Last revised: August, 2007

Federal Legislative Information

Scope: This is a guide to the legislative process as well as a selective list of reference tools for finding legislative publications in print and on the Web. If you have any questions or would like further assistance, please contact the U.S. Government Information, Maps & GIS Services staff at govdocs@umd.edu or 301.405.9165.

The Legislative Process or How a Bill Becomes a Law

For an in depth explanation of the legislative process, consult one of the sources below:

• How Our Laws Are Made
  Thomas, Library of Congress
  http://thomas.loc.gov/home/lawsmade.toc.html
• Stages of the Legislative Process
  Available through the database LexisNexis Congressional
• Tapping the Government Grapevine: The user friendly guide to U.S. government information. LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Government Documents Reference
  CALL NUMBER: ZA 5055.U6R63 1998.
• United States Government Information Policies and Sources
  Identifies sources appropriate to each stage in the legislative process.
  LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Government Documents Reference
  CALL NUMBER: ZA 5055.U6U55 2001

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Primary Source Materials:

Annals of Congress, Congressional Globe, and Congressional Record

Contains the official records of proceedings and debates of Congress

LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Government Documents Reference

CALL NUMBERS: X vol. and X1.1: vol.

Online (1789 - 1875): http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/

Online (1989 - present): http://thomas.loc.gov/home/r110query.html

House Journal

Record of the proceedings of each legislative day in the House

LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Government Documents Reference

CALL NUMBER: XJH: congress

Online (1789 - 1875): http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/

Online (1991 - 1999): www.gpoaccess.gov/hjournal/

Private Laws (See also, Statutes at Large)

LOCATION: UMCP McKelding Library, Government Documents Reference

CALL NUMBER: AE 2.110/2: congress

Online (1995 - present): http://www.gpoaccess.gov/plaws/

Public Laws (See also, Statutes at Large)

LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Government Documents Reference

CALL NUMBER: AE 2.110: congress

Online (1989 - present): http://thomas.loc.gov

Online (1995 - present): http://www.gpoaccess.gov/plaws/

Senate Journal

Record of the proceedings of each legislative day in the Senate

LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Government Documents Reference

CALL NUMBER: XJS: congress

Online (1789 - 1875):http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/

Serial Set

Numbered Reports, Documents, Executive Reports and Executive Documents for the House and Senate

LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Government Documents Su Doc

CALL NUMBER: Y 1.1/2: vol.

Online (1995 - present): http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/

Statutes at Large

Volumes of the law, bound chronologically from their date of passage, and printed in their entirety

LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Government Documents Reference

CALL NUMBER: AE 2.111: vol.

Online (1789 - 1875): http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/

Online (2003 - present): http://www.gpoaccess.gov/statutes/

United States Code

Codification of current laws in force, broken down by subject

LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Government Documents Reference

CALL NUMBER: Y 1.2/5: year

Online (1994 - present): http://www.gpoaccess.gov/uscode/

Online (current edition): http://thomas.loc.gov

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents

Contains statements, messages, and other Presidential materials released by the White House during the preceeding week.

LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Government Documents Reference

CALL NUMBER: AE 2.109: date

Online (1993 - present): http://www.gpoaccess.gov/wcomp/

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Finding Legislation Using Databases:

These databases are useful for tracking down legislative information. They are only available to University of Maryland faculty and student through Research Port. Note that databases are not as comprehensive as their print index counterparts.

LexisNexis Congressional

This database is well organized and easy to use. Full text is available for many documents from about 1988 to the present. If the full text is not available, users can track down the call number or microfiche number to access the publication in print or microfiche. Search for:

Bills Laws Hearings Documents Reports Prints Legislative Histories

US Serial Set publications American State Papers series Congressional Record Congressional Committees Members of Congress News publications like the Washington Post, the Hill and RollCall

Westlaw Campus Research

This database provides full text access to cases from the courts of all 50 states and federal courts as well as state and federal statutes published in the United States Code Annotated, American Jurisprudence 2d Legal Encyclopedia, American Law Reports, federal regulations, law review and other legal periodicals.

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Finding Legislation Using Print Indexes:

CCH Congressional Index (1939 - present)

LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Government Documents Reference

CALL NUMBER: J 69.C6 congress

CIS Annual, Index to Congressional Publications and Legislative Histories (1970 - present)

LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Government Documents Reference

CALL NUMBER: JK 8.C6 year

CIS Unpublished U.S. House of Representatives Committee Hearings (1833-1964)

LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Government Documents Reference

CALL NUMBER: KF 40.C54

CIS Unpublished U.S. Senate Committee Hearings (1823-1976)

LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Government Documents Reference

CALL NUMBERS: KF 40.C55 and KF 40.C551

CIS U.S. Congressional Committee Hearings Index (1833-1969)

LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Government Documents Reference

CALL NUMBER: KF 25.C66

CIS U.S. Congressional Committee Prints Index (1817-1969)

LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Government Documents Reference

CALL NUMBER: Z 7165.U5852

CIS U.S. Senate Executive Documents and Reports (1817-1969)

LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Government Documents Reference

CALL NUMBER: KF 40.C57

CIS U.S. Serial Set Index (1789-1969)

Index to Congressional reports and documents

LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Government Documents Reference

CALL NUMBER: Z 1223.Z9C65

Public Documents of the 1st Fourteen Congresses (1789-1817)

LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Government Documents Reference

CALL NUMBER: Z 1223.A1900a

Sessional Indexes to the: Annals of Congress, Congressional Globe and the Congressional Record (1789-1960)

Indexes to the record of the proceedings and debates of Congress

LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Government Documents Reference

CALL NUMBER: J 11.G51 cong.

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Other Online Resources

Biographical Directory of the United States

Includes information about representatives and senators from 1774 to the present.

Online:http//www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/cdocuments/hd108-222/

Online (searchable database): http://bioguide.congress.gov

Congressional Bibliographies

Contains meeting transcripts and descriptions as well as other documents created by House and Senate committees.

Online: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/congbibs/

Congressional Research Service Reports

CRS is the public policy research arm of Congress. This legislative branch agency works exclusively for Members of Congress, their committees and their staffs. Reports are only available to the public if a Congressperson releases them. There is no one comprehensive collection of reports but select ones may be found from:

• Department of State: http://fpc.state.gov/c18185.htm
• University of North Texas: http://digital.library.unt.edu/govdocs/crs/

Cornell University Legal Information Institute

Excellent for browsing or searching for laws. There are also subject guides to issues.

Online: http://www.law.cornell.edu

GPO Access: Legislative Information

Includes access to bills, laws, the Congressional Record, Statutes at Large, US Code, hearings from 1994 to present, and more.

Online: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/legislative.html

House of Representatives Committees

Online: http://www.house.gov/house/CommitteeWWW.html

Senate Committees

Online: http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/committees/d_three_sections_with_teasers/committees_home.htm

Thomas: Legislative Information on the Internet

This Library of Congress website provides free access to much of the same information that can also be found in LexisNexis Congressional, including Roll Call votes. However, it does not span as many years. It allows users to browse current legislation by sponsor and by topic.

Online: http://thomas.loc.gov

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