. Skipped bills are not saved and not charged. The list of saved IDs is kept in a key-value store named "us-congress-bills-scraper-seen" in your Apify account; delete it to start over. A bill counts as new again when its status changes (the ID includes the update time).

## `leaveOutPersonFields` (type: `boolean`):

Empty the sponsor name and sponsor ID (sponsorName, sponsorBioguideId). Party and state stay.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Optional. The Actor runs without a proxy.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/hr"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/s"
    }
  ],
  "maxItems": 20,
  "onlyNew": false,
  "leaveOutPersonFields": false,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `bills` (type: `string`):

Saved bills in the default dataset.

## `runSummary` (type: `string`):

Run outcome record in the default key-value store.

# 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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "startUrls": [
        {
            "url": "https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/hr"
        },
        {
            "url": "https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/s"
        }
    ],
    "maxItems": 20,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": false
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("soogrow_berries/us-congress-bills-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 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);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → 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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "startUrls": [
        { "url": "https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/hr" },
        { "url": "https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/s" },
    ],
    "maxItems": 20,
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": False },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("soogrow_berries/us-congress-bills-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/hr"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/s"
    }
  ],
  "maxItems": 20,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}' |
apify call soogrow_berries/us-congress-bills-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,soogrow_berries/us-congress-bills-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/7XsXOFy9qtCRifj3w/builds/3pPdkw1azdh8IXXN8/openapi.json