CongressMCP-full

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Get Member Sponsored Legislation - Bills and resolutions sponsored by a member

get_member_sponsored_legislation

Retrieve bills and resolutions sponsored by a specific member of Congress using their bioguide ID, with options to limit and paginate results.

Instructions

Get legislation sponsored by a specific member of Congress.

Args:
    ctx: Context for API requests
    bioguide_id: Unique bioguide identifier for the member
    limit: Maximum number of sponsored bills to return
    offset: Zero-based offset for pagination

Returns:
    List of bills and resolutions sponsored by the member

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`limit`	No
`offset`	No
`bioguide_id`	Yes

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`error`	No	Present when success is false: the section-9 error envelope
`items`	No	Results of other kinds (bills, reports, communications, nominations), as returned by Congress.gov
`context`	Yes	Context about the search or operation performed
`members`	No	Member results
`success`	Yes	Whether the operation was successful
`summary`	Yes	Human-readable summary of the results
`item_kind`	No	What `items` contains (bill, committee_report, communication, nomination, ...)
`operation`	Yes	The operation that was performed
`committees`	No	Committee results
`results_count`	Yes	Number of items returned (equals the populated list's length)

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed34 schema fields changedv2.2.0Aug 26, 2026

addedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / chamber / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / chamber / default
```
Added value: +null
```
removedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / chamber / type
```
Removed value: -"string"
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / committee_code / description

Previous value: -"Official committee code"New value: +"Official committee system code (e.g. hsju00)"

addedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / committee_type / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / committee_type / default
```
Added value: +null
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / committee_type / description

Previous value: -"Type of committee (Standing, Select, etc.)"New value: +"Type of committee (Standing, Select, ...)"

removedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / committee_type / type
```
Removed value: -"string"
```
addedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / url / default
```
Added value: +null
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / url / description

Previous value: -"Congress.gov URL for committee details"New value: +"Congress.gov API URL for committee details"

changedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / required

Previous value: -[
-  "committee_code",
-  "name",
-  "chamber",
-  "committee_type",
-  "url"
-]New value: +[
+  "committee_code",
+  "name"
+]

addedOutput schema / $defs / ErrorInfo

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Section-9 error payload: stable code, human message, secret-safe\ndetail, actionable remediation. Mirrors the bill-text tools' envelope\n(documentation/fulltext/04-tools-responses.md section 9).",
+  "properties": {
+    "code": {
+      "description": "Stable machine-readable error code (lowercase)",
+      "title": "Code",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "detail": {
+      "anyOf": [
+        {
+          "additionalProperties": true,
+          "type": "object"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "null"
+        }
+      ],
+      "default": null,
+      "description": "Structured context; never carries secrets",
+      "title": "Detail"
+    },
+    "message": {
+      "description": "What went wrong",
+      "title": "Message",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "remediation": {
+      "anyOf": [
+        {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "null"
+        }
+      ],
+      "default": null,
+      "description": "What the caller should do about it",
+      "title": "Remediation"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "code",
+    "message"
+  ],
+  "title": "ErrorInfo",
+  "type": "object"
+}

changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / description

Previous value: -"Summary information about a member of Congress."New value: +"Summary information about a member of Congress (list-level fields)."

addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / chamber / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / chamber / default
```
Added value: +null
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / chamber / description

Previous value: -"Chamber (House or Senate)"New value: +"Chamber of the member's most recent term"

removedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / chamber / type
```
Removed value: -"string"
```

addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / current_member / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "boolean"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / current_member / default
```
Added value: +null
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / current_member / description

Previous value: -"Whether this person is currently serving"New value: +"Whether currently serving (None if unknown)"

removedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / current_member / type
```
Removed value: -"boolean"
```
addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / district / default
```
Added value: +null
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / district / description

Previous value: -"District number (for House members)"New value: +"District number (House members)"

addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / party / default
```
Added value: +null
```
changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / party / description
```
Previous value: -"Political party (D, R, I)"New value: +"Political party"
```
addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / state / default
```
Added value: +null
```
addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / url / default
```
Added value: +null
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / url / description

Previous value: -"Congress.gov URL for member details"New value: +"Congress.gov API URL for member details"

changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / required

Previous value: -[
-  "bioguide_id",
-  "name",
-  "party",
-  "state",
-  "district",
-  "chamber",
-  "current_member",
-  "url"
-]New value: +[
+  "bioguide_id",
+  "name"
+]

changedOutput schema / description

Previous value: -"Response from the members and committees tool."New value: +"Response from the members and committees tools.\n\nSome operations return items that are neither members nor committees\n(a member's sponsored bills, a committee's reports/communications/\nnominations); those arrive in `items` as the API's own dicts, labeled\nby `item_kind`."

addedOutput schema / properties / error

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "$ref": "#/$defs/ErrorInfo"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "description": "Present when success is false: the section-9 error envelope"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / item_kind

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "description": "What `items` contains (bill, committee_report, communication, nomination, ...)",
+  "title": "Item Kind"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / items

Added value: +{
+  "default": [],
+  "description": "Results of other kinds (bills, reports, communications, nominations), as returned by Congress.gov",
+  "items": {
+    "additionalProperties": true,
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  "title": "Items",
+  "type": "array"
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / results_count / description

Previous value: -"Number of results returned"New value: +"Number of items returned (equals the populated list's length)"

Changed1 schema field changedv2.1.0Aug 21, 2026
- addedInput schema / properties / offset
```
Added value: +{
+  "default": 0,
+  "title": "Offset",
+  "type": "integer"
+}
```
First observedv2.0.0Apr 3, 2026

TDQS

A4.2/5.0

Behavior3/5

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

There are no annotations, so the description carries the behavioral disclosure burden. It communicates that this is a read-only 'Get' operation and reveals pagination behavior through the limit and offset arguments, but it does not explain ordering, scope (e.g., all congresses or current congress), or any error/limit behavior.

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

Conciseness5/5

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

The description is tightly written: a one-sentence purpose, a brief argument list, and a short return note. No filler or redundant material appears, and the key distinction is front-loaded.

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

Completeness4/5

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

For a simple paginated list tool with an output schema, the description covers the essentials: the member identifier, pagination parameters, and the return type. It could be slightly more complete by explicitly routing users away from the cosponsored sibling or noting historical scope, but nothing critical is missing.

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 description coverage is 0%, but the description explains all three schema parameters: bioguide_id as a unique identifier, limit as maximum number of bills, and offset as zero-based pagination. This adds meaning beyond the bare input schema, though it lacks deeper format or boundary details.

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?

The description uses a specific verb and resource: 'Get legislation sponsored by a specific member of Congress.' This clearly distinguishes it from the sibling tool get_member_cosponsored_legislation by emphasizing 'sponsored' rather than 'cosponsored.'

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 description gives clear context: use this when you need bills and resolutions sponsored by a specific member. It does not explicitly name alternatives or state when not to use it, but the purpose is unambiguous and the sibling tool name reinforces the sponsored-vs-cosponsored distinction.

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