QUICK GUIDE:  LEGAL RESEARCH ON THE WEB: RECOMMENDED SITES & SEARCH ENGINES

LEGISLATION

A. Federal Legislation

1. GPO Access–Legislative Databases
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/legislative.html

• History of Bills: 98th Congress (1983/1984) to date
• Bills (all published versions of each bill): 103rd Congress (1993/1994) to date
• Selected Congressional Hearings: 105th Congress (1997/1998) to date
• Congressional Record: 1994 to date
• Committee Reports: 104th Congress (1995/1996) to date
• Congressional Documents (including treaty documents): 104th Congress (1995/1996) to date
• Committee Prints: 105th Congress (1995/1996) to date
• Text and PDF

2. Thomas
http://thomas.loc.gov

• Bill Summary & Status 93rd Congress (1973/1974) to date
• Bills (all published versions of each bill): Full text 101st Congress (1989/1990) to date
• Congressional Record: 101st Congress (1989/90) to date
• Committee Reports: 104th Congress (1995/1996) to date
• Text and PDF

3. Library of Congress: A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents & Debates, 1774 - 1875
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lawhome.html

• Statutes at Large, committee reports and debates of Congress
• Browse collections or search by keyword or document number; searches may be limited to a particular type of material; the search page is available at: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/hlawquery.html
• Digital facsimile page images; some have fully or partially searchable transcribed text

4. The Founders' Constitution, edited by Philip B. Kurland and Ralph Lerner (Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 1987)
http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/tocs/toc.html

• Web version of the print text; joint venture of the University of Chicago and the Liberty Fund
• Early seventeenth century to the 1830s documents
• Includes reflections of philosophers, popular pamphlets, public debates in ratifying conventions and private correspondence of leading statesmen
• Materials arranged by broad themes or problems to which the Constitution of 1787 has made a significant and lasting contribution
• Access by article, section, and clause of the U.S. Constitution, including the first twelve amendments
• Search by keyword; Indexes of authors and documents, cases and constitutional provisions
• Text format

B. State Legislation

1. Indiana University School of Law Library:
State Legislative History Research Guides on the Web http://www.law.indiana.edu/library/services/sta_leg.shtml

• Guides to state legislative history materials created by state and academic law libraries
• Identifies formats (print, online, microform), location and type of state legislative materials containing legislative history information
• Text and PDF

2. FindLaw: State Resources
http://www.findlaw.com/11stategov/index.html

• For desired state, links to legislative materials through "Primary Materials"
• Text and PDF

3. Law Librarians’ Society of Washington, DC (LLSDC):
Legislative Source Book: State Legislatures, State Laws and State Regulations http://www.llsdc.org/sourcebook/state-leg.htm

• Links to web sites of state legislatures and legislative information services
• Text and PDF

4. Law Library of Congress: Guide to Law Online: U.S. States and Territories
http://www.loc.gov/law/guide/usstates.html

• Links to web sites of state legislatures and legislative information services
• Text and PDF

5. State and Local Government on the Net
http://www.statelocalgov.net/index.cfm

• For each state, legislative information is found under "Legislative Branch"
• Text and PDF

last updated: 8/07