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Guides to the Legislative Process
Congress.gov has many features that make tracking legislation easier than it used to be. For example, you can tell at a glance where a bill is in the legislative process by looking at the tracker under each entry:
Here are some guides with more information about the legislative process. Remember that references to onsite resources apply to the libraries where these guides were created; we may not have the same material in our Library.
- Congress.gov: Legislationbill status can be followed by Committee by using the filters on the left
- Legislative ProcessVideo from Congress.gov covering the legislative process; particularly rich with real-world details
- Legislative Processfrom the House of Representatives
- Legislative Processfrom Columbia University
- Legislative Process Resourcesfrom Bowling Green State Univ.
- Legislative Sourcebookfrom the Law Librarians' Society of Washington, D.C.
Guides to Legislative Research
Remember that references to onsite resources apply to the libraries where these guides were created; we may not have the same material in our Library.
- HeinOnline This link opens in a new window"US Legislative History Library" includes legislative histories from many different sources.
- Federal Legislative History Research: A Practitioner's Guide to Compiling the Documents and Sifting for Legislative Intentpart of the Law Librarians' Society of Washington, DC's Legislative Sourcebook
- Finding or Compiling Federal Legislative Histories Electronicallydetailed explanations of the content & arrangement of legislative histories, plus links to free and subscription information sources
- Legislative Historieshistories of federal legislation compiled at the Justice Dept. library over the years, now digitized for public use
- Legislative History Research Guidefrom Georgetown Law Library
- Legislative History Resources Reference Chartreference lists giving online sources (complete with dates of coverage)
- Legislative Informationguide by Yale University Library
Other sources
- Active Legislationa handy index to active legislation, showing at which stage in the process each measure currently resides, what future action is predicted, and the legislation's effects on programs and appropriations
- Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: Serial Setsearch or browse the Serial Set up to 1917
- Congressional Reports1995-present. Reports originate from congressional committees and deal with proposed legislation and issues under investigation. House and Senate Reports.
- CQ Press Political Reference Suitetext and data information about the legislative process and politics in general; also includes directory-type information
- Legislative Historieshistories of federal legislation compiled at the Justice Dept. library over the years, now digitized for public use
- Political Information.combackground and information on the political forces influencing legislation
Congressional Timeline
The Dirksen Center's Congressional Timeline provides information about each Congress back to 1933 (73rd Congress). The Timeline shows the major legislation passed, the Congressional leadership, and other information for each Congress. As the Center expands the site there will be accompanying collections of photos and documents, as well as video and audio, for more of the selections.
In the Library
There are some general guides to legislative research in the Blume and Law Libraries, as well as a great many specialized guides for particular areas of the law (most of these are in the Law Library). The holdings of both libraries are searchable in the Library Catalog. Choose "Subject Keyword" and search on "legislation" and "research" in addition to a subject term.
Legislative Histories in Congressional Universe. This feature is one of the most valuable provided by this database. Note that this database is available for on-campus use AT THE LAW LIBRARY ONLY.
Here are some reference books offering help with legislative research, which you can find on the 1st floor:
- Guide to Congress. REF JK 1021 .C565 [year]. Especially, the chapter entitled "The Legislative Process."
- Congressional Quarterly Almanac. REF JK 1 .C66. 1960-2000. Annual review of Congressional activity.
- Major Acts of Congress. REF KF154.M35 2004. Alphabetical encyclopedia of major laws.