This new service became available in the House in January of 1993. ISIS is a revolution in accessing legislative information on-line. Nothing like ISIS exists in the Senate, where downloading information into WordPerfect is fraught with difficulties and often results in major formatting problems. Furthermore, the Senate's legislative information does not provide the full text of bills or reports on-line. Staff members who need the full text of bills or reports must use the printed copy available at the document room.
Connectivity is the key requirement.
Making information easily accessible to the largest group possible so users can manage and control the information will enhance the efficiency of the legislative process. The largest congressional computer center outside of the two Chambers is in the Library of Congress. The Congressional Research Service shares this system with the Library. Users no longer have to memorize commands, but can merely touch a word on a screen to commence a search. The Congressional Budget Office and the General Accounting Office contract with H.I.S. for most of their computer services.