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Federal Legislation

Bills

Beginning with the 96th Congress, Carnegie Library has the bills and resolutions on microfiche (Congress-session: House/Senate). There is a Finding Aid at the Social Sciencs desk.

The Library does not have earlier bills, but some infomration can be obtained from the Digest of Public General Bills and Resolutions.
Gov. Doc. LC 14.6: Congress/session (87 Congress, 2d session - date; 1962-date)

This resource provides the essential features of public bills and resolutions and is arranged by bill or resolution number. A cumulative issue is published at the end of each Congressional session. There is both a subject index and a table of public laws with corresponding bill number.

Progress (status) of current bills can be tracted through the Congressional Index, published by the Commerce Clearing House.
r 328.73 C73 (88th Congress-date; 1963/64-date)

This source also has a section on voting records in which there are roll-call votes. These are eventually bound separately (r 328.73 C73v -- 1953/54-date). This is both an author and a subject list.

An increasing amount of legislative information can now be obtained online from Thomas: Legislative Information Service (http://thomas.loc.gov). This information inludes:

  • Bill Texts from the 101st Congress - date (1989-date)
  • Bill Summaries and Status from the 93d Congress - date (1973-date)
  • Roll Call Votes

Slip Laws

These are copies of the federal laws as first published separately. They are kept in the pamphlet file under the heading "U.S. Congress Slip Laws." Ask the librarian to help you.
NOTE: A legislative history of each bill is appended to the end of the slip law.

United States Statutes at Large

qr 345 U2534 (44th Congress-date; 1877-date)

These are the bound permanant versions of the slip laws. Volumes are published at the end of each sesion of Congress. Both public and private laws are included.

United States Code

The early editions (1940-1970) were cataloged. Check the Dewey Catalog under the heading:
    U.S. Statutes.
      United States Code

Prior to 1940, the title was Code of the Laws of the United States of America. Both the 1925 and 1935 editions are listed in the Dewey Catalog under the heading:
    U.S. Statutes.
      Code of the Laws of the United States of America

Later editions of the U.S. Code are under the government documents number.
Gov. DOc. Y 1.2/5:date (1976-date)
http://uscode.house.gov/ (2000 edition with supplements)
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/uscode/ 2006 Edition (Titles 1 – 41)

The U.S. Code contains all general and permanent laws of the United States as currently in force. Arrangement is under fifty titles (subjects). There is a general subject index and a popular name index. Cumulative supplements are issued between major revisions.