How often does each data source update, and what does that mean for what you see on Capitol Trace.
| Data type | Source | Update frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock trades | Quiver Quantitative / House Clerk | Every 6 hours | Members have 45 days to file; new trades appear after the filing |
| Bills (text & status) | Congress.gov | Continuous | Updates as Congress acts |
| Roll call votes | Congress.gov | Continuous | Usually within hours of a vote |
| Member profiles | Congress.gov | Daily | New members sync at start of each Congress |
| Campaign finance totals | FEC | As filings come in | Major reports due quarterly + pre/post-election |
| Individual donors | FEC Schedule A | As filings come in | Large donors (≥$200) itemized |
| Lobbying filings | Senate LDA | Quarterly | Q1: April 20, Q2: July 20, Q3: Oct 20, Q4: Jan 20 |
| FARA registrations | DOJ | As published | Varies by registrant |
| Ideology scores | Voteview (UCLA) | Per Congress | Updated after each Congress concludes |
| Federal spending | USAspending.gov | Monthly | Contract awards and grants |
| CISA vulnerabilities | CISA KEV + NVD | Daily | New CVEs added as published |
| Travel advisories | State Department | As updated | Advisories change based on conditions |
| Conflict events | ACLED | Weekly | 20,000+ events, 187 countries |
| Satellite tracking | CelesTrak / NORAD | Every 15 minutes | ISS, military sats, decaying objects |
| Global news events | GDELT | Continuous | 6 topic feeds |
| DoD press releases | Department of Defense | Daily | RSS feed |
| State legislation | Open States | Weekly | 50 states |
| Congressional Record | Congress.gov | Daily when in session | Floor statements, proceedings |
For Congress.gov-sourced data, Capitol Trace polls the API regularly and reflects changes within a few hours of Congress acting. During active floor sessions, bill status and vote data may lag by up to 2 hours.
For FEC data, there is no fixed schedule. Members file reports when required (quarterly, pre-election, post-election) and must amend filings if errors are found. A member who amends a filing will show updated numbers in Capitol Trace within 24 hours of the amendment appearing in the FEC database.
Ideology scores update once per Congress (every 2 years), because DW-NOMINATE requires a complete voting record to calculate accurately. Mid-term scores are estimates.
Member profiles (bio, committee assignments, leadership positions) update when Congress.gov reflects changes — usually within days of an official change.