Federal Legislative History Guide

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Federal Legislative History Guide

These references are available in the library or on the Internet. (Internet references may not be as thorough as their printed counterparts.)

JAC Plus - a list of compiled legislative histories in our collection.

Jenkins Legal Periodical Indexes
Search using LegalTrac, WilsonWeb and General OneFile databases. For comprehensive results, use all indexes.
(Outside the library, this service is only available to Jenkins members.)

Congressional Information Service: CIS Index and Abstracts - 1970 to present
A complete index to Congressional publications, including hearings, reports, documents and committee prints. CIS is issued monthly with an annual cumulation. The full text of the documents are on microfiche, filed by year and the CIS accession number. The abstract volumes contain summaries of each publication and references to page numbers where individuals spoke. Direct access to the abstracts and the documents is through the index volumes and is by subject; speaker or author; popular name of the bill or law; bill, report or document number; committee, or sub-committee chairperson. From 1970-1983, a special legislative history section, organized by Public Law number, is found at the end of each bound abstract volume. As of 1984, a separate annual volume is issued with compilations of legislative histories. For legislation prior to 1970, consult USCCAN.

U.S. Code Congressional and Administrative News (USCCAN) West Group - 1941 to present
Begun in 1941 (77th Congress), USCCAN reprints all Federal Public Laws and provides selective coverage for legislative history. Bound volumes are issued at the completion of each session, with advance sheets for current material. In the legislative history volumes you will find dates of consideration and passage along with citations to House and Senate Committee Reports. Usually, either the House or Senate Report is reprinted in full. Hearings are not included. In the final volume for each session a chart is provided which lists the bill number, report number(s) and dates of consideration and passage for each public law.

Congressional Record - v. 1873 to 1978 microfilm; 1979 to present microfiche. Current two months in print copy.
The Congressional Record, the official record of the U.S. Congress, is an important source for locating congressional floor debates. Published daily while Congress is in session, it is then cumulated annually with an index. The index to the daily edition is published every two weeks. The pagination of the daily issues is completely renumbered once they are cumulated into the bound edition. NOTE: The daily index will only correspond to the daily issues while the annual index will only correspond to the bound edition. Access to the index is by subject, names of legislators, and titles of legislation. A separate section is organized by bill number entitled: "History of Bills and Resolutions" which lists action taken on all bills. Some House and Senate Reports may be included in the Record, but no hearings.

Congressional Index (Commerce Clearing House) - 1987 to present
Published in two volumes, one for the Senate and one for the House, this loose-leaf service is a comprehensive index to each Congress. References are to hearings and reports, but debates are not included. Access is by subject, sponsor, bill number, and date of introduction. There is a status table giving a chronological listing of action taken on each bill once hearings have begun. NOTE: Each tab or section may be subdivided into status, current status and latest additions. You must check all three places to obtain complete information.

U.S. Statutes at Large - v.1 (1776) to present
Beginning with the 94th Congress (1975), a brief summary of the legislative history is printed at the end of each public law. Listings include House and Senate report cites, date of consideration and passage and presidential communications.

Nancy Johnson's Sources of Compiled Legislative Histories located in Reference KF 42.2 1979.

Browse our list of Federal Legal Research Links.

Try typing in "legislative history" in one of many Internet search tools.

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