Committee Reports

Committee reports, especially conference committee reports, are the most important sources of legislative history. Through these reports, committees officially report to the full House or the Senate outlining their deliberations and recommendations. Committee reports typically contain the text of the recommended bill, the committee’s findings and recommendations, and any minority views. Conference committee reports contain the text of the compromise bill and an analysis of how the compromise was reached.

Typically, there are separate House and Senate reports for each bill, as well as a conference committee report if the language was drafted by a conference committee. The reports are separately numbered by the House and the Senate with the conference reports being numbered within either the House or the Senate series. The reports accompany the bill when the bill is sent to the full house for debate and voting.

Committee reports are available from the following sources:

  • United States Code Congressional and Administrative News (U.S.C.C.A.N.) (selected reports 1941 to date)
    Print: Pappas Reading Room
    Online: Westlaw
  • CIS Microfiche (1970 to date)
    Microfiche: Law Micro
  • Thomas (1995 to date)
    PDF available
  • A Century of Lawmaking (historical documents and reports)
    This Library of Congress site has full text of selected reports from the 23d, 25th, 27th, 30th through 42d, 45th through 54th, 56th through 61st, 63d, and 64th Congresses
  • LexisNexis: Committee Reports (January 1990 to date)
    Selected reports for 101st and 102d Congresses and comprehensive reports for 103d Congress to date.
  • Westlaw : Legislative History-U.S. Code, 1948 to present (LH database)
    1948 to 1989 reports as published in the U.S.C.C.A.N. and comprehensive reports from 1990 to date.


    Page maintained by Steve Donweber
    Last updated: December 2008