Chat
Sorry, we are currently offline.
|
|
Email
refdesk@uwgb.edu |
|
Appointment
Book a consultation |
Answer the questions below to guide you to the best sources for your information.
Then use the Quick Links at the bottom to access the documents.
Check Sources for Federal Legislation Federal Bills or Bill Status/Tracking.
What do you already know about the law?
Do you have a full citation?
Do you have the official name or a popular name for the law?
Do you have an approximate idea of when the law was passed?
If not, check Shepard's Acts and Cases by Popular Names (REF GVP US AE 2. 111/6x:, 3rd Floor) This includes both state and federal laws and will give you the date of passage, public law number, and, citations to the U.S. Statutes at Large and the U.S. Code. It will also provide dates and public law numbers for legislation amending that act.
Check Sources for Federal Legislation U.S. Code or Public Laws/U.S. Statutes at Large.
Find the text of the original public law in the U.S. Statutes at Large. There you can determine the bill number, as well as a short legislative history. This will also give you the corresponding section number where the text will be found in the U.S. Code, which is a subject arrangement of laws currently in effect.
Consult the U.S. Code, which is a subject arrangement of all of the laws currently in effect.
divided into 50 major subject categories, called titles
numbered sections of a public law may appear in different areas of the code, depending on the subject matter of that section
numbering of the subject categories, or titles, does not correspond exactly to the numbering used in the Code of Federal Regulations
sections within the U.S. Code do not have the same numbers as they have in the U.S. Statutes at Large
A legislative history, which can usually be accessed by public law number, will give you: the main provisions of the act, the bill number, and a list of committee reports, hearings and other important documents. Other categories of congressional publications can be useful in helping you to determine the intent of the legislation, its implementation, key proponents and opponents, etc.
Congressional Hearings include testimony of people who support or oppose the legislation. Since hearings are generally very lengthy, look at the abstract in Proquest Congressional to learn who testified, what organizations were represented and what positions were presented. The abstract will also indicate any supplemental materials reprinted in that hearing. Often statistics, journal articles, and previously unpublished research are reprinted here for the convenience of the committee. If full-text is not available online, look under library Call Number: GVP US Y4. (Specific call number listed in abstract.)
Committee reports provide a summary of the bill, legislative intent, fiscal impact, and the Committee recommendation. If the Committee is divided on the bill there will generally be a "minority report" included. Reports often give an overview of the pros and cons brought out at the hearings. Find them in the U.S. Serial Set/American State Papers or Congressional Record. If full-text is not available online, look under library Call Number: GVP US Y1. (Specific call number listed in abstract.)
The Congressional Record shows all floor action and debate in the House and Senate and is updated daily.
Federal Roll Call Votes shows how each member of Congress voted on a bill. If the voting record indicates "voice vote" there will be no record of how individuals voted.
Subject arrangement of laws currently in effect
Source | Coverage |
---|---|
print - GVP US Y1. 1/5: |
1934 to date (some in remote storage; ask a librarian for assistance) |
Law Library of Congress | 1925 to 1993 (supplements to 1988 edition) |
GovInfo.gov (GPO) | current edition with revisions back to 1994 |
ProQuest Congressional |
current edition only; annotated with links to related court cases and law reviews |
Source | Coverage |
---|---|
print - REF GVP US AE 2. 111: |
1789 to date |
GovInfo.gov (GPO) | 1951 to date |
Congress.gov | 1973 to date |
Westlaw Campus Research - default Westlaw Campus Research > Legislative History |
current 1973 to date |
ProQuest Congressional | 1989 to date |
A Century of Lawmaking | 1789-1875 |
Source | Coverage |
---|---|
ProQuest Congressional | 1969 to date |
print - Digest of Public General Bills GVP US LC14.6: |
1944-1990 |
U.S. Statutes at Large (brief legislative history) | see above |
Source | Coverage |
---|---|
ProQuest Congressional | 1789 to date |
Congress.gov | 1989 to date |
GovInfo.gov (GPO) | 1993 to date |
A Century of Lawmaking | 1789 to 1871 |
Source | Coverage |
---|---|
Congress.gov | 1973 to date |
GovInfo.gov (GPO) | 1983 to date |
ProQuest Congressional | 1989 to date |
A Century of Lawmaking | 1774-1875 |
Floor debate & action
Source | Coverage |
---|---|
ProQuest Congressional |
1985 to date |
GovInfo.gov (GPO) | 1994 to date |
Congress.gov |
1995 to date |
A Century of Lawmaking | 1789-1875 |
print - Remote GVP US * microfiche | check catalog for holdings |
Source | Coverage |
---|---|
Congress.gov |
1989 to date |
CQ Weekly | 1991 to date |
print - CQ Almanac REF JK1. C6 |
1963-2006 |
print - Congress and the Nation REF JK 1001 .C6 |
1945-2004 |
Source | Coverage |
---|---|
ProQuest Congressional | 1789 to date |
GovInfo.gov (GPO) | 1995 to date; some earlier |
Congress.gov | reports only; 1995 to date |
A Century of Lawmaking | 1789 to 1875 |
Law Library of Congress | 1817 to 1994 |
print - GVP US Y 1. 1/2: |
check catalog for holdings information |
Source | Coverage |
---|---|
ProQuest Congressional |
1830 to date: indexed 1970 to date: selected/partial full-text 1824-1969: full-text |
House & Senate websites | look under individual committees for full-text of selected hearings |
GovInfo.gov (GPO) | 1985 to date: selected hearings; incomplete |
print - GVP US Y 4. |
varies; ask a librarian for assistance |
Congress.gov | none |
Source | Coverage |
---|---|
ProQuest Congressional | 1817 to date: indexed; no full-text |
print - GVP US Y 4. |
varies; ask a librarian for assistance |
Source | Coverage |
---|---|
CQ Weekly | 1983 to date |
ProQuest Congressional |
1987 to date |
print - CQ Almanac REF JK 1 .C66 |
1963-2006 |
print - Congress and the Nation REF JK 1001 .C6 |
1945-2004 |
Source | Coverage |
---|---|
Westlaw Campus Research | 1984 to date |
ProQuest Congressional | 1980 to date |
GovInfo.gov (GPO) | 1996 to date |
Law Library of Congress | 1938-1969 |
Source | Coverage |
---|---|
Westlaw Campus Research | v.1, 1936 to date |
ProQuest Congressional | 1981 to date |
GovInfo.gov (GPO) | 1936 to date |
Regulations.gov | Current information only; track status of a regulation and comments |
print - Remote & REF GVP US AE2. 106: |
Source | Coverage |
---|---|
GovInfo.gov (GPO) | 1997 to date |
Source | Coverage |
---|---|
RegInfo.gov | 1994 to date |
Source | Coverage |
---|---|
Westlaw Campus Research | varies by agency |
Agency websites | varies by agency |
Source | Coverage |
---|---|
Westlaw Campus Research | varies by title |
Subjects covered include law, government, and reference information. Find a wide range of legal materials including legislative histories, codes and regulations, and Federal and State case law.