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Topic: Federal Legislative History and Analysis — Secondary Sources

Tools and resources for researching the evolution of a law using the primary documents - the bill, committee reports, hearings, etc. - and secondary analysis of the legislation and federal policy.

Secondary sources to research legislation

The sources below are helpful for researching expert analysis and contemporaneous events around the passage of legislation.

CRS Reports - Congressional Research Service

The Congressional Research Service in the Library of Congress creates research reports on public policy issues at the request of legislators or committees in Congress. ProQuest Congressional Publications contains a retrospective collection of over 30,000 Congressional Research Service reports from 1916-present. Chose CRS Reports from the Search within menu to search this collection of documents.

Congressional Quarterly, Inc. Publications

Congressional Budget Office reports through Hein Online

Hein Online contains the full text of hundreds of Congressional Budget Office reports from 1975-present. The non-partisan CBO is often called on to report on the fiscal implications of proposed legislation.

Journal & Magazine Research Databases

Newspaper Research Databases