Yale Law School Home Page
Advanced Legal Research Robert Harrison, Blair Kauffman, Lisa Spar
Spring 1998

QUICK GUIDE TO LEGISLATIVE HISTORY RESEARCH

Where to find legislative history documents:

Bills: microfiche, LEXIS (legis;bltext), WESTLAW (cong-billtxt), GPO Access - http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dbsearch.html, Thomas - http://thomas.loc.gov

Committee Documents and Prints: CIS microfiche, Serial Set, GPO Access - http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dbsearch.html

Committee Hearings: CIS Microfiche, LEXIS (legis;fednew (oral),cngtst (written)), WESTLAW since 1993 (USTESTIMONY (oral and written))

Committee Reports: USCCAN (selected), CIS microfiche, Serial Set, LEXIS since 1990 (legis;cmtrpt), WESTLAW selected since 1948, complete since 1990 (LH), GPO Access - http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dbsearch.html

Floor debates: Congressional Record (available on LEXIS/WESTLAW from 1985), GPO Access - http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dbsearch.html

Conference Reports: USCCAN (selected), CIS microfiche, Serial Set, LEXIS/WESTLAW (same as Committee Reports),

Presidential statements: Weekly Compilation of Documents, USCAAN

Public Laws: USCCAN, Statutes at Large (Stat.), LEXIS (legis;publaw), WESTLAW (US-PL)

Subject arrangement of Public Laws: United States Code, U.S.C.A. , U.S.C.S.

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Compiled Legislative History
(post enacted legis. -legis. intent)
Status - current legislation
(bill status)
  • CIS Legislative History volumes and CIS Masterfile (CD-ROM), COMPASS-http://web.lexis-nexis.com/congcomp/
  • Congressional Record- History of Enacted Bills (Daily Digest)
  • USCCAN
  • Johnson, Compiled Legislative Histories - older "major" legislation
  • LEXIS/WESTLAW - selected topics

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