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Ohio State University logo University Libraries : Government Documents

Resources for Compiling a Legislative History

(Federal Law)

How a Bill Becomes Law | Compiling a Legislative History
Indexes | Congressional Publications
Executive, Administrative, and Regulatory Publications | Supporting Resources
Ohio Law

How a Bill Becomes Law

ActionDocumentation
Bill introducedBill
Congressional Record
Bill referred to Committee
Bill referred to Subcommittee
[Most bills die in Committee] 		Hearings
Committee Print
Committee Reports to House (or Senate)Committee Report
Floor Action
House Rules Committee
Debate, Amendments, Vote		Congressional Record
Engrossed Bill
Bill sent to Senate (or House)
Process repeated Senate (or House)		Same as above
Bill, with amendments returned to House (or Senate)
Amendments approved,
Amendments unacceptable and bill is reconsidered,
or Conference Committee formed to create a compromise bill 		Congressional Record


Conference Committee Report
Enrolled Bill
Bill sent to President to signPresidential Statement
Public Law

For more detailed information on the legislative process, see

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Compiling a Legislative History

 In most cases, the easiest way to compile legislative histories is to start with the law and work back to the original bill. (Most bills never become law.)
  1. Find the Public Law number or Statutes at Large citation for your Law.

  2. Find your law in the Statutes at Large.
    [Recommendation: Photocopy at least the first and last pages of the law. If the law contains multiple titles (sections), also photocopy the first page of your title.]

  3. Overviews and analyses of the law may be helpful.

  4. If your law was passed in 1970 or later
    • Use CIS Index to obtain a Legislative History.
      • 1970-1983 - Legislative Histories are located in the back of the "Abstracts" volumes. They appear in Public Law number order. Citations are for entries in the "Abstracts" sections, look up these entries to determine which hearings, prints, and reports you want to see.
      • 1984-present - There are separate Legislative History volumes. The entries should contain sufficient information to allow you to determine the publications you wish to see. For more information, see the entries in the "Abstracts" volumes.
    • Or, find the legislative history on LexisNexis Congressional.
      • 1970-1983 - Citations provide CIS Numbers. Printout your history or write down these numbers. You will need to search each of these by CIS Number to determine which documents you want to see. (Note: when conducting a CIS Number search, add the last two digits of the year to the front of the CIS Number. Example: S201-5 from 1971 becomes 71-S201-05.)
      • 1984-present - Citations should contain sufficient information to allow you to determine the publications you want to see. Links are provided to abstracts and when available, online versions of publications.

    If your law was passed before 1970

  5. Look in Federal Legislative Histories: An Annotated Bibliography and Index to Officially Published Sources.

  6. Find the publications listed in your legislative history.
    The Congressional Publications section of this document provides more information on various types of Congressional publications, including call numbers and locations.

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Indexes

CIS Index | CIS Congressional Committee Hearings Index | CIS Congressional Committee Prints Index
CIS US Serial Set Index |Congressional Index | Historical Indexes | CQ Library | LexisNexis Congressional | Digest of Public General Bills and Resolutions | Federal Legislative Histories | GPO Access | Index to the Code of Federal Regulations | Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications | Numerical Lists and Schedules of Volumes
Shepard's Acts and Cases | Thomas

CIS Index

Indexes and abstracts Congressional publications produced since 1970. Hearings abstracts include the names of all witnesses and summaries testimonies. Indexes include subjects and names, bill numbers, titles, and reports. Separate legislative history volumes have been published since 1984. (1970-1983 legislative histories are in Public Law number order at the end of Abstracts volumes.) Issued monthly with quarterly and annual cumulations. Produced by Congressional Information Service (CIS).

Call Number: Z 1223 Z7 C65
[Find in Library]
Library Has: 1970 - present
Electronic: LexisNexis Congressional

CIS Congressional Committee Hearings Index

Indexes published hearings from the the 23rd to 69th Congresses (1833-1969). Hearings are indexed by personal names of witnesses and subjects of testimony, subjects and organizations, title, and bill, report, and other numbers. Witness names and affilitations are appended to bibliographic citations.

Call Number: Z 1223 Z7 C655
Location: ACK Reference
Electronic: Historical Indexes

CIS Congressional Committee Prints Index

Indexes committee prints from the 1830s through 1969. Includes indexes by Subject and Name, Title, Congress and Committee, Bill Number and Superintendent of Documents Number.

Call Number: Z 1223 Z7 C66
[Find in Library]
Electronic: Historical Indexes

CIS US Serial Set Index

Indexes the United States Serial Set and the American State Papers from 1789 through 1969. Reports and Documents are indexed by subject and keyword (based on words in the title). The Finding Aid volumes are used to search by Congress and report/document number. There is a special Reported Bill Number Index.

Call Number: Z 1223 Z9 C65
[Find in Library]
Electronic: Historical Indexes

Congressional Index

A weekly loose-leaf service which indexes all congressional bills and resolutions of general interest and lists their current status. It is designed to provide a complete record of federal legislation's progress from initial introduction to final disposition. Congressional Index includes synopses of hearings and a companion bills section in addition to author (sponsor and co-sponsor) and subject indexing. Produced by Commerce Clearing House (CCH).

Call Number: JK 1036 C6
[Find in Library]
Library Has: 84th Congress (1955/56) to present

Historical Indexes (Congressional Indexes, 1789-1972)

Online product incorporating CIS US Serial Set Index (1789-1969), CIS Congressional Committee Hearings Index (1833-1969), CIS Congressional Committee Prints Index (1830-1969), CIS Senate Executive Documents and Reports Index (1817-1969), CIS Unpublished US Senate Committee Hearings Index (1823-1972), and CIS Unpublished US House Committee Hearings Index (1830-1969). Produced by Congressional Information Service (CIS) as an add-on to LexisNexis Congressional. (Replaces Congressional Masterfile CD-ROM.)

Available: OSU (subscription)
LexisNexis Congressional - Select Historical Indexes

CQ Library

Provides online access to numerous CQ Press resources, including CQ Weekly (1998 - Present), CQ Researcher (1991 - Present), and the CQ Congress Collection (1945 - Present). Useful for finding analysis of key issues and legislation, the status of bills, and information about legislators.

Available: OSU (subscription)
Library Has: 84th Congress (1955/56) to present
Connect to CQ Library

LexisNexis Congressional

The online version of CIS Index, LexisNexis Congressional not only indexes and abstracts Congressional publications, but in many cases provides full text. Available Congressional publications include bills, hearing testimonies, prints, reports, and the Congressional Record. Other full text publications include Public Laws, USC, Federal Register, and CFR. Information about members of Congress, Committees, and Campaign Finance also available. Dates of coverage vary by database.

The Help Pages on the legislative process are especially useful, these pages provide step-by-step explanations of the process and a glossary of terms.

Available: OSU (subscription)
Connect to LexisNexis Congressional

Digest of Public General Bills and Resolutions

Briefly summarizes the essential features of public bills and resolutions introduced during each session of Congress. Arranged by bill number with subject, sponsor, and title indexes. Ceased publication in 1990.

Call Number: J 52 A3
[Find in Library]
Library Has: 1936-1990
Electronic: Thomas (1973-present)

Federal Legislative Histories: An Annotated Bibliography and Index to Officially Published Sources

Annotated bibliography of 257 legislative histories compiled between 1862 and 1990. Arranged in Public Law number order. Volume also includes Author, Popular Name, Congressional Session, Public Law Number, and Bill Number indexes. (Note: Many of these histories were published by Congress and are available in the CIS Microfiche Collections in the Main Library Microforms Area.)

Call Number: KF 42.2 1994
[Find in Library]

GPO Access

Full text of Congressional and Executive publications including Congressional Bills, Prints, Hearings, Documents, Congressional Record, Public Laws, USC, Federal Register, CFR, and Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents. It is possible to search multiple databases, although database specific search screens are available. Dates of coverage vary by database.

Available: public site (free access)
Connect to GPO Access

Index to the Code of Federal Regulations

Annual index to the CFR. Includes subject, geographic, new and revised CFR section numbers, and list of descriptive headings indexes. Published by Congressional Information Service (CIS).

Call Number: JK416 A33
[Find in Library]
Library Has: 1977-present

Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications

Indexes government publications issued to Depository Libraries. Includes legislative, executive, and judicial publications. Congressional Committee Hearings are indexed by title, committee, and subject. Annual indexes for 1895-1997. Cumulative Subject Index for 1900-1971. Printed version ceased in 1998.

Call Number: Z1223 A18
[Find in Library]
Library Has: 1895-1998
Electronic:

Numerical Lists and Schedules of Volumes

Indexes the United States Serial Set. Can be used to identify Serial Set volumes when a Senate or House report number is known. Ceased with the 96th Congress (1980)

Call Number: Z1223 A15
[Find in Library]
Library Has: 1st-96th Congresses

Shepard's Acts and Cases by Popular Names, Federal and State

Citations to federal and state acts and cases listed alphabetically by popular name. Bound edition updated by cumulative supplement.

Call Number: KF90 S53
[Find in Library]
Library Has: 1999 edition plus cumulative supplement.

Thomas

Full text Congressional publications including Congressional Record, bills, Committee Reports, Committee Hearings, and roll call votes. 104th Congress to present (some information from earlier Congresses). Produced by the Library of Congress.

Available: public site (free access)
Connect to Thomas

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Congressional Publications

Bills | Committee Hearings | Committee Prints | Committee Reports | Congressional Record | U.S. Serial Set

Bills

Bills are the means by which legislation is introduced into Congress. Bills are numbered consecutively within the House and Senate starting with 1 at the beginning of each new congress. Thus, for the 106th Congress, H.R. 100 was the 100th bill introducted in the House of Representatives. S. 100 was the 100th bill in the Senate.

Bills may have multiple versions:

Call Number and Location varies:

Indexed: Congressional Index, Digest of Public General Bills and Resolutions
Electronic:

Committee Hearings

Transcripts of testimonies from government, expert, and general public witnesses. Hearings also may include other related materials.

Call Number and Location varies:

Indexed: CIS Congressional Committee Hearings Index, CIS Index
Electronic:

Committee Prints

Informational and research publications produced by committees or parts of committees. Committee prints often are the most useful publications to examine for situation reports, statistical or historical information, and legislative analysis.

Call Number and Location varies:

Indexed: CIS Congressional Committee Prints Index, CIS Index
Electronic:

Committee Reports

Committee Reports are the means by which Congressional Committees report their findings and make recommendations to the House or Senate. Reports include lengthy and detailed analyses of each section of legislation under consideration and an explanation of the committee's thoughts on significant points.

A Conference Committee is formed to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill. A Conference Report is prepared when the Conference Committee reaches agreement. These reports are delivered to the House and Senate and are numbered in sequence with other reports.

Location: Committee reports are included in the U.S. Serial Set.
Indexed: CIS Congressional Serial Set Index, CIS Index, Numerical Lists and Schedules of Volumes
Electronic:

Congressional Record

Issued daily when Congress is in session, the Congressional Record contains transcriptions of the proceedings of Congress, including debates and voting records. Daily volumes later replaced by annual volumes with different pagination. Use Index Volumes to located desired material.

Index consists of two parts (1) alphabetical index of names and subjects. Citations to bill numbers provided under subjects. (2) "History of Bills and Resolutions" arranged by bill number, citing page references to all citations in the Congressional Record about the bill, from its introduction to its final passage.

Note: Members of Congress have the right to alter their statements before the Congressional Record is printed. Therefore the Congressional Record is not a true verbatim record of Floor discussions. The text of bills rarely are included in the Congressional Record

Call Number and Location varies:

Indexed: self-indexed
Electronic:

Preceded by:

U.S. Serial Set

A series of bound volumes containing the texts of House and Senate Reports and Documents, Senate Treaty Documents, and Senate Executive Reports. Older issues contain House and Senate Journals, agency reports to Congress, and varies other publications. Began with the 15th Congress. (Earlier publications can be found in the American State Papers.)

Call Number and Location varies:

Indexed: CIS Congressional Serial Set Index, CIS Index, Numerical Lists and Schedules of Volumes
Electronic:

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Executive, Administrative, and Regulatory Publications

 Presidential Statements | Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents | Public Papers of the Presidents
Statements of Administration Policy
Laws | Slip Laws | Statutes at Large | United States Code
Administrative Law (Regulations) | Federal Register | Code of Federal Regulations

Presidential Statements

Remarks made by the President when signing an act into law. These remarks are compiled in the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents and later in Public Papers of the Presidents.

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents

Issued Monday of each week, this publication includes Presidential proclamations, addresses and remarks, appointments, acts approved and vetoed by the President, and messages to Congress. Quarterly and annual cumulative indexes.

Call Number: J80 A75
[Find in Library]
Library Has: 1965-present
Indexed: self-indexed
Electronic: GPO Access (1993-present)

Public Papers of the Presidents

Annual compilations of many of the public messages and statements originally printed in the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents. Chronological arrangement with a subject index.

Call Number: J80 A28
[Find in Library]
Indexed: self-indexed
Library Has: 1929-33 (Hoover), 1945 (Truman)-present
For Roosevelt (1934-1945) see The Public Papers and Addresses of Franklin D. Roosevelt (HIS E 806 R78.)
Electronic: Available: public access (free site)
The American Presidency Project 1789-1913, 1929-Present

Statements of Administration Policy on Non-Appropriations and Appropriations Bills

Presidential position papers about proprosed legislation, 107th Congress (2001)-. Also provides Office of Management and Budget (OMB) testimonies before Congress, 105th Congress (1997)-.

Available: free site.
Connect to Statements of Administration Policy on Non-Appropriations and Appropriations Bills

Laws

Public Laws are laws which apply to the country as a whole. They are designated as P.L. Congress-law number. Public Law numbers are assigned chronologically within each Congress. Public Law numbers bear no relationship to bill numbers. (example P.L. 104-10 is the 10th Law passed under the 104th Congress).

Private Laws are laws which benefit a single person or organization. Private laws are designated as Private Law Congress-law number. Private Law numbers are assigned chronologically within each Congress.

Public and Private Laws are issued first as Slip Laws and later bound in the Statutes at Large.

Slip Laws

The first official version of a new law. A slip law may be a single sheet of paper or hundreds of pages. Marginal notes may indicate the section(s) of the U.S. Code into which the law will be integrated. A brief legislative history appears at the end of the law.

Call Number: K42 A2 (after the Statutes at Large in Public/Private Law number order)
[Find in Library]
Library Has: Slip Laws are retained until the Statutes at Large volume containing the law is received.
Electronic:

Statutes at Large

Chronological cumulation of laws. Although citations to the Statutes at Large are by volume and page number (example 88 Stat. 1896), Public/Private Law numbers can be used to locate specific laws. Volumes include subject and name indexes.

Note: 1963 through 1974 each volume of the Statutes at Large contained a "Guide to Legislative History of Bills Enacted into Public Law" (usually near the end of the volume). Beginning with the 94th Congress (1975), a brief legislative history is printed on the last page of each law.

Call Number: K42 A2
[Find in Library]
Library Has: complete collection
Indexed: self-indexed, Shepard's Acts and Cases by Popular Names
Electronic:

United States Code

Codification of "general and permanent laws" currently in force (ie, not private laws or appropriations). With its subject (Title) arrangement, the Code brings together initial laws and subsequent amendments. It is reissued every six years, with annual supplements in the intervening years. Citations to the United States Code are in the form of title number U.S.C. section number.subsection number (example 40 U.S.C. 210.1). Includes subject and popular name indexes.

Note: The United States Code Annotated (U.S.C.A.) is available at the Law Library. This commercially produced version (West Publishing) of the U.S.C. includes notes on the history of laws and related legal cases.

Call Number: K44 C1199
[Find in Library]
Library Has: 2000 edition
Indexed: self-indexed, Shepard's Acts and Cases by Popular Name
Electronic:

Administrative Law (Regulations)

Executive (and Independent) Agencies are responsible for enforcing laws. These agencies establish rules and regulations detailing the enforcement process. These regulations have the force of law and are disclosed first in the Federal Register and later incorporated into the Code of Federal Regulations.

Federal Register

Daily publication containing new and proposed federal agency rules and regulations. It should be used in conjunction with the Code of Federal Regulations to determine how a law is enforced.

Call Number: J1 A2
Location: [Find in Library]
Indexed: self-indexed
Electronic:

Code of Federal Regulations

Codification of the general and permanent federal agency rules and regulations. Revised annually, the CFR is updated by the Federal Register. Consult the List of CFR Sections Affected (LSA) (issued monthly) or the Cumulative List of Parts Affected (part of the Federal Register) to determine if your regulation has been updated.

Call Number: JK416 A3
Location: [Find in Library]
Indexed: self-indexed, Index to the Code of Federal Regulations
Electronic:

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Supporting Resources

 Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance | Congressional Quarterly Almanac | Congressional Research Service Reports |
National Journal Newspapers | PAIS International |
United States Code Congressional and Administrative News | United States Congressional Manual

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Comprehensive listing and description of federal programs and activities which provide assistance or benefits to the American public. Entries include authorizing law and CFR citations. Indexed by Program name, administrating agency, and subject. Issued annually with mid-year supplement.

Call Number: HC106.5 A2696
Location: [Find in Library]
Library Has: 1969-present (Current year and supplement in Reference Area, older years in Main Stacks.)
Electronic: Available: public site (free access)
Connect to Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Congressional Quarterly Almanac

Surveys legislation for each session of Congress. Includes synopses of bills and hearings, referred committees (for bills), companion bill numbers, hearing dates, House and Senate report numbers, roll call votes, enactment dates, and public law numbers. Issued annually.

Call Number: JK1 C745
Location: [Find in Library]
Library Has: 1945-present

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

The public policy research arm of Congress, CRS provides non-partisan research and analysis to members of Congress, Congressional Committees, and Congressional Staff. CRS does not provide public access to its reports, however, many are available indirectly via Congressional Member web pages or through special interest sites.

The Law Librarians' Society of Washington, D.C.'s Legislative Source Book web site includes PDF format CRS reports relating to Congress and Congressional Procedures. The page provides links to CRS reports available on other websites.

Available: public site (free access), however some links are restricted.
Connect to Legislative Source Book
Connect to Selected Congressional Research Service Reports on Congress and Its Procedures

National Journal

Covers significant topics that shape federal policy. Each issue includes a "Weekly Briefing"section, a checklist of important Presidential, Congressional, and agency actions. Cumulative personal name, private firm and association, government agency (includes Congressional committee), geographic, and subject indexes. Issued weekly.

Call Number: JK1 N2652
Location: [Find in Library]
Library Has: 1970-present

Newspapers

All major U.S. newspapers report on significant Congressional activity. The United States Newspaper Resources web page provides information about newspapers and newspaper indexes in the OSU Libraries' collections. It also provides links to online newspapers and indexing sources.

Available: public site (free access), however some links are restricted.
Connect to United States Newspaper Resources

PAIS International

Indexes and abstracts public and social policy information. International and multi-disciplinary in scope. Although all citations and abstracts are in English, PAIS includes citations to materials published in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. 1972-present.

Available: OSU (subscription)
Connect to PAIS

United States Code Congressional and Administrative News

Contains laws, legislative histories, Presidential proclamations, messages, and orders, and regulations. Annual cumulations.

Call Number: KF48 W45
Location: [Find in Library]
Library Has: 1941-present (incomplete, see OSCAR record for exact holdings)

United States Government Manual

Official organization handbook of the federal government. It summarizes the structure, dutirs, programs, and functions of federal agencies. Indexed by name, subject, and agency, and included an appendix of abolished and transferred agencies. Annual.

Call Number: JK421 A32
Location: [Find in Library]
Library Has: 1936-present. Current issue in Ready Reference, see OSCAR for locations of older editions.
Electronic: GPO Access (1995/96-present)

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URL: http://library.osu.edu/sites/reference/govdocs/leghis.php
Please send questions and comments to: moeller.63@osu.edu
Last Modified: 26 September 2007.