Law Library Research Guide:
Federal Legislative History

See also related handouts:

Introduction

Sources for Federal Legislative History are many and varied, and there is no single comprehensive resource.  Which source you use depends on the type of materials you are looking for, the age of the materials, and what format you require.   

The term “legislative history” refers to documents generated as a bill works its way through the legislative process.  Thus, even bills not enacted into law can have a legislative history.  The number and kind of documents varies greatly and can include text of the bill (including introduced, amended, and reported versions), conference reports, committee reports, House and Senate debate, statements made by sponsors, committee hearings, prints, and documents, presidential signing statements, reports from congressional agencies (such as the Congressional Research Service and Government Accountability Office), news coverage, and post-enactment analysis.  Finally, it can also include all of these materials on related bills from past or concurrent congressional sessions. 

Commercial databases, such as Lexis and Westlaw, contain newer materials in plain text format.  The date varies, depending on the type of document, but most materials date from 1980 onward.  The plain text format makes it difficult to read these documents and to locate pinpoint citations for them.  Consequently, researchers may want to rely instead on one of the alternatives listed below.  Please note, Lexis and Westlaw are available only to currently-enrolled GMUSL students or current GMUSL faculty.

LexisNexis Congressional is the most comprehensive database for Congressional materials available at the George Mason Law Library.  Note that it is separate system from Lexis and the coverage is different.  You do not need a Lexis password to use LexisNexis Congressional.

Compiled Legislative Histories

Congressional Committees and private publishers often compile histories for specific acts by collecting relevant documents and publishing them together.  The documents included can vary; many are included at the discretion of the compiler.  

 

To locate compiled legislative histories at the George Mason Law Library, search the GMU Library Catalog using keywords for your topic and the phrase “legislative history.”

HeinOnline has selected compiled histories, as well as a finding tool for locating other compiled legislative histories.

U.S. Federal Legislative History Library on Hein Online is a finding tool for locating compiled legislative histories.

LexisNexis Congressional Legislative Histories.  Contains a list of documents comprising the legislative history for public laws.  Coverage is from 1969-present.  Most documents are available in full text; others are available in microfiche.  Microfiche Room, Law Library First Floor Cabinets 1-9. 

The Congressional Information Service Index is the print index of legislative documents. It also contains a list of documents comprising the legislative history for public laws.  Coverage is 1970-2008.  Law Library First Floor Range 106.

Sources of Compiled Legislative Histories, by Nancy P. Johnson.  REF KF42.S6. Useful for determining whether a compiled legislative history has been published. Also available from Hein Online.

Union List of Legislative Histories, by The Law Librarians’ Society of Washington, D.C.  REF KF4.U55 2000. List of legislative histories compiled by member libraries in the Washington, D.C. area.

United States Code Congressional and Administrative News (USCCAN).  Law Library First Floor Range 102.  Available on Westlaw:  USCCAN.  With coverage beginning in 1948, USCCAN publishes the full text of most public laws, lists the reports associated with bills, lists the dates of debate, and reprints portions of the most significant reports.  It is an excellent place to start legislative history research for enacted bills, but is by no means comprehensive. 

Lexis and Westlaw also have selected compiled legislative histories.

Congressional Documents

If a bill was not enacted into law, you can still compile a history of the bill.  To do so, first identify the bill history (also referred to as bill track or bill status), a list of actions that were taken on the bill, then compile the documents identified.

Bill History

Thomas, a research service provided by the Library of Congress, lets you search the status of bills back to 1973.

For bills between 1789 and 1972, consult the Congressional Record Index, and its predecessors, the Congressional Globe, Register of Debates, and Annals of Congress. Microfiche Room Cabinets 10-11.

Bill history information from 1989 to the present is on Lexis:  LEGIS;BLT### (where ### represents the Congress number); and from 1991 to the present on Westlaw:  US-BILLTRK AND BILLTRK-OLD. 

Bill Text

The full text of bills is available from several different sources, depending on the date of the bill and the format required.  From 1989 to the present, LexisNexis Congressional includes bills in plain text format.  Because bills are easier to understand when presented with proper formatting, researchers may prefer to use the official versions published by the Government Printing Office.  These are available from 1993 to the present.

Bills older than 1989 are not available at the George Mason Law Library and must be obtained in person from the Library of Congress.

Committee Reports

Committee reports are the most useful documents for identifying legislative intent.  Committee reports summarize the action that a committee took on a bill.  A conference committee is composed of member of the House and Senate and is used to reconcile the differences between bills passed in each chamber.

LexisNexis Congressional has reports available in full text from 1817 to the present. 

Reports issued after 1947 are available on Westlaw (LH database).  Reports issued beginning in 1995 are available in PDF format on GPO Access. 

Floor Debate

Floor debate is recorded in the Congressional Record.  It is available from LexisNexis Congressional, from 1873 to 1997. From 1985 to the present, the Congressional Record is also available on Lexis:  LEGIS;RECORD and Westlaw:  CR.

Predecessors to the Congressional Record (the Congressional Globe, Register of Debates, and Annals of Congress) are also available on LexisNexisCongressional.

A complete collection of the Congressional Record from the 1st Congress almost up to the present is also available on HeinOnline.

Hearings

Committee hearings can be one of the most elusive Congressional documents to locate.  The time between the event and its publication can be months or even years.  Before the hearing is officially printed, you may be able to obtain hearing materials from the committee itself. 

Beginning in 1995, most hearings are available online from the Government Printing Office.  Beginning in 1824, LexisNexis Congressional has selected hearings available.  Between 1965 and 1996, hearings are available in microfiche.  Microfiche Room, Law Library First Floor Cabinets 9-11.  The Congressional Information Service Index is a finding tool for hearings issued after 1969. Law Library First Floor Range 106.

Beginning in 1993, selected coverage of hearing transcripts only (not official hearings) is available from both Westlaw:  USTESTIMONY and Lexis:  LEGIS;FEDNEW.  Hearings older than 1965 must be obtained in person from the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress Law Library and Google are working together to digitize hearings.  Thus far, the pilot project has focused on hearings regarding the U.S.Census, Freedom of Information/Privacy and Immigration.

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

CRS is part of the Library of Congress. Its staff provides Congress with objective research and analysis on public policy issues.  While not indicative of legislative intent, CRS reports are nonetheless an excellent source for topical analysis. 

They are available from LexisNexis Congressional.  Coverage is 1916 to present.

Other Guides to Legislative History Research