Last revised: August, 2008

Federal Legislative Information

Scope: This guide covers the legislative process as well as a selective list of reference tools for finding legislative publications in print and on the Web. Many of the publications mentioned are located on the 4th floor of McKeldin Library in the U.S. Government Information Collection. 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 a quick overview of the legislative process, see:

• The Legislative Process (C-SPAN)
  http://www3.capwiz.com/c-span/issues/basics/?style=legis

For a more in-depth explanation of the legislative process, consult one of the following sources:

• How Our Laws Are Made (Library of Congress)
  http://thomas.loc.gov/home/lawsmade.toc.html
• Stages of the Legislative Process (From LexisNexis Congressional) UM Only
• Tapping the Government Grapevine: The user friendly guide to U.S. government information
  LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Reference Desk or U.S. Government Information 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, Stacks or U.S. Government Information Reference
  CALL NUMBER: ZA 5055.U6U55 2002
  http://www.netLibrary.com/urlapi.asp?action=summary&v=1&bookid=80813 UM Only

For definitions of terms related to Congress and the legislative process, see:

• Senate Glossary (U.S. Senate)
  http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/b_three_sections_with_teasers/glossary.htm

return to top

Finding Legislation Using Online Resources

These databases are useful for tracking down legislative information. They are only available to University of Maryland faculty, staff, and students.

GPO Access: Legislative Information

Access to various legislative publications from 1994 to present.

LexisNexis Congressional UM Only

This database includes Congressional publications from 1789 to the present and provides full text access to many documents from the 1980's to the present. If the full text is not available, users can access the publication in the U.S. Government Information SuDoc stacks (4th Floor, McKeldin Library) by using the "SuDoc" call number, or in the CIS microfiche collections (4th Floor Computer Lab, McKeldin Library) by using the "CIS-No." Search the database for:

Bills Laws Hearings Documents Reports Prints Legislative Histories

US Serial Set publications US Serial Set maps American State Papers Congressional Record Information on members and committees News publications, i.e. The Hill, RollCall

Thomas (Library of Congress)

Access to bills and bill tracking, laws, the Congressional Record, committee reports, and roll call votes from 1989 to the present with limited information back to 1973.

Westlaw Campus Research UM Only

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

return to top

Finding Legislation Using Print Indexes

CCH Congressional Index (1939 - present)

References to and tracking of current legislation.

CALL NUMBER: J 69.C6

CIS Indexes (same content as LexisNexis Congressional)

• CIS Annual, Index to Congressional Publications & Legislative Histories (1970 - )
  CALL NUMBER: JK 8.C6
• CIS Unpublished U.S. House of Representatives Committee Hearings (1833-1964)
  CALL NUMBER: KF 40.C54
• CIS Unpublished U.S. Senate Committee Hearings (1823-1976)
  CALL NUMBERS: KF 40.C55 and KF 40.C551
• CIS U.S. Congressional Committee Hearings Index (1833-1969)
  CALL NUMBER: KF 25.C66
• CIS U.S. Congressional Committee Prints Index (1817-1969)
  CALL NUMBER: Z 7165.U5852
• CIS U.S. Senate Executive Documents and Reports (1817-1969)
  CALL NUMBER: KF 40.C57
• CIS U.S. Serial Set Index (1789-1969)
  CALL NUMBER: Z 1223.Z9C65

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

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

CALL NUMBER: J 11.G51 cong.

return to top

Other Online Resources

Biographical Directory of the United States

Information about representatives and senators from 1774 to the present.

Congressional Bibliographies (NC State University)

Committee Meeting transcripts and descriptions as well as other documents.

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

Reports from the public policy research arm of Congress.

Note: Reports are only available to the public if a congressperson releases them. As there is no comprehensive site for accessing CRS reports, it is recommended that users should search all of the sites below to ensure access.

Air University CRS Collection

Department of State CRS Collection

Law Librarians' Society of Washington, D.C. CRS Collection

OpenCRS

University of North Texas CRS Collection

U.S. Italian Embassy CRS Collection

For CRS Reports relating to Congress and its procedures:

House of Representative Archives CRS Collection

Law Librarians' Society of Washington, D.C. CRS Collection

Cornell University Legal Information Institute

Browse or search for laws and find subject guides to legal issues.

CQ Congress Collection UM Only

Analytical information on policy, legislative votes, and members of congress. Includes data on voting alignments, interest group ratings, and advanced key vote analysis.

CQ Politics in America UM Only

Profiles of all the current members of the U.S. Congress. Information includes biographical data, committee assignments, election results, votes, interest group ratings, campaign finance, partisan caucuses, and committees.

CQ Weekly UM Only

Weekly congressional news and analysis, 1983 - present.

House of Representatives

Senate

Legislative Source Book (Law Librarians' Society of Washington, D.C.)

Information about and links to legislative resources.

return to top

Other Print Resources

CQ's Guide to Congress

LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library Reference Stacks, U.S. Gov Info Reference

CALL NUMBER: JK 1021.C565 2000

CQ's Guide to the Presidency

LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Library, Reference Stacks

CALL NUMBER: JK 516.C57 2002

Legislative Primary Source Materials

Printer-Friendly Page

American State Papers

See Serial Set

Bills, Resolutions

LOCATION

[−]

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information Microfiche

CALL NUMBERS: Y 1.4: (1953*-2000)

American Memory (Library of Congress) (1799-1873)

Thomas (Library of Congress) (1989-present, 1973-present for bill summaries)

LexisNexis Congressional (1989-present) UM Only

Note: Finding aid for 1979-2000 located at U.S. Government Information Reference GP 3.28:.

*Copies of bills pre-1953 may be viewed in the Library of Congress' Microtext Collection.

Daily Compilations of Presidential Documents

Integrates material from the weekly publication dating from 1993, with Daily Compilation material as published from January 20, 2009 forward. The Web site is updated frequently, as information is released by the White House press office to Federal Register editors, including, proclamations, Executive orders, speeches, Press conferences and releases, announcements, and other Presidential materials.

LOCATION

[−]

GPOAccess (2009-Present)

Debate - Annals of Congress, Register of Debates, Congressional Globe, Congressional Record

Contains the official records of proceedings and debates of Congress, including roll call votes.

LOCATION

[−]

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information Reference

CALL NUMBERS: X vol. and X1.1: vol. (1789-present)

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information Microfilm

CALL NUMBERS: J 11.A5, J 11.D5, J 11.G5 (1789-1967)

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information Microfiche

CALL NUMBERS: X 1.1: (1977-present) *Permanent edition

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information Microfiche

CALL NUMBERS: X 1.1/A: (1985-present) *Daily edition

American Memory (Library of Congress) (1789-1875)

LexisNexis Congressional (1985-present) UM Only

Thomas (Library of Congress) (1989-present)

Hearings

Transcripts of meetings or sessions of congressional committees considering proposed legislation or conducting an investigation.

See Finding Congressional Hearings

Journal of the House

Record of the proceedings of each legislative day in the House of Representatives.

LOCATION

[−]

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information SU Docs

CALL NUMBER: XJH: congress (1789-1817, 1947-2004)

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information Rare (Ask at Info Desk)

CALL NUMBER: XJH: congress (1797-1946)

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information Microfiche

CALL NUMBER: XJH: congress (1979-2004)

American Memory (Library of Congress) (1789-1875)

GPO Access (1991-1999)

Journal of the Senate

Record of the proceedings of each legislative day in the Senate

LOCATION

[−]

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information SU Docs

CALL NUMBER: XJS: congress (1789-1817, 1947-2006)

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information Rare (Ask at Info Desk)

CALL NUMBER: XJS: congress (1817-1920)

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information Folio (Ask at Info Desk)

CALL NUMBER: XJS: congress (1921-1946)

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information Microfiche

CALL NUMBER: XJS: congress (1979-2004)

American Memory (Library of Congress) (1789-1875)

Laws, Private (See also, Statutes at Large)

LOCATION

[−]

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information Reference

CALL NUMBER: AE 2.110/2: congress

GPO Access (1995-present)

Laws, Public (Slip) (See also, Statutes at Large)

LOCATION

[−]

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information Reference

CALL NUMBER: AE 2.110: congress (recent only)

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information Microfiche

CALL NUMBER: AE 2.110: congress (1953-1978)

LexisNexis Congressional (1988-present) UM Only

Thomas (Library of Congress) (1989-present)

GPO Access (1995-present)

Prints

Congressional committee publications on topics related to the legislative or research activities of the committee.

Found the same way as congressional hearings.

Reports, House & Senate (See Serial Set)

Roll Call Votes

Votes on the floor on the House and Senate, officially reported in the Congressional Record

LOCATION

[-]

Congressional Record, McKeldin, U.S. Government Info Reference

CALL NUMBER: X vol. and X1.1: vol. (1789-present)

CQ Weekly (previous title: CQ Weekly Report), McKeldin Periodical Stacks

CALL NUMBER: JK 1.C15 (1956-Present)

CQ Weekly (1983-Present) UM Only

Thomas (Library of Congress) (1989-Present)

Serial Set

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

LOCATION

[−]

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information Su Doc

CALL NUMBER: Y 1.1/2:vol., Y 1.1/5, Y 1.1/8: (1947-present)

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information Rare (Ask at Info Desk)

CALL NUMBER: Y 1.1/2: vol. (1789-1946)

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information Microfiche

CALL NUMBER: Y 1.1/2: vol. (1789-1976, 1979-present)

American Memory (Library of Congress) (1789-1917, various)

LexisNexis Congressional (1789-1969) UM Only

GPO Access (1995-present)

Statutes at Large

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

LOCATION

[−]

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information Reference

CALL NUMBER: AE 2.111: vol. (1789-present)

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information Microfiche

CALL NUMBER: CIS Collection, KF 50.U5 (1789-1982)

American Memory (Library of Congress) (1789-1875)

HeinOnline U.S. Statutes at Large Library (1789-2006) UM Only

GPO Access (2003-2006)

United States Code

Consolidation and codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. Revised every 6 years with annual supplements.

LOCATION

[−]

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information Reference

CALL NUMBER: Y 1.2/5: year (2000-present)

UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information SU Docs

CALL NUMBER: Y 1.2/5: year (1934-1999)

GPO Access (1994-2006)

HeinOnline: U.S. Code Library (1925-present) UM Only

LexisNexis Congressional (Current version only) UM Only

United States Code Annotated

Commercial version of United States Code with annotations to case law.

LOCATION

[−]

UMCP McKeldin Library, McKeldin Reference

CALL NUMBER: KF 62.U53

Westlaw Campus Research (Current version) UM Only

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, U.S. Government Information Reference

CALL NUMBER: AE 2.109: date (1965-2000)

GPO Access (1993-2009):

return to top