Federal Legislative Sources http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.php
Pending and Prior Legislation:
Bill Search by Word/Phrase in the current or Multiple Congresses
Example: <hydraulic fracturing> or <cultural preservation> or <cultural heritage>
From the Bill Summary & Status box are links to House or Senate Reports which will contain statements of the Purpose of the Bill, Background and Need for Legislation and information about Committee hearings if any were held and links to the testimony of witnesses.
House and Senate Committees:
From the Government Resources link on THOMAS is a link to lists of House and Senate Committees:
House of Representative Committees are at http://www.house.gov/committees/ and include:
Energy & Commerce: http://energycommerce.house.gov/
Natural Resources: http://naturalresources.house.gov/
Science, Space & Technology: http://science.house.gov/
Appropriations: http://appropriations.house.gov/ search <preservation>
Senate Committees are at http://www.senate.gov/ Click on the link to Committees at the top. Senate Committees include:
Energy & Natural Resources: http://www.energy.senate.gov/public/
Indian Affairs: http://www.indian.senate.gov/
On both House and Senate committee webpages use the internal search box for specific words or phrases. Also pay attention to the Committee structure by looking at Sub-Committees and their jurisdiction. Look also for links to News for topical issues; Hearings, Legislation, Issues etc. to see what issues the committee and subcommittees are dealing with that may be a research topic.