Printer Frindly Version (PDF)

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY RESEARCH GUIDE

A legislative history is a collection of documents produced by a legislature during the legislative process by which a bill becomes a law.  These materials are used to determine legislative intent or to clarify statutory language, but they carry only persuasive legal authority.

Researching legislative history can be somewhat difficult.  For some major statutes, scholars and librarians have published completed legislative histories.  If you can find one of these already-completed legislative histories, it is a valuable resource.  The following resources list compiled legislative histories:

Sources of Compiled Legislative Histories / Nancy P. Johnson
Social Science Reference Center (SSRC), Firestone
KF42.2 1979

Federal Legislative Histories: An Annotated Bibliography and Index to Officially Published Sources / Bernard D. Reams, Jr.
Social Science Reference Center (SSRC), Firestone
KF42.2 1994

Union List of Legislative Histories
Social Science Reference Center (SSRC), Firestone
KF4 .U55 2000

If there is no compiled legislative history on the statute you are researching, you must compile the legislative history documents on your own.  Before starting, obtain the Public Law number of the statute you are researching.  Then use the indexes (print and electronic) listed below to find relevant documents.  Obtain the full document in print, microfiche or electronic format.

Print/Microfiche

For Congressional documents from 1970-present:

CIS Microfiche and Index (1970-present)
Index: Firestone Library, Social Science Reference Center, Index Table
KF49 .C62
Index of Congressional documents from 1970 forward.  Using the CIS Number in the index, find the full document on the CIS Microfiche (Firestone Microforms Services (Film))

For Congressional documents prior to 1970:

CIS Serial Set Microfiche and Index (1789-1969)
Firestone Library, Social Science Reference Center, Index Table I
Z1223.Z9 C65 1975
Index of the U.S. Serial Set (Congressional reports and other documents).  Then find the full document on the Serial Set Microfiche.

CIS Congressional Committee Hearings Index
Firestone Library, Social Science Reference Center, Index Table Index
KF40 .C56 1981

CIS US Congressional Committee Prints Index
Firestone Library, Social Science Reference Center, Index Table Index
Z1223.Z7 C57

United States Code, Congressional and Administrative News (USCCAN)
Law Cases and Statutes (LAW), Firestone
KF48 .xU55
Began coverage in 1944 (78th Congress, 2nd Session).  Provides edited versions of key Congressional documents related to selected Public Laws.

Electronic Indexes and Full-Text Documents

Lexis Congressional
Full-text of most Congressional documents (reports, hearings, bills, Public Laws) available from late 1980s-current. Earlier documents are indexed on Lexis Congressional, some back to 1789.
Thomas, Library of Congress
http://thomas.loc.gov/
Contains full text of bills, Public Laws, committee reports from recent Congresses; bill status and summary reports
GPO Access
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/
Contains bills, prints, hearings, Cong. Rec., Cong. Rec. Index, history of bills and more, extending back into the 1990s.

CLICK HERE for a  flowchart detailing the law making process, documents generated at stage, and where those documents can be located.