search_bills

Search a session's bills by keyword, stage, patron, or chapter number.

This is the full text search; list_bills only matches the number and the short description. keyword searches the summaries, or the bill text when search_in is "Bill Text", and takes AND, OR, and parentheses ("firearm AND ammunition"). LIS drops common words, so "the" finds nothing. category is a stage a bill reached, by name: "In Committee", "Passed House", "Continued", "Vetoed", "Acts of Assembly chapters"; an unknown name answers with the full list. member_id narrows to one patron in any role. chapter finds the bill behind an Acts of Assembly chapter (350 finds CHAP0350). At least one of the four is required.

One row per bill, in LIS order, with status, chapter, chief patron, and the committee that holds the bill. include_summaries adds the plain text of each bill's furthest-along summary. A keyword search on its own includes failed bills; with category or member_id LIS leaves out failed and incorporated bills. limit is capped at 200; page with offset.