Basics
Commercial publishers, including law firms, sometimes compile all the legislative history documents for one law into bound volumes or contract with LexisNexis or Westlaw to have them placed online. Usually only major legislation is commercially compiled, and legislative histories for bills that do not become law are rarely compiled.
You need one of the following items to search for a compiled legislative history:
- United States Code (USC) citation
- Public law number
- Popular name of act
- Statutes at Large citation
- Bill number of legislation
JFK Sources for Compiled Legislative Histories
To see if the library has a compiled legislative history, try a keyword search in the Library Catalog using key terms from the name of the act. Try adding the phrase, using quotes, "legislative history".
You can also consult the following sources available through the JFK Library which either contain legislative history documents, list the titles of other published legislative histories, or provide complementary background information on legislative activities:
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American Landmark Legislation Labor Laws by Call Number: KF68 .S5 1984 (Upper Level Book Stacks) -
Congress and the Nation, 2009-2012 by Call Number: KF49 .C65 (Main Level Reference) -
Congressional Quarterly AlmanacCall Number: JK1 .C66 (Main Level Reference
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Federal Legislative Histories: An Annotated Bibliography and Index to Officially Published Sources by Call Number: KF42.2 1994 (Main Level Reference) -
Legislative Histories of the Laws Affecting the U.S. Government Printing Office as Codified in Title 44 of the U.S. Code byCall Number: eBook, vol. 1, 1A, II, IIA, IIB
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West's Encyclopedia of American Law by Call Number: KF154. W47 2005 (Main Level Reference)
Website for Compiled Legislative Histories
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Legislative Histories of Selected U.S. Laws on the Internet: Free SourcesPart of a guide compiled by the Law Librarians' Society of the District of Columbia. Provides links to compiled legislative histories available online, and other legislative history resources.