QUICK GUIDE:  RESEARCHING FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

I. Sources of Compiled Legislative Histories:

Libraries, commercial publishers and selected federal agencies sometimes gather together all of the legislative documents relating to a particular law and publish them. These “compiled” legislative histories contain full text of all hearings, reports, and debates related to a particular law and may be available in the Jacob Burns Law Library or through interlibrary loan.

• Johnson, Nancy P.  Sources of Compiled Legislative Histories
  • Online:  HeinOnline
  • Print:  Ready Reference:  KF49.B5
• Reams, Bernard D.  Federal Legislative Histories:  An Annotated Bibliography and Index to Officially Published Sources::  Ready Reference: KF42.2 1994
• Law Librarian's Society of Washington, D.C. (LLSDC):  Legislative Histories of Selected U.S. Laws in Electronic Format
• LLSDC, D.C. Union List of Legislative Histories:  Ready Reference:  KF4.L4 2000
• Search JACOB by keyword (ex: superfund and legislative and history)
• Compiled legislative histories of selected legislation are available on Lexis and Westlaw.

II. Compiling a Legislative History: Pre-1970 Legislation

A.  Locate a List of Citations to Legislative History Documents: Begin by locating the bill number for your law. Locate the text of the law in Statutes at Large. The bill number is printed on first page of law in right margin. If you only know the popular name of the law, the Statutes at Large citation can be obtained from the “Popular Name Table Volume” of the U.S.C., U.S.C.A., or U.S.C.S.

• Congressional Record, Index's “History of Bills and Resolutions ” (LL1) (1939-)
	“History of Bills and Resolutions” is part of the Congressional Record Index contained in volumes that appear after the Congressional Record for each session. Lists floor action and notes committee report numbers but not committee hearings.
	Print:	1939- (LL1)
	Microform:	1976-1985 (LL1: Micro fiche 105); 1873-1975 (LL1: Microfilm 105)
• CCH's Congressional Index (LL1: KF49.C6) (1958- )
	Bills are listed sequentially in “Status of House Bills” and “Status of Senate Bills” sections of separate House and Senate volumes. Dates of hearings and debate and committee report numbers are listed.

B. Locate the Text of the Bill:

Online:	• Senate Bills (1799-1873) • House Bills (1819-1873)
Print:	• Bills are often reprinted in hearings and committee reports. Selected bills, especially older ones, are reprinted in the Congressional Record. •The National Archives and Records Administration maintains bill files which are available to researchers after 20 years.
Microform:	• The Law Library of Congress has congressional bills on microform from the 6th Congress forward.

C. Locate any Committee Reports, including Conference Reports:

1.  Locate report numbers:The Congressional Record Index or Congressional Index (see A. above) list committee report numbers for particular bills. To locate reports by subject from 1789-1969, consult the CIS U.S. Serial Set Index (LL1 :Micro Index Shelves) or U.S. Congressional Serial Set online (LexisNexis Congressional: Congressional Publications: select Advanced Search tab and House & Senate Reports; can use Index Terms or do keyword search).

2.  Locate the text of reports

Online:	• United States Congressional Serial Set : LexisNexis Congressional: Congressional Publications: select Advanced Search tab and House & Senate Reports (1819- )
Print:	• United States Congressional Serial Set (LL1) (1968 -) • U.S. Code Congressional & Administrative News (LL1) (selected reports from 1941-)
Microform:	• United States Congressional Serial Set  (LL1: Microfiche 106) (1789-1889); (LL1: Microfiche 108, 109) (1891- 1969)

D.  Locate Debate: Consult index volumes to Congressional Record (1939 -), Congressional Globe (1833-1873), Register of Debates (1824-1837), and Annals of Congress (1789-1824).

Online:	• Congressional Globe (1833-1873) • Register of Debates (1824-1837) • Annals of Congress (1789-1824)
Print:	• Congressional Record (LL1) (1939 -) • Annals of Congress (LL2: HISTORIC STORAGE KF35 1834) (1789-1824)
Microform:	• Congressional Record (LL1: Microfiche 105) (1976-1985) • Congressional Record (LL1: Microfilm 105) (1873-1975) • Congressional Globe (LL1: Microfilm 104) (1833-1873) • Register of Debates (LL1: Microfiche 104C) (1824-1837) • Annals of Congress (LL1: Microfiche 104B) (1789-1824)

E. Hearings:

1. Determine what, if any, hearings were held on your bill: The U.S. Congressional Committee Hearings Index ( LL1: Micro. Index Shelf; Lexis: Legis;CISHST ) provides indexing by subject, organization, title, personal name, or bill number of hearings from 1833-1969. In addition, the “Congressional Record Daily Digest,” published as part of the Congressional Record since 1948, notes committee hearings held each day.

2. Locate the hearing in print: Search by title in Jacob, at Gelman Library, at the Library of Congress or through WorldCat.

III.  Compiling a Legislative History: Post-1970 Legislation

    A.  Locate a List of Citations or Links to Legislative History Documents

1.  CIS Legislative History -- The work of identifying relevant legislative history documents relating to post -1970 legislation has been done by the editors at CIS (Congressional Information Service, now part of LexisNexis). CIS Index and CIS Legislative Histories (available both online and in print) cite and/or link to all relevant legislative history documents including hearings for all significant legislation from 1970 to the present. CIS online links to full-text of bill text and committee reports for recent legislation. Both online and print versions of CIS provide the document’s CIS Number ( e.g. CIS NO: 02-H683-93 ) allowing retrieval of full text from CIS Microfiche Library (LL1:Microfiche 110) (1970- ).

Online:	• LexisNexis Congressional: Legislative History, Bills & Laws (1970- ) • Lexis: LEGIS;CISLH (1970- )
Print:	• CIS Legislative Histories (Micro. Index Shelves: LL1) (1984- ) • CIS Index (Micro. Index Shelves: LL1) (1970-1983)— Look for listings of legislative history documents by public law number in last section of CIS/Annual: Abstracts volume for the year in which the law was enacted.

2. Bill Tracking: Bill tracking provides a legislative chronology listing all major action on a bill with links or citations to Congressional Record debate and committee reports. Knowing the bill number will make bill tracking easier. To locate a bill number, find the text of your law in Statutes at Large . The bill number is printed on first page of law in right margin. If you only know the popular name of the law, the Statutes at Large citation can be obtained from the “Popular Name Table Volume” of the U.S.C ., U.S.C.A., or U.S.C.S .

Online:	• LexisNexis Congressional: Legislative Histories, Bills & Laws (1989- ) • Thomas (1973- ) • Lexis: LEGIS;BLTRCK (current congress), LEGIS;BLTxxx (replace "xxx" with 101-107 depending on Congress) • Westlaw: US-BILLTRK (current congress), BILLTRK-OLD (1991- )

    B.  Locate Legislative History Documents Individually

1. Bill Texts

Online:	• Thomas (1989- ) • GPO Access (1993- ) • LexisNexis Congressional: Legislative Histories, Bills & Laws (1989- ) • Lexis: Legis;BLTEXT (current Congress), Legis; BILLTXTxxx (where "xxx" is 104-107 depending on Congress) • Westlaw: CONG-BILLTXT (Current Congress), CONG-BILLTXTxxx (where "xxx" is 104-107 depending on Congress)
Microform:	• House and Senate Bills (Microfiche 97: LL1) (1979-1999)

2. Hearings

Online:	• GPO Access (1995- ) • LexisNexis Congressional: Congressional Publications: Advanced Search tab, select Hearings (1988- ) • House and Senate Committees via Thomas (recent) • Lexis: NEWS ;FEDNEW (1988- ) • Lexis: Legis;CNGTST (1993- ) • Westlaw: USTESTIMONY (1993- ) • Westlaw: CONGTMY (2004- )
Print:	• Gelman Library (1984- ) • GPO Congressional Order and Information Desk (recent) (202) 512-1808 • Congressional Committees (recent)
Microform:	• CIS Microfiche Library (LL1 :Microfiche 110) (1970- )

3. Committee Reports

Online:	• Thomas (1995- ) • GPO Access (1995- ) • LexisNexis Congressional: Congressional Publications:  select Advanced Search tab and House & Senate Reports (1990- ) • Lexis: LEGIS;CMTRPT (1990- ) • Westlaw: LH (selected committee reports as reprinted in USCCAN from 1948, all committee reports from 1990 -)
Print:	• United States Congressional Serial Set (LL1) (1968- ) • U.S. Code Congressional & Administrative News (LL1) (selected reports from 1941- )
Microform:	• CIS Microfiche Library (LL1: Microfiche 110) (1970- )

4. Debate

Online:	• Thomas: Congressional Record (1989- ) • GPO Access: Congressional Record (1994- ) • LexisNexis Congressional: Congressional Record & Rules:  (1985- ) • Lexis: LEGIS;RECORD (1985- ) • Westlaw: CR (1985- )
Print:	• Congressional Record (LL1) (1939- )
Microform:	• Congressional Record (LL1: Microfiche 105) (1976-1996) • Congressional Record (LL1: Microfilm 105) (1873-1975)