Compiled legislative histories are existing collections of all documents produced by Congress leading up to passage of an act. Compiled legislative histories bring together the key legislative documents related to a specific law. These compilations are invaluable for researchers as they save time by consolidating all the relevant documents in one place. They can include documents from multiple sessions of Congress.
Bills are proposals for new laws or changes to existing laws. They are introduced in either the House of Representatives (H.R.) or the Senate (S.), and each bill is assigned a number. Resolutions are similar but may deal with procedural or other non-legislative matters. Bills can be amended many times before being passed. Comparing the various versions of a bill as it moved through the legislative process may help in determining the intended meaning of the law.
The most persuasive sources of legislative history are typically the committee reports that accompany a bill as it moves to the House or Senate floor for consideration. These reports are highly influential because they are drafted by the legislators who have studied the bill in detail and provide an explanation of the proposal and its intended effects. For most enacted laws, there are both House and Senate reports, and, if necessary, a conference report when the final language is agreed upon by a joint committee of legislators from both chambers.
Each two-year congressional term produces a separate, numbered series of House and Senate reports. Conference reports are included in one of these series and are numbered accordingly. These documents are cited with the congressional number, such as “H.R. Rep. 97-857,” which refers to the 857th House report issued by the 97th Congress. The House began using this numbering system in 1817, while the Senate started in 1847.
Committee prints are internal reports prepared by congressional committees. They may include research papers, reports, and draft bills. These documents offer background research that influenced legislative decisions. They are not always evidence of intent; can be evidence committee members were aware of certain issues. Not all committee prints are announced for public distribution.
Hearings are held by congressional committees to gather information on the bill from experts, government officials, and interest groups. These hearings can provide valuable insight into the issues that concern Congress. Not all federal legislation undergoes hearings, and even when they do, not every hearing is published. Unpublished hearings are sent to the National Archives and may remain sealed for 20 to 50 years, depending on the chamber that conducted them and the sensitivity of the information. For hearings selected for official publication, there is no mandatory printing schedule, which can lead to substantial delays. The time between a hearing and its official release can range from a few weeks to several years.
The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress; it began publication in 1873 and is still published today. Daily issues are published after each day that Congress is in session.
At the end of each session of Congress, all of the daily editions are collected, re-paginated, and re-indexed into a permanent, bound edition. This permanent edition, referred to as the Bound Edition, is made up of one volume per session of Congress, with each volume published in multiple parts, each part containing approximately 10 to 20 days of Congressional proceedings. The primary ways in which the bound edition differs from the daily edition are continuous pagination; somewhat edited, revised, and rearranged text; and the dropping of the prefixes H, S, and E before page numbers.
Statements made during floor debates and published in the Congressional Record can provide insights into legislative intent, but they are generally considered to have limited value as explanations of a bill’s meaning. The statements of the bill’s sponsor or the chairperson of the relevant committee are typically given more weight than remarks from other members of Congress. Congressional debates provide valuable context, including arguments made by lawmakers, which can be critical in understanding the purpose and intent behind specific legislative language.
A presidential signing statement is an official document issued by the President of the United States at the time they sign a bill into law. In the signing statement, the President may outline their interpretation of the law, express concerns about specific provisions, or provide guidance on how the executive branch will implement or enforce the law.
