Federal Legislative History Research
What is Legislative History?
Legislative history is the step-by-step process by which a bill becomes law -- from introduction in one of the Houses of Congress to the President's signature (if it gets that far). The documents produced by Congress during this process are used to determine Congressional intent or to clarify vague statutory language. These documents carry only persuasive legal authority.
- Overview of the types of documents produced
- Detailed flow chart describing the legislative process
- Handout outlining methods of finding Legislative History: html, PDF
What Documents make up Legislative History? (in order of their importance)
1. Committee Reports
2. Floor Debates
3. Committee Hearings
4. Bill Text & Amendments
5. Committee Prints
6. House & Senate Documents
7. Presidential Statements
8. Public Laws
Note: not all of these materials are available for all legislation.
How do I Find Legislative History?
- Finding Legislative History on the Web (free)
- Finding Legislative History compiled by someone else
- Compiling Legislative History myself
Page maintained by Steve Donweber
Last updated: December 2006