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Topic: Federal Legislative History and Analysis — Statutes at Large / United States Code

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.

Statutes at Large

Statutes at Large volumes contain the final text of the bill, as voted into law. A Legislative History section appearing at the end of the statute provides a 'skeleton history' of the original bill.

Statutes at Large citations include the volume number, followed by the abbreviation "Stat." for the Statutes at Large series, followed by page number, and chapter, e.g. 25 Stat. 386, Chap. 785

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United States Code

Statutes are 'codified' when integrated into the United States Code, the official collection of currently operative statues arranged by subject. The text of legislation appearing in Statutes at Large includes a reference to the relevant United States Code (USC) citation for the law.

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