Legislative History
- Federal legislative HistoryMaria's Power Point presentation
- Legislative Insight This link opens in a new window
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A collection of federal legislative histories, covering 1789 to 2023. (A legislative history is a list of all the hearings, debates, reports, and other documents produced during the process of passing a specific law.) Includes (and searches) full-text of most documents cited in the histories.
Legislative Branch Sources
The US Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government, and is comprised of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
- GovTrackGovTrack helps everyone learn about and track the activities of the United States Congress.
- How Our Laws Are MadeThis document presents the official U.S. description of how laws are enacted.
Bills, Hearings and Debates
A bill is drafted and introduced in one chamber of Congress by a legislator; it is assigned a bill number, and referred to a committee. House bills are usually abbreviated “H.R. 2315”; Senate bills, “S. 425.” Text of bills are often reprinted in hearings and committee reports, older Senate bills, are reprinted in the Congressional Record.
- The Library of Congress: American Memory- Bills and Resolutions1799-1873 House (6th - 42d Congress)
1819-1873 Senate (16th-42d Congress) - Century of Lawmaking - Register of Debates (1824-1839)A record of debates of the 18th Congress, 2nd Session through the 25th Congress, 1st Session (1824-37). The Register was preceded by the Annals of Congress and succeeded by the Congressional Globe.
- Congress.govThe official website for U.S. federal legislative information. The site provides access to accurate, timely, and complete legislative information for Members of Congress, legislative agencies, and the public. It is presented by the Library of Congress (LOC) using data from the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Office of the Secretary of the Senate, the Government Publishing Office, Congressional Budget Office, and the LOC’s Congressional Research Service.
- GovInfo: Congressional BillsOfficial versions, 103rd Congress (1993-94)-present
A hearing is a meeting or session of a Senate, House, joint, or special committee of Congress, usually open to the public. Hearings are used to obtain information and opinions on proposed bills, conduct an investigation, or evaluate/oversee the activities of a government department or the implementation of a Federal law. Also, hearings may also be purely exploratory in nature, providing testimony and data about topics of current interest.
UCLA's holdings of US Congressional hearings on microfiche start in 1958. Prior to that date we have indexes for hearings from 1833-1969 (Ref KF40 .S474i 1935, Ref Z1223 .A1954)
- HeinOnline This link opens in a new windowSelected hearings from the (71st Congress) 1927 through the (103rd Congress) 1994.
- Congress.gov93rd Congress (1973) to present
- Congressional Hearings 1985-presentFrom the Government Printing Office's online content management system (govinfo.gov)
Floor debates may occur at any time on a bill; these are recorded in the daily publication, Congressional Record.
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- Bound Congressional RecordBound Congressional Record available from GPO's govinfo.
- Century of Lawmaking - Annals of Congress (1789-1825)Not published contemporaneously, but were compiled between 1834 and 1856, using the best records available, primarily newspaper accounts.
- Century of Lawmaking - Congressional Globe (1833-1873)The Globe contains the debates of the 23rd through 42nd Congresses (1833-73). Succeeded by the Congressional Record (search in THOMAS).
- Century of Lawmaking - Register of Debates (1824-1839)A record of debates of the 18th Congress, 2nd Session through the 25th Congress, 1st Session (1824-37). The Register was preceded by the Annals of Congress and succeeded by the Congressional Globe.
- Congress.GovDebates are available starting with 1995-present
- Congressional RecordOur library microform and print holdings.
- Congressional Record Index 1983-presentFrom the Government Printing Office's online content management system (FedSys).
- Hein Online - Debates of CongressCongressional Record from 1873 until 2008. Congressional Record Daily from 1980 until 2011.
Additional Legislative Resources
The US Congressional Serial Set, commonly referred to as the Serial Set, contains the House and Senate Documents and the House and Senate Reports bound by session of Congress. An overview can be found at US Congressional Serial Set - What It Is and Its History.
To view specific volumes or contents of each volume in the Congressional Serial Set, view the Government Printing Office's Numerical List of Documents and Reports and Schedule of Serial Set Volumes lists.
- US Congressional Serial Set - Print HoldingsResearch Library (Charles E. Young) has most volumes in print. See shelves for actual holdings or inquire at reference desk.
- U.S. Congressional Serial Set 1957– presentUS Government Printing Office provides access to Senate, House and Treaty Documents from 104th Congress (1995/1996) forward. Congressional documents originate from congressional committees and cover a wide variety of topics and may include reports of executive departments and independent organizations, reports of special investigations made for Congress, and annual reports of non-governmental organizations.
- US Congressional Serial Set: Congressional Reports, 1995/96 – presentUS Government Printing Office provides access to Senate, House and Executive Reports from 104th Congress (1995/1996) forward. Congressional reports originate from congressional committees and deal with proposed legislation and issues under investigation. FDsys contains House, Senate, conference and executive reports.
- ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new windowContains fully researched legislative histories with full text of bills, debates, reports, and testimony. On the BASIC SEARCH page, search the term "global climate change" for items relating to global warming.
- U.S. Congressional Serial Set This link opens in a new window
Presenting every publication from the 15th through 103rd Congress, the Readex U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1994, the database is searchable by subject, publication category, standing committee author, and other parameters. Includes the Reports, Documents and Journals of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.
- American State Papers, 1789-1838 This link opens in a new windowU.S. congressional materials originating from 1789 and covering through 1838, including 1st Congress, 1st Session through 25th Congress, 2nd Session.
- A Century of Lawmaking for a New NationA digitization project of the Library of Congress to make available historical congressional records. Includes the Journals of the Continental Congress, House and Senate Journals, American State Papers, Congressional Record, and the Statutes at Large.
- Congress.govThe official website for U.S. federal legislative information. The site provides access to accurate, timely, and complete legislative information for Members of Congress, legislative agencies, and the public. It is presented by the Library of Congress (LOC) using data from the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Office of the Secretary of the Senate, the Government Publishing Office, Congressional Budget Office, and the LOC’s Congressional Research Service.
- ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new windowContains fully researched legislative histories with full text of bills, debates, reports, and testimony. On the BASIC SEARCH page, search the term "global climate change" for items relating to global warming.
- Making of Modern Law: Primary Sources, 1620-1926 (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new windowContains constitutional conventions and compilations (including related reports, journals, proceedings, and debates), city charters and ordinances, law dictionaries, and early US state codes.
- Making of Modern Law: Legal Treatises, 1800-1926 (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
Full-text collection of 19th and early 20th century Anglo-American legal treatises, derived from two essential reference collections for historical legal studies: the 19th Century Legal Treatises and 20th Century Legal Treatises microfilm collections.
- Making of Modern Law: U.S. Supreme Court Records and Briefs, 1832-1978 (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
This database contains nearly 11 million pages of records and briefs brought before the US Supreme Court in the period 1832-1978. For the period 1832 (when printed Court records began) through 1915, the documents are based primarily on the holdings of the Jenkins Memorial Law Library, America's first law library, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For 1915-1978 the source is the Library of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.
Compiling Voting Records
Use these online and print resources to compile a congressional member's voting record. To get started, click here for voting records and information about the congressional voting process.