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Try GovInfo for authenticated archival full-text access to essential federal publications from all three branches of government. Including bills, Congressional publications, regulations, laws, codes, and a variety of other materials. GovInfo will become part of DiscoverGov later this year.
Congress.gov is also an official federal legislative site. This resource provides substantial collections of bills, session laws, Congressional reports, educational material, and information about the House and Senate and their members.
Understanding the Legislative Process
The following materials are recommended for anyone who would like to review the process through which bills and resolutions become law.
- How Our Laws Are MadeOnline document provided by the Parliamentarian of the U.S. House of Representatives and now available through Congress.gov.
- The Legislative Process (videos)This nine-part series explains how a bill becomes a law from its introduction to Presidential approval.
- Glossary of Legislative TermsThe Legislative Process Glossary in Congress.gov provides assistance with the specialized vocabulary of law-making. A nine part video series illustrates each step of the law-making process.
- Federal Legislative History ResearchFor a "how to" guide on compiling legislative histories, check the website of the Law Librarians' Society of Washington, D.C.
Notes on Laws
Notes on Finding Laws:
Session Laws - Compilations of session laws provide a chronological record of laws passed in specific time period. For example, in Congress, a session is a two-year legislative period. To see a law as it appeared on the day it was signed into law, use Session Laws. Statutes at Large is the official federal compilation of session laws.
Codes - To see a law as it has been incorporated into the body of laws and amended since the date of passage, use codes. The United States Code is the official compilation of federal laws.
Annotated Codes - Annotations provide links to related court cases, amendments to previous versions of a law, etc. As previously noted, annotations can provide help with assembling legislative histories.
In legal proceedings, it's important to cite official versions of codes and session laws. Codes published in sources like Westlaw Campus are useful resources, but are not generally considered "official texts. That said, they are generally accepted for most student work. In some instances, including the United States Code and the General Laws of Massachusetts, the print sources are still considered authoritative.
Federal Bills, Laws, and Codes
- GovInfoSoon to be part of DiscoverGov. Authenticated archival full-text access to essential federal publications from all three branches of government. Includes bills, Congressional publications, regulations, laws, codes, and a variety of other materials. Select Statutes at Large for session laws and the U.S. Code for codified laws.
- Congressional Bills (GovInfo)Bills from the 103d Congress onwards, 1993 to present.
- Public and Private Laws (GovInfo)Laws from the 104th Congress onwards, 1995 to present.
- Congress.govis also an official federal legislative site. This resource provides substantial collections of bills, session laws, Congressional reports, educational material, and information about the House and Senate and their members.
- Statutes at Large, 1789-2020 (GovInfo)Session laws
- United States Code (GovInfo)Current and previous editions and supplements are available at this site.
- Westlaw Proposed and Enacted Legislation (Opens in new window)Materials at both the federal and state levels. To search for laws and proposals, select the Proposed and Enacted Legislation category from the Westlaw Campus Research menu. Once that category is selected, choose by jurisdiction (federal or state) or topic.
YouTube-Tracing Massachusetts Legislation
Massachusetts Bills and Laws
In addition to the traditional news outlets, several resources provide insight into Massachusetts politics and policy. These include the State House News Service and Commonwealth Beacon.
- Massachusetts State LawExcellent subject guide from the Law School Library.
- MassTrac This link opens in a new windowMassTrac offers summaries and ability to track Massachusetts legislation, transcriptions of floor debates and public testimony, and voting records for all recorded votes. Includes historical data from 1995 to the present and detailed analysis of state budget proposals. MassTrac is particularly valuable because the Commonwealth doesn't provide as much documentation as is available at the federal level.
- Acts and Resolves of MassachusettsSession laws of the Commonwealth, 1692-2010.
- Bills and Laws page - General Court of Massachusetts (legislature)Provides access to bills, session laws, and the codified General Laws.
Laws from Other States
Use the States and Territories link (Law Library of the Library of Congress). Links to state legislative sites provide access to bills, session laws, and codes of law. State pages also include links to legal guides, maps, and some primary sources.
Other options include:
- HeinOnline This link opens in a new windowSelect the State Collection near the top of the Welcome screen.Hein's State Collection includes session laws for the fifty states, the National Survey of State Laws, and Subject Compilations of State Laws. See also the individual Hein collections referenced below.
- State and Local Law ResearchAnother subject guide provided by the Law School Library.
- Session Laws Library (HeinOnline) (Opens in new window)This resource provides access to the session laws of the fifty states from inception to present.
- State Legal Materials CollectionFrom the Cornell University Legal Information Institute (LII)
- Westlaw Campus Research This link opens in a new windowState-level materials are available in most Westlaw Campus Research collections, including Cases, Statutes & Court Rules, Adopted and Proposed Legislation, Regulations, and Adopted and Proposed Regulations.
Law Library of Congress
The Law Library of Congress is one of the premier legal research centers in the world, covering both domestic and international law. We recommend that you explore the Library's many research resources, including the Legal Research Institute which offers many webinars on both foreign and domestic issues.
Some helpful links include:
- Congress.govThe go-to site for all things Congressional from legislative history to voting records to policy issues.
- About Congress.govThese pages connect to educational materials, explain dates of coverage for various collections, and provide instructions for using Congress.gov effectively.
- Orientation to U.S. Law Research WebinarsThe Library offers recurring one-hour webinars which provide training on compiling legislative histories as well as finding/tracking statutes, case law, and regulations.
- Global Legal MonitorSubscribe to this free publication which monitors legal developments worldwide.
- Guide to Law Online - Nations of the WorldCoverage dates vary.
- Law Legal ReportsReports on foreign, international, and comparative law written at the request of members of Congress. Current and historical reports.
Need more help?
Please e-mail Roxanne Palmatier, Legal Studies Librarian.