UWM Libraries Research and Course Guides: Social Work 306: Introduction to Social Welfare Policy: Find Social Welfare Policy

Congressional & Legislative Sources

ProQuest Congressional
ProQuest Congressional Publications provides access to primary sources from Congress - text of bills, the Congressional Record, Hearings, etc. The first version of the Bill will include the Sponsor. H.R. = House of Representatives; S = Senate; R/D = Republican/Democrat. A Bill that passes will have a Public Law # based on the Congress #.Use the database filters to narrow to known date ranges or publication type (e.g., Legislative Histories, Bills, Public Laws).
Westlaw Campus Research
Comprehensive database of legal materials, including cases, statutes, and regulations of the U.S. government and the various state governments; includes the legal encyclopedia American Jurisprudence 2nd and American Law Reports; case law from 1789 to present; current statutes and regulations.
HeinOnline
HeinOnline includes several congressional databases, including the U.S. Federal Legislative History Library (the documents behind the process of a bill becoming a law), U.S. Presidential Library, and U.S. Statutes at Large (containing all the bills that actually became law - most don't).
CQ Researcher Online
CQ reports provide analysis and commentary on current and controversial issues in the news, including select congressional laws.

Policy Reports and Data

Topics - U.S. Census Bureau Statistics
- This link opens in a new window
Census Bureau statistics are organized by themes, or topics, making it easier for you to find what you need. Each topic and subtopic lists associated data, news, and more
Policy Topics - Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)
- This link opens in a new window
The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) is the principal advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on policy development, and is responsible for major activities in policy coordination, legislation development, strategic planning, policy research, evaluation, and economic analysis.
Institute for Research on Poverty - University of Wisconsin
IRP is a nonpartisan research institution dedicated to producing and disseminating rigorous evidence to inform policies and programs to combat poverty, inequality, and their effects in the United States.
Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) Program - U.S. Census Bureau
The U.S. Census Bureau’s Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates program produces single-year estimates of income and poverty for all U.S. states and counties as well as estimates of school-age children in poverty for all 13,000+ school districts.
Key Issues - Poverty Solutions - University of Michigan
Focuses on work that expands economic opportunity to reduce poverty, that reduces educational disparities to promote social mobility, and that addresses the health consequences of poverty. Provides a comprehensive collection of research, data tools, policy briefs of featured issues.

Research - Wisconsin Poverty - WISCAP
One of WISCAP’s four focus areas is research. WISCAP joins with local, state and national institutions to study the realities of poverty and the impact of legislation and policy on local communities. Examples of data and research from partnerships with United Way of Wisconsin and the Institute for Research on Poverty can be found on the Statewide Research page.
This page, from WISCAP hosts the report, the summary, and press release for the WPR.
COWS- University of Wisconsin
Reports on how cities, states, and agencies can get on the high road, economic analyses of Wisconsin, and more, including the State of Working Wisconsin.
ALICE (Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed) Data and Reports - United Way Wisconsin
The United For ALICE project provides a comprehensive and unbiased picture of financial hardship in Wisconsin. Our partners use the ALICE measures to highlight the challenges ALICE households face to inspire action and generate innovative solutions that promote financial stability. These programs, practices, and policies improve access to affordable housing, high quality child care and education, healthy food, health care, transportation, workforce training, and more.

Poverty Reports - World Bank
The World Bank's approach to measuring and approaching global poverty is through a wide-angle approach. This site includes reports, data, and reports on Global Poverty using World Bank metrics.
Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)
Annual data from the United Nations Human Development Reports focuses on illuminating inequalities and was developed jointly by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) and The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The World Poverty Clock
Live interactive "clock" that provides real-time estimates until 2030 for almost every country in the world until the end of extreme poverty, one of the UN's first sustainable development goals.
it also calculates the current rate of poverty reduction in the world.
Poverty and Health - World Health Organization (WHO)
The world health organization (WHO) stresses the fundamental importance of developing "pro-poor" health policy, which are outlined on this page and reports it links to.

U.S. Social Welfare Programs Research & Data

Assistance Listings - SAM.gov
Assistance listings are detailed public descriptions of federal programs that provide grants, loans, scholarships, insurance, and other types of assistance awards. You may browse assistance listings across all government agencies to learn about potential funding sources.
Benefits.gov
As the official benefits website of the U.S. government, their mission is to increase citizen access to benefit information, while reducing the expense and difficulty of interacting with the government.
Poverty Guidelines
US Federal Poverty Guidelines used to determine financial eligibility for certain federal programs.
Homelessness
Policy research on homelessness from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation of the Department of Health and Human Services.
SNAP data and Research
Policy data, research, and analysis from the US Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service, which administers the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP).
TANF Policy
Information on Federal laws for administering State and Tribal TANF benefits, which are distributed as block grants.
TANF Data and Reports
Data and reports from the Office of Family Assistance (OFA), which administers Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). They are broken down by benefits for states and benefits for tribal entities.
HUD Affordable Housing Research
Topics of HUD policy research include assisted housing, vouchers, public housing, and section 8 policy research and analysis.
Research, Statistics, Data & Systems - Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Access to reports and data on CMS programs
Federal Student Aid Data Center
The Federal Student Aid Data Center is your centralized source for information relating to the federal financial assistance programs.
Data & Research - Administration for Children & Families
ACF data and reports highlight various programs and grants that improve the lives of America's most vulnerable children, families, communities and individuals.
Data - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
SAMHSA provides current behavioral health data, research, and evaluation information on alcohol and other drug use, mental health prevalence, mental and substance use disorder treatment facilities, and behavioral health services
Congressional Budget Office
CBO produces independent analyses of budgetary and economic issues to support the Congressional budget process. Each year, the agency’s economists and budget analysts produce dozens of reports and hundreds of cost estimates for proposed legislation.
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
GAO, often called the "congressional watchdog,” is an independent, non-partisan agency that works for Congress. GAO examines how taxpayer dollars are spent and provides Congress and federal agencies with objective, non-partisan, fact-based information to help the government save money and work more efficiently.