Frequency of Updates: Research is generally performed once a week to identify legislative updates and new legislation starting with the 111th Congress. The bulletin will be archived at the end of the legislative session. Email alerts will be generally sent out weekly as new information is published on the web site.

Selection Policy & Process: The National Indian Law Library (NILL) endeavors to retrieve legislation of importance that deals specifically with Native Americans.

We run searches using the Thomas website to identify new and updated legislative information. In addition to this research ,we monitor news feeds, Indian law Internet lists and groups, Indian law-related newsletters and receive tips from colleagues on new legislation. We provide links to related legislation but do not include companion bills. During this process, the non-attorney library staff uses its judgment as to which legislation should be included in the bulletin. Therefore, this bulletin should not be considered an exhaustive list of legislation, and should not substitute for independent research and does not constitute legal advice.

General legislation with an impact on all US citizens including Native Americans is generally not included. The entire or significant portion of the legislation must deal specifically with Native Americans or tribes. Summaries of legislation are generally provided by the Congressional Research Service when available.

Sources of Information: The main source for information about the legislation is the Thomas web site provied by the Library of Congress. (Thomas.loc.gov). News information is found from a variety of sources, but primarily Google News Alerts, and the LLesiant news service.

Searching & Browsing Tips: Legislation is listed under topics and laws passed are in bold. Use "find on this page" or our full-text web site search feature to locate information. Contact the library for help on or to make suggestions for this bulletin.