Electronic Sources for Federal Legislative History Documents

with Years/Congresses Available

Legislative History Electronic Compilations (selected committee reports & other related documents)

• LLSDC.org/ has links to 25+ free histories; guide to compiling leg. hist’s; other related resources
• THOMAS – has bill histories (from 1973) w links to related bills (1989), repts (1995), CR p. (2001)
• Various govn’t (DoJ, DoC), commercial & non-profit electronic collections of individual histories
• Westlaw - has a linked legis. history Web site (http://integrationsolutions.westlaw.com/gov/leghist/)
• Westlaw - has linked legis. history links to public law cites (PL 93-259, etc.) from 1974 to present
• Westlaw - has LH (1948+); Telecommunications Act of 1996 (TELECOM-LH) & others via A&P
• Westlaw - begun digitization of  thousands of GAO leg. histories (premium service)
• LexisNexis - Legislative History Research page (http://www.lexisnexis.com/leghist/) with links
• LexisNexis - has TAXLH (1954+), Appropriations (1992+), GLBLH (1999) & other leg. histories
• LexisNexis - CIS leg. histories (CISLH -1970+ with links to abstracts of hearings/ reports 84+,
  to C.R. pages 1985+, to bill texts 1989+, and to committee reports 1990+)
• HeinOnline.org – has digitized selected published histories & other histories

Popular Name or Public Law Number Index (to find the law/bill to research)

• GPO Access - has name & PL # search capability by congress from 1995 (104^th Cong.)
• THOMAS - has public law number table from 1973 (93^rd. Cong.) with links to bill history
• THOMAS - has word/phrase searching in its bill status/summary section by cong. from 1973
• Law Revision Counsel (http://uscode.house.gov/) - Search - "Jones Act" AND "Popular Names"
• Cornell LII (http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/topn/) - has popular name index 
• Findlaw (http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/popularnames/) - has index
• Westlaw - has find US legislation by cite capability from 1973 & popular name index (USCA-POP)
• LexisNexis find law by cite 1789+ as in "79 pl 234" or "60 stat 327" & pop name index (USNAME)
• HeinOnline.org - Legislative Reference Checklist: Key to Leg. Histories from 1789-1903 (Bill #s)

U.S. Code (has brief history of amdts after each section of the Code to discern which law to research)

• LLSDC.org/sourcebook/ - has USC & US Statutes history/explanations & USC tables
• GPO Access - has USC 1994 ed.; 2000 ed. & annual supplements (text, not PDF)
• Law Revision Counsel  - has downloadable chapters (text, PDF), USC PDF tables, curr. tables 
• Cornell's LII  - has USC with direct linking to sections
• Findlaw  - has USC with direct linking to sections
• Westlaw - has updated USCA & back years from 1990 (USCA90, USCA94, USCA02) & by date
• LexisNexis - has updated USCS and back years from 1992 (US1992, US1994, US2002, etc.)
• LoisLaw.com, PotomacPub.com, TheLaw.net, & VersusLaw.com have current USC

Bill/Public Law Chronologies & Brief Summaries

• GPO Access - has history of bills & resolutions from 1983 with dates to page #s from 1993
• THOMAS - has bill status & summaries from 1973 with links to bill text from 1989 (101^st Cong.)
• LLSDC.org/sourcebook/ - current & final status tables on selected legis. topics from 1999 
• Westlaw - US-BILLTRK & BILLTRK-OLD (1991+) no links or C.R. page #s - via StateNet.com)
• LexisNexis - has BLTRCK, BLT105, etc. (1989+) w links to CR 1991+, reports 1995+; summaries
• CQ.com - has Bill Track with links to C.R. pages & reports from 1995; CQ Archives from 1985
• StateNet.com - has U.S. bill chronologies from 1991 (102^nd Cong.; no CR pages, no links)
• GalleryWatch.com and TheLaw.net - have bill chronologies from 1999 (106^th Cong.)

Bill/Public Law Texts

• GPO Access - has full text of bills in all versions from 1993 (103^rd Cong.; text & PDF)
• GPO Access - has full text of all public laws/statues from 1995 (104^th Cong.; text & PDF)
• THOMAS - has full text of bills in all versions, including enrolled versions, from 1989 (101^st Cong.)
• Lib.of Congress (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/) - bills & statutes 1789-1873
• Westlaw - PDF text (OCR) of U.S. Statutes At Large (1789-1972) - premium serv, few cite access
• Westlaw - has full text of public laws from 1973 (93^rd Cong. - USCCAN-PL)
• Westlaw - has full text of bills in all versions from 1995 (104th. Cong. - CONG-BILLTXT104, etc.)
• LexisNexis - has PDF texts (not searchable, but can bring up by cite) of U.S. Statutes (1789-present)
• LexisNexis - has full text of all bill versions from 1989 (10st Cong. - BLTEXT, BLT101, BLT107..)
• LexisNexis – has U.S. public laws from 1988 (100^th Cong. - PUBLAW)
• HeinOnline.org - has searchable Statutes at Large in PDF from 1789 to near present
• PotomacPub.com - has Statutes At Large in PDF from 1789 to present (also via LexisNexis)
• CQ.com - has bill texts of all versions from 1995 (104^th Cong.) & archives from 1987 (100^th Cong.)
• GalleryWatch.com and TheLaw.net - have bill texts in all versions from 1997 & 1999 respectively

Congressional Committee Reports (conference and standing committees)

• GPO Access - has all congressional committee reports from 1995 (104^th Cong.; in text & PDF)
• THOMAS - has all congressional committee reports from 1995 (104^th Cong. - in html)
• Lib.of Cong. (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/) - selectd Serial Set repts 1817-1917
• LLSDC.org/sourcebook/ - Schedule of Vols. of U.S. Serial Set - 1970+ (to locate report in Set)
• Westlaw - all committee reports from1990 (LH); selected ones related to public laws from 1948
• LexisNexis - has all committee reports from 1990 (CMTRPT)
• LexisNexis - has CIS abstracts of all reports (CISINX 1970+) & also those before 1974 (CISHST)
• LexisNexis - has digitized the most of U.S. Serial Set (1789-1969) which includes cmte reports
• Readex.com - has begun digitization of U.S. Serial Set (1789-1980) which includes cmte reports
• CQ.com - has committee reports from 1995 and in CQ Archives from 1989-1994
• GalleryWatch.com and TheLaw.net have committee reports from 1997 and 1999 respectively

Congressional Record (bill actions, votes, floor debate, remarks, daily digest of floor & cmte actions)

• GPO Access - has full text from 1994; in PDF from 1995 (104^th Cong. forward, daily edition)
• GPO Access - has bound Cong. Record for 1999 only (other bound CR page cites must research)
• GPO Access - has Congressional Record Index from 1983 (98^th Cong.) with dates from 1993
• THOMAS - has full text from 1989 in html (101st Cong. forward; daily edition only)
• Library of Cong. (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/) - has pre CR (1789-1874)
• LLSDC.org/sourcebook/ - has an overview & session table with dates, Record vol. #s & notations
• Westlaw - has full text of daily edition from 1985 (CR - 99^th Cong. forward)
• LexisNexis - has full text of daily ed. 1985+ (RECORD, DIGEST, SENATE, 99TH, 106TH, etc.)
• HeinOnline.org - begon retrospective digitization (currently 1789-1913; 1985-2001) 
• CQ.com - has full text of daily ed. from 1995; CQ Archives from 1987 (100^th Cong. forward)
• GalleryWatch.com - has full text of daily edition from 1999 (CR Search)
• LLMC.com - plans to digitized its microform collection of the bound Cong. Record (1873-1994)

Congressional Committee Hearings (from House and Senate standing committees)

• GPO Access - published hearings in PDF from most committees, some as early as 1997 (105^th)
• House.gov - Committee pages usually have prepared testimony, some as early as 1995 (104^th Cng.)
• Senate.gov - Committee pages usually have prepared testimony, some as early as 1997 (105^th Cng.)
• House/Senate cmte pages may have only current cong. or only full cmte hrngs, some have transcripts
• CapitolHearings.org - live audio feed of current Senate hearings (free)
• FNSg.com - has most all prepared statements and selected transcripts of testimony from 1993
• CQ.com (formerly FDCH.com) - most all prepared statements & selected trans. from 1995
• Westlaw - has most prepared statements from 1996 & sel. transcripts from 1994 (via CQ Trans)
• LexisNexis - most prepared statements from 1993 & selected transcripts from 1988 (FNS & CQ)
• LexisNexis - has CIS abstracts of all hearings (CISINX 1970+) & also those before 1970 (CISHST)
• Factiva.com - most all prepared statements and selected transcripts from 1995 (via CQ Trans.)
• GalleryWatch.com - most all prepared statements & selected transcripts from 2000 (via FNS)
• BNA.com - has articles on most hearings in various topical newsletters (also on Lexis & Westlaw)
• C-SpanArchives.org - has audio & video coverage of most congressional hearings from 1987
• Hearings.com - audio archives of most congressional hearings from Feb. 2000 to Feb. 2002

Presidential Signing Statements (found in Weekly Comp. of Pres. Docs & Public Papers of Pres.)

• GPO Access - Weekly Compilation from 1993 & Public Papers of Pres from 1992 (text & PDF)
• Westlaw has WCPD from 1995, PRES-DAILY from 1993, and USCCAN-MSG from 1986
• LexisNexis has Public Papers of the President (PRESDC) from March 1979
• HeinOnline.org has Weekly Compilation of Pres. Docs: 1969 to near current year

Congressional Committee Markup Summaries and Amendments (amdt votes in committee)

• House & Senate Committee Reports - sometimes inserted into text of reports; see above
• House.gov & Senate.gov Committee Web Pages - sometimes placed on cmte Web sites
• CQ.com - has most all cmte markup summaries from 1989; also text of cmte amdts from 2005
• NationalJournal.com - has most all committee markups summaries from September 1999
• GalleryWatch.com - has National Journal markup summaries and cmte markup amdts 2003+
• BNA.com - has articles on committee markups in various newsletters (also on Lexis & Westlaw)

Congressional Committee Prints (studies/compilations; also name for bill drafts before markup)

• GPO Access - has prints of most committees from 1997 (105^th Cong.)
• House.gov & Senate.gov Committee Web pages - selected cmte prints from 1997 (105^th Cong)
• LexisNexis - has many committee prints from 1995 (104^th Cong.)

Congressional Documents (generally communications from the Pres. - treaties, vetoes, etc.)

• GPO Access - has the numbered document series from 1995 (104^th Cong.) for most docs
• LexisNexis - U.S. Serial Set (1789-1970) & numbered document series (HSDOCS) from 1995
• Readex.com has begun digitizing U.S. Serial Set including the document series (1789-1980)

Related Studies, Reports, Articles (GAO, CBO, OMB, CRS, White Hse, agencies, news, etc.)

• GPO Access - has GAO reports from 1995 (in text and PDF) & U.S. Budget from 1997
• GAO.gov - has Government Accountability Office reports from 1970 (in PDF with html abstract)
• CBO.gov - has Cong. Budget Office proposed leg. cost estimates & other studies from 1981
• OMB.gov - has recent statements of admin. policy, US Budget material, circulars, etc.
• LLSDC.org/Sourcebook/ - has links to most all Cong. Research Service reports on the Internet
• PennyHill.com - has abstracts of all CRS reports from 1995 (fee if requesting document)
• Various agency & commission Web sites, law firm analyses (use search engines)
• GalleryWatch.com most CRS reports from 1995 and sel. agency repts & lobbyist letters
• Westlaw - has GAO reports (GAO-RPTS) from 1994; also has news searches
• LexisNexis - has GAO reports (GAORPT) from 1994; also has news searches
• CQ.com - usually has related articles in Weekly Report and other publications (from 1985)
• BNA.com - many related articles in various subject newsletters (also on Westlaw & Lexis 87+)