Introduction
This guide is provides a condensed list where to find specific kinds of documents produced by Congress. Some of the sites are free and some to which Miami University subscribes. Based on Georgetown Law Library's Quick Reference Chart. See Congress.gov for a glossary of legislative terms.
Bills
| Congress.gov |
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| Govinfo | Full text of Bills, 1993 (103rd Congress) - present. | |
| Govtrack | Especially good for tracking current bills. 1799-present, with some gaps in coverage. Details. Also data by Congress and final status of bills (passed, vetoes, failed, etc.) | |
| Proquest Congressional | 1789 - present (in various modules). For more detail. | |
| Nexis Uni | 1980s (depending on source) -> Federal and state bills, includes full text. Select search by publication, put in a word(s) in the search box. Type the word Bills in the Publication Box and select the database that you want. | |
| Congressional Record Index | Free index from GPO. Browse by date and then by topic. The Congressional Record is the record of what is said and done in Congress. Online 1983 - present. Earlier years in print or on microfiche. |
Hearings
| Proquest Congressional | 1824 - 2003. Search under the Hearings icon. Search by keyword/topic, committee, congressional session, witness or affiliation. |
| Congress.gov | 1995 (104th Congress) - present. Search either by the large text box or through the Committees link on the top left. Selected not comprehensive in coverage |
| Govinfo.gov | Full text of hearings, 1945 - present. Browse by congressional session and then committee. Selected, not comprehensive in coverage. |
| CQ Congressional Testimony | In Nexis Uni. Under the large search box is an advanced button. Enter your desired search terms and dates and in the Source Box, search for CQ Congressional Testimony |
Committee Reports (House, Senate, Conference)
| ProQuest Congressional | 1817- 2003. Select Advanced Search. In the left menu, select Hose and Senate Documents/Reports (and deselect other sections.) |
| Govinfo.gov | 1821 (17th Congress) - present. |
| Congress.gov |
Search by either the large search box or by the committees link on the top right. |
| US. Serial Set | 1833 (23rd Congress) - 1917 (64th Congress). Selected. |
Congressional Debates (Congressional Record/ Annals of Congress/Register of Debates/Congressional Globe)
| Congress.gov | 1899 - present. Includes daily digest as well as extension of remarks. |
| ProQuest Congressional |
1789 - 1977. Use the Advanced Search. Select the Congressional Record in the list on the left. Includes the CR's predecessors.Dates vary by source. |
| Hein Online | US U.S. Congressional Documents |
| Govifno.gov | 1873-2016. Will add more years in the future. |
| LLMC Digital | Under U.S Federal Government. Congressional Journals. Mostly historical. |
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American Memory |
Continental Congress (1774-1789), Annals of Congress (1789-1825); Register of Debates (1824-1839), and the Congressional Globe (1833-1873) |