Wonk alert: Changes at Thomas website

There’s a new ranking list on Capitol Hill this session, a sort of popularity contest for legislation, and all the hottest bills are on it.

The list at thomas.loc.gov ranks the top five most-searched bills on the site, and it’s updated every week. Some of the rankings are fairly obvious — for example, healthcare bills occupy the top two spots this week — but others may surprise you.

Like No. 3 on the list, H.R. 45, a firearms registration bill proposed last spring by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.).

Turns out it’s a big favorite of gun-rights activists (because they fear it will become law). E-mails on H.R. 45 help gin up donations to gun-rights groups.

A source told ITK that Rush’s office keeps tabs on how many hits the bill gets; it can often tell when a new conservative mailer has gone out because the hits spike.

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