Locating a prepared legislative history for a particular law
A prepared legislative history can save time by compiling the various documents, dates, and names connected with the fate of a particular bill introduced in Congress. Legislative histories can range from a sparse list of abbreviations on a page, or an online guide with links to the full text of all documents related to a bill. Below are some of the main sources for prepared legislative histories in the library. When a legislative history isn't available, the pages on Primary Documents provide tips on locating the various documents which might be connected with a bill.
- Congress.govCongress.gov provides bill histories (documenting the progress of a bill and all documents related to the legislative progress the bill makes) from 1973 to present, with links to the text of bills (from 1989 on), text of reports (1995 to present) and to relevant pages in the Congressional Record (beginning in 2001). Included sponsors, floor/executive actions with Congressional Record page references, and references to committee prints/reports. However, references to hearings related to the legislation are often not included. Make sure to study any committee reports for references to dates when hearing(s) were held, and use the Hearings tab above to track these down.
- Legislative Insight (ProQuest database)Full-text publications generated in the course of U.S. Congressional lawmaking. The compiled legislative histories may include bills, reports, documents, hearings, CRS reports, committee prints, presidential signing statements, statutes, and more. Note that the quality and inclusiveness of ProQuest's legislative histories can vary, and it's best to consult other sources rather than relying solely on Legislative Insight. Compare, for example, Legislative Insight's history of the Alaska Homestead Extension act of 1898
with the Congressional Record's History of Bills entry for H.R. 5975 - U.S. Federal Legislative History Library (Hein Online database)Browse legislative histories by popular name, public law number, or title.
- Legislative Histories of Selected U.S. Laws on the Internet(Law Librarians' Society of Washington, D.C.) Links to free legislative histories made available through various web sites
- Congressional Record (1873-present)Congressional Record (1873 - present) through Hein Online provides a list of House and Senate bills in the History of Bills volume, with a brief summary of action on them with references to page numbers. See Congressional Record section of this guide for tips on navigating the Congressional Record in Hein Online.
- United States Statutes at LargeUnited States Statutes at Large is the official compilation of the full text of federal laws, arraged by Congress and session number. For statutes enacted in 1963, a "skeleton" legislative history appears at the end of each statute in Statutes at Large, enumerating any house or senate Reports connected to the bill, along with dates in which debates, amendments or votes were published in the Congressional Record. Available from 82nd Congress (1951) - present through the Government Printing Office; earlier volumes available through Hein Online.
- Coverage dates for legislative information in Congress.govProvides specific coverage dates for Bill Histories and other legislative information content in Congress.gov
Legislative Histories In Print in Homer Babbidge Library
Congressional Index by Call Number: Babbidge Library Stacks KF 49 .C6Lists bills pending and passed and gives current status of all proposed legislation. Includes information on voting records, assignment of bills to committees, committee membership. Library has: 1947-1996.
