LibGuides: Legislative History: Sources and Their Documents

Thompson Library Sources for Government Documents

Thompson Library is NOT a member of the Federal Depository Library System, and as such, does not house printed documents distributed to government depository libraries. For print copies of documents from GPO, please consider visiting our sister libraries on the Ann Arbor campus of the University of Michigan.

ProQuest Congressional

Bills (1987 - Present)
Sponsors & Co-Sponsors
Public Laws (1987 - Present)
Statutes at Large
Committee Prints & Misc. Publications (1817 - Present)
Hearings (1817 - Present)
Committee Reports (1817 - Present)
Legislative Histories (1969 - Present)
Congressional Record Daily Edition (1985 - Present)
Congressional Record (1789 - 1999)
US Code
Code of Federal Regulations
Federal Register (1980 through 2011)

ProQuest Congressional
Includes bills, laws, Congressional publications, hearings, reports, Congressional Record, CRS Reports, and some executive agency documents.

ProQuest Congressional (previously called LexisNexis Congressional) indexes and abstracts Congressional committee publications, including hearings, committee prints, reports, documents, and public laws. It includes the full text of Congressional reports and documents (1789-1969), Executive branch documents (1789-1939), bills and resolutions (1789-present), hearings (1824-present), Congressional Record (1985-1997), CRS Reports (1916-present), Statutes at Large (1789-present), bill text (1989-present), the Serial Set (1789-present), Federal Register (1980-present) and the current U.S. Code and the Code of Federal Regulations.

GPO Access (Government Printing Office Online)

Bills (103rd Congress to Present)
Popular Names (103rd Congress to Present)
Committee Prints (104th Congress to Present) (see also: Committee Tab at top of browse list)
Committee hearings (104th Congress to Present) (see also: Committee Tab at top of browse list)
Committee Reports / Committee Tab (top of browse list, 1997 - Present)
Public Laws (104th Congress, 1994 - Present))
Statutes at Large (1951 - 2002 AND 2003 - 2008)
US Code (1994 - Present)
Code of Federal Regulations (1996 - Present)
Federal Register (1994 - Present)
Congressional Record Daily (1994 - Present)
Congressional Record Daily Index (1983 - Present)
Compilation of Presidential documents (1993 - Present)

GPO Access
Look at top, left side of screen (Under "FDsys") - Click on Browse Government Publications

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Link at top, left FDsys -- Federal Digital System
- Top right -- Browse Governement Publications
- Find laws: Click "Public & Private Laws"
- Searches by PL number; provides popular name.
- Coverage: 104th (1995) to 114th (2016)

Microfiche/Microfilm Collections

Statutes at Large
Microfiche (small mylar sheets with micro-documents).
Shelved on 3rd floor, fiche cabinets
Ask at Reference Desk for assistance
Full text of public laws
1799 - 1972
Congressional Record (and predecessors)
Microfilm Cabinets - Gov Docs - 3rd Floor.
Microfilm and Microfilm reader, 1st floor
Print/digital-file-save capable reader
Ask at Reference Desk for assistance
Coverage includes all 4 versions of debates of congress
Coverage dates: 1781 to 1976

State Laws

Michigan State Law: How does a Bill become a Law?
Michigan Manual
The Michigan Manual, the State's official manual, includes fundamental reference information about Michigan–its history, constitutional development, government organization, and institutions. It is published biennially by the Legislative Service Bureau, under the direction of the Legislative Council.

The contents of the manual are divided into the following chapters:
• Michigan History
•Michigan's Constitutions
•The Legislative Branch
•The Executive Branch
•The Judicial Branch
• Michigan's Congressional Delegation
• Institutions of Higher Education
• Local Government
• Elections
• General Information and Statistics

Michigan Compiled Laws
Location: Reference Collection, 3rd floor Call Number: KFM 4230 .M55

Congress.gov

Contains legislation from the 103rd Congress (1993) to the present, member profiles from the 93rd Congress (1973) to the present, and some member profiles from the 80th through the 92nd Congresses (1947 to 1972).

Current Bills
Enacted Bills
Public Laws of current congress
Congressional Record

Congress.gov
Contains legislation from the 103rd Congress (1993) to the present, Congressional Record from 1995-present, Committee activities, and member profiles from the 93rd Congress (1973) to the present.

Congress.gov -- Resources Alphabetical List , A to Z
An A to Z directory of help pages, research guides, lists, popular saved searches, and more. Legislative Process Glossary terms are in italics.
Congressional Record

Federal Register -- Executive Branch -- Regulations

The Federal Register: What it is and how to use it
Instruction in using the Federal Register.
Use link at top, left (FDsys - Federal Digital System)
- Click on Browse Government Publications
- Code of Federal Regulations (1996 - Present)
- Federal Register (1994 - Present)
Federal Register Online
Federal Register publishes proposed new regulations (Executive Branch) as well as new approved regulations to the Federal Register. Published weekly.
GPO Access -- Federal Register
CFR -- Code of Federal Regulations (online)
Codified (subject organization) collection of all federal regulations, created and enforced by the bureaus and agencies of the Executive Branch of the federal government.

Subject organization of federal regulations within 50 titles (subjects), similar to the United States Code (codified organization of congressional statutes, or public laws), but created and enforced through the Executive Branch of the federal government within the agency or bureau which oversees the particular subject area.

Example: Regulations governing environment would be under the aegis of the Environmental Protection Agency.
ProQuest - Federal Regulations
GPO Access - Code of Federal Regulations
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Look at top, left side of screen (Under "FDsys")
- Click on Browse Governement Publications
- Code of Federal Regulations (1996 - Present)
- Federal Register (1994 - Present)

Federal Programs, Directories, Catalogs

SAM.gov (Beta)

SAM provides detailed, public descriptions of federal assistance listings available to State and local governments (including the District of Columbia); federally recognized Indian tribal governments, Territories (and possessions) of the United States; domestic public, quasi- public, and private profit and nonprofit organizations and institutions; specialized groups, and individuals.

Medical and health information directory : a guide to state, national, and international associations, state and Federal Government agencies, U.S. and foreign medical schools, hospitals, grant-award sources, health care delivery agencies, journals, etc.

CQ Online Suite

CQ Weekly
1983-present-In-depth reports on issues looming on the congressional horizon, plus a complete wrap up the previous week's news, including the status of bills in play, behind-the-scenes maneuvering, committee and floor activity, debates and all roll-call votes.
CQ Voting and Elections Collection
1789-present. U.S. presidential, congressional, gubernatorial elections, campaigns, parties, voters, & voting demographics.
CQ Almanac
Congressional activities, including original narrative accounts of every major piece of legislation that lawmakers considered during a congressional session.
CQ Press Library
Collection of directories, encyclopedias and guides on U.S. politics and policy from CQ Press.
CQ Researcher Plus Archive
In-depth, unbiased coverage of health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy.

1923-present. Each single-themed, 12,000-word report is researched and written by a seasoned journalist, and contains an introductory overview; background and chronology on the topic; an assessment of the current situation; tables and maps; pro/con statements from representatives of opposing positions; and bibliographies of key sources.
CQ Supreme Court Collection
Historical analysis & commentary of Supreme Court decisions, biographies of Supreme Court justices, Supreme Court institutional history, & the U.S. Constitution.

National Journal

National Journal
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Print trade journal, shelved in Periodicals Collection, 3rd floor, Thompson Library.
Check "Journal Finder" for list of databases with online access to National Journal

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents

Contains most of the official, public presidential papers through the Wilson administration. (HathiTrust digitized book)

Compilation of Presidential Documents Collection
Consists of the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents and the Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents, the official publications of materials released by the White House Press Secretary. 1993 - present
Compilation of Messages and Papers of the President (Richardson Set)
Contains most of the official, public presidential papers through the Wilson administration (1921). (HathiTrust digitized book)

Codified access (via Federal Register online) to Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders
This provides access to the edited and re-arranged text of Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders from April 13, 1945 - January 20, 1989.

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This is an on-line version of the out-of-print Codification of Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders, spanning the administrations of Harry S. Truman through Ronald Reagan.

Incorporated into the text of each codified proclamation and Executive order are all amendments which were in effect on January 20, 1989. The source of the basic document as well as each effective amendment is identified, including publication citations for the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations. Also reflected are changes made by a document other than a proclamation or Executive order, such as a public law or Federal regulation.

US Code Congressional and Administrative News (USCCAN)

Reproduces full text of Public Laws from STATUTES AT LARGE
Includes sections on Legislative History (citations plus full text of some documents)
Includes House and Senate Committee Reports (some full text)
Includes Popular Names (for Public Laws) tables in back of last volume (by year)

US Code Congressional & Administrative News (USCCAN) by Thompson / West Publishing Company
Call Number: JK 11 .U58

US House of Representatives - US Code, Plus

House of Representatives Site on US Code
Includes US Code, Popular Names Tables, and links to Thomas & GPO Access

Legislative History