Congress

Get Bill

get_bill

Read-onlyIdempotent

Look up one congressional bill from congress.gov (the Library of Congress's official API) by its real-world identifier — congress number, bill type and bill number, e.g. the 118th Congress H.R. 1. Returns title, sponsor, current status (congress.gov's free-text latestAction) with its date, introduced date, whether/which law it became, and the congress.gov link. Does NOT return bill text, cosponsors, committee assignments or vote history. Requires an API key: a free api.data.gov key works — supplied automatically when called through the Pipeworx gateway.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`number`	Yes	Bill number within that congress, e.g. 1 for H.R. 1
`congress`	Yes	Congress number, e.g. 118
`bill_type`	Yes	Bill type: hr, s, hres, sres, hjres, sjres, hconres or sconres (congress.gov's own short codes). The long GovTrack-era forms (house_bill, senate_bill, ...) and 'h.r.' are also accepted.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`id`	Yes	Bill ID
`link`	No	GovTrack bill URL
`title`	No	Full bill title
`number`	No	Bill number
`status`	No	Current status code
`congress`	No	Congress number
`bill_type`	No	Bill type code
`status_date`	No	Date of current status
`sponsor_name`	No	Primary sponsor name
`status_label`	No	Current status label
`bill_type_label`	No	Bill type label
`introduced_date`	No	Bill introduction date
`title_without_number`	No	Bill title without number prefix

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed2 schema fields changedNov 3, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / bill_type / description

Previous value: -"GovTrack bill type: house_bill, senate_bill, house_resolution, senate_resolution, house_joint_resolution, senate_joint_resolution, house_concurrent_resolution or senate_concurrent_resolution. 'hr' and 'h.r.' are accepted as house_bill, 's' as senate_bill."New value: +"Bill type: hr, s, hres, sres, hjres, sjres, hconres or sconres (congress.gov's own short codes). The long GovTrack-era forms (house_bill, senate_bill, ...) and 'h.r.' are also accepted."

removedInput schema / properties / id

Removed value: -{
-  "description": "GovTrack internal numeric bill id. Legacy — v2 no longer returns it on any endpoint, so prefer congress + bill_type + number.",
-  "type": "number"
-}

Changed6 schema fields changedSep 23, 2026

changedInput schema / examples

Previous value: -[
-  {
-    "id": 3456789
-  }
-]New value: +[
+  {
+    "bill_type": "house_bill",
+    "congress": 118,
+    "number": 1
+  }
+]

addedInput schema / properties / bill_type

Added value: +{
+  "description": "GovTrack bill type: house_bill, senate_bill, house_resolution, senate_resolution, house_joint_resolution, senate_joint_resolution, house_concurrent_resolution or senate_concurrent_resolution. 'hr' and 'h.r.' are accepted as house_bill, 's' as senate_bill.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / congress

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Congress number, e.g. 118",
+  "type": "number"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / id / description

Previous value: -"GovTrack bill ID (numeric)"New value: +"GovTrack internal numeric bill id. Legacy — v2 no longer returns it on any endpoint, so prefer congress + bill_type + number."

addedInput schema / properties / number

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Bill number within that congress, e.g. 1 for H.R. 1",
+  "type": "number"
+}

changedInput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "id"
-]New value: +[
+  "congress",
+  "bill_type",
+  "number"
+]

Changed2 schema fields changedMay 24, 2026

addedInput schema / examples

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "id": 3456789
+  }
+]

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "properties": {
+    "bill_type": {
+      "description": "Bill type code",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "bill_type_label": {
+      "description": "Bill type label",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "congress": {
+      "description": "Congress number",
+      "type": [
+        "number",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "id": {
+      "description": "Bill ID",
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "introduced_date": {
+      "description": "Bill introduction date",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "link": {
+      "description": "GovTrack bill URL",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "number": {
+      "description": "Bill number",
+      "type": [
+        "number",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "sponsor_name": {
+      "description": "Primary sponsor name",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "status": {
+      "description": "Current status code",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "status_date": {
+      "description": "Date of current status",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "status_label": {
+      "description": "Current status label",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "title": {
+      "description": "Full bill title",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "title_without_number": {
+      "description": "Bill title without number prefix",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "id"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

Changed2 schema fields changedMay 12, 2026

removedInput schema / examples

Removed value: -[
-  {
-    "id": 3456789
-  }
-]

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -{
-  "properties": {
-    "bill_type": {
-      "description": "Bill type code",
-      "type": [
-        "string",
-        "null"
-      ]
-    },
-    "bill_type_label": {
-      "description": "Bill type label",
-      "type": [
-        "string",
-        "null"
-      ]
-    },
-    "congress": {
-      "description": "Congress number",
-      "type": [
-        "number",
-        "null"
-      ]
-    },
-    "id": {
-      "description": "Bill ID",
-      "type": "number"
-    },
-    "introduced_date": {
-      "description": "Bill introduction date",
-      "type": [
-        "string",
-        "null"
-      ]
-    },
-    "link": {
-      "description": "GovTrack bill URL",
-      "type": [
-        "string",
-        "null"
-      ]
-    },
-    "number": {
-      "description": "Bill number",
-      "type": [
-        "number",
-        "null"
-      ]
-    },
-    "sponsor_name": {
-      "description": "Primary sponsor name",
-      "type": [
-        "string",
-        "null"
-      ]
-    },
-    "status": {
-      "description": "Current status code",
-      "type": [
-        "string",
-        "null"
-      ]
-    },
-    "status_date": {
-      "description": "Date of current status",
-      "type": [
-        "string",
-        "null"
-      ]
-    },
-    "status_label": {
-      "description": "Current status label",
-      "type": [
-        "string",
-        "null"
-      ]
-    },
-    "title": {
-      "description": "Full bill title",
-      "type": [
-        "string",
-        "null"
-      ]
-    },
-    "title_without_number": {
-      "description": "Bill title without number prefix",
-      "type": [
-        "string",
-        "null"
-      ]
-    }
-  },
-  "required": [
-    "id"
-  ],
-  "type": "object"
-}New value: +null

Changed1 schema field changedMay 8, 2026

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "properties": {
+    "bill_type": {
+      "description": "Bill type code",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "bill_type_label": {
+      "description": "Bill type label",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "congress": {
+      "description": "Congress number",
+      "type": [
+        "number",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "id": {
+      "description": "Bill ID",
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "introduced_date": {
+      "description": "Bill introduction date",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "link": {
+      "description": "GovTrack bill URL",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "number": {
+      "description": "Bill number",
+      "type": [
+        "number",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "sponsor_name": {
+      "description": "Primary sponsor name",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "status": {
+      "description": "Current status code",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "status_date": {
+      "description": "Date of current status",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "status_label": {
+      "description": "Current status label",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "title": {
+      "description": "Full bill title",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "title_without_number": {
+      "description": "Bill title without number prefix",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "id"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

Changed1 schema field changedMay 6, 2026
- addedInput schema / examples
```
Added value: +[
+  {
+    "id": 3456789
+  }
+]
```
First observedApr 22, 2026

TDQS

A4.6/5.0

Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations cover safety (readOnly, idempotent, non-destructive), and the description adds what annotations cannot: the exact response fields (title, sponsor, free-text latestAction with date, introduced date, law status, link), the important quirk that status is congress.gov's free-text latestAction rather than a normalized state, and the API-key requirement including that the gateway supplies it automatically. That is real behavioral context beyond structured data.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Front-loaded with the verb, source and identifier, then returns, then exclusions, then auth — a sensible order with no filler sentences. Slightly dense as a single paragraph, and the parenthetical about the Library of Congress is incidental, keeping it below a 5.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a single-item lookup with three required params, an output schema, and annotations handling safety, the description covers everything an agent needs: what to supply, what comes back, what deliberately does not come back, and how auth works. No material gaps remain.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so baseline is 3; the description adds value by tying the three parameters to a real-world citation form ('the 118th Congress H.R. 1'), which clarifies how congress, bill_type and number combine. It does not restate the accepted bill_type code variants, but the schema already handles that.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb and resource ('look up one congressional bill from congress.gov') and pins down the identifier scheme (congress number + bill type + number) with a concrete example. The word 'one' plus 'by its real-world identifier' distinguishes it from the sibling search_bills and get_recent_bills, which are list/query tools rather than single-item lookups.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The identifier-based framing plus the explicit 'Does NOT return bill text, cosponsors, committee assignments or vote history' clause routes the agent away from this tool when it needs those details. It stops short of naming alternatives (e.g. 'use search_bills when you only have a keyword'), so it earns a 4 rather than 5.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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Get Bill

Input Schema

Output Schema

Schema Changelog

TDQS

Glama MCP Gateway

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