LibGuides: Federal Legislative History: Public Laws

Free Online Resources

Congressional Record on FDsys
The official record of the proceedings of Congress, published daily when Congress is in session. Available online from Volume 140 (1995) to present.
Public Laws on THOMAS
Browse and search public laws from the 93rd Congress (1973) to present.
Public and Private Laws on GovInfo
The full text of public and private laws. Available from the 104th Congress (1995) to present.
Statutes at Large on GPO Access
The Statutes at Large contain the text of every public and private law passed during a session of Congress, in chronological order of passage. Available from 108th Congress (2003) through presently published (currently 109th Congress).

Public Laws

Once an act is enacted into law, the text of the law is assigned a Public Law number and published in the United States Statutes at Large and the U.S. Code Congressional and Administrative News. In both of these publications, laws are printed in the order in which they were enacted.

Print Resources

United States Statutes at Large by United States, Government Printing Office
Call Number: KF50.U52
The full text of every public and private law passed by Congress is published in chronological order of date of passage. Library has 1937 - present.
United States Code Congressional and Administrative News (USCCAN) by United States
Call Number: KF48 .W45
Contains public laws, legislative history, proclamations, executive messages and orders, administrative regulations, lists of committees, indexes & tables, for each session of Congress. Library has 82nd Congress, 2nd session (1952)- current.

Guide content provided courtesy of the Westminster Law Library at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.

Databases

Hein Online - U.S. Statutes at Large
Hein Online - U.S. Code
Westlaw
Lexis Nexis
ProQuest Congressional
Comprehensive federal legislative information including bill tracking, legislative histories, public laws, committee reports, hearings, Congressional Record and appropriations. Includes a historical search feature for selected material back to 1789.