Congressional research service: The research and information arm of congress

Although the beginning of legislative reference service by the Library of Congress can be identified as early as 1815, a more specialized organization with the specific responsibility of providing such assistance emerged with support from leaders of the Progressive Movement just before the dawn of World War I. Subsequent revisions of this mandate in 1946 and 1970 have resulted in the current Congressional Research Service, which continues to meet the requirements of responsiveness, objectivity, and tolerance that are much a part of its two hundred years of tradition.