Search Documents in the Federal Register With Govpulse

by Lisa Hoover - Sep. 07, 2009Comments (1)

If you like to follow U.S. politics but have trouble keeping up with all the legislation that the government is working on at any given time, then govpulse is an open source project you'll want to know about. It's a finalist in the Apps for America 2 contest and is a real boon for American citizens who want to know what's happening inside the federal office of our nation.

Since 1935, the Federal Register has been the main repository of information for newly proposed laws and regulations, public governmental meeting notifications, final rulings, Presidential documents and more. It's updated every business day and contains over one million pages of information about governmental proceedings, but there's never been an easy way to search its data -- until now.

Using powerful filters and search features, govpulse lets users dig through Federal Register documents as far back as 1994. Search by agency, topic, location, date published, or event date, to pull up an abstract and publication details, or the full text of the document itself.

Results also the government representatives behind each result, and contact information for further research. If you're really moved by the document you're reading, a handy sidebar feature lets you share it instantly on Twitter, Facebook, Digg, or Reddit.

The Apps for America 2 contest is scheduled to close September 8, 2009, so if govpulse strikes you as a worthwhile project, you might want to swing by and cast your vote. Winning projects receive cash prizes and a trip to the awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. later this year.