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Federal Legislative History Research

This guide provides resources for conducting federal legislative history research.

Introduction

A federal legislative history refers to all of the documents that are produced by Congress during the process of a federal law’s passage.

How are Federal Legislative Histories used?

  • To clarify vague language in legislation;
  • To learn what motivated legislators to pass legislation;
  • To better understand where legislation fits into broader public policy issues.  

Where to begin?

To begin the research process, check compiled legislative histories to see if it a legislative history has been published on the specific law. For a list of recommended resources, please see the last page of this LibGuide titled "Compiled Legislative Histories."

If a compiled legislative history on the specific law does not exist, researchers can create their own using a variety of resources. To begin, it is helpful to identify as much of the following information as possible for each law: 

  • The Public Law number (or chapter number for laws passed before 1957); 
  • The location in the U.S. Statutes at Large; 
  • The date of enactment; 
  • The number of the House or Senate bill and the Congress that enacted the legislation.