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Federal Legislative History Research

A how to guide for pinpointing congressional documents to help determine legislative intent

What Happens When a Bill is Referred to a Committee/Subcommittee?

After a bill is introduced, it is referred to a committee or subcommittee for editing and analysis. This is known as the markup period. The committee or subcommittee considering the bill may hold hearings on the bill, review committee prints, and produce committee reports. 

Documents Produced in the Committee/Subcommittee Markup Period

Hearings 

Committees may hold hearings to gather testimony on a bill, helping them assess the need for the proposed legislation. Hearings provide an opportunity for interested parties to present their perspectives on the bill. Typically, hearings focus on the views of those testifying rather than the committee or Congress itself, which limits their usefulness in understanding legislative intent.

Committee prints 

Committee prints are wide ranging documents covering a wide range of topics. They may include research materials, statistical data, legislative analyses, staff reports, investigative findings, and background information. Since committee prints are not always produced by legislators, they generally do not indicate legislative intent. However, references to committee prints in debates and reports by legislators can sometimes be informative.

Committee/Subcommittee Reports

After reviewing testimony (if a hearing was held) and relevant committee prints, committee or subcommittee members often draft a report. Committee reports are among the most valuable documents for understanding legislative intent. These reports, which accompany many bills that become law, typically outline the bill’s purpose, provide a section-by-section analysis, explain the committee’s rationale for recommending the bill, include the text of amendments and modifications to existing laws, and record the views of any dissenting members.

Locating Markup Period Documents

Hearings: hearings do not always occur, and the publication of official hearing transcripts can take months. If you need to access a hearing before it has been published, check committee websites for prepared statements or webcasts—such documents are generally available immediately after the hearing takes place. • Govinfo.gov: Available from 1961 to the present; official publications available

Committee prints: Congress only publishes committee prints irregularly, and publication timing largely depends on the committee. Documents are sometimes available in HTML format only.

  • Govinfo.gov: select Committee Prints from the 67th Congress (1921-22) to the present
    • Govinfo.gov Advanced Search > Refine by Collection “Committee Prints”
  • Congress.gov has recently added selected congressional committee prints from the 103rd Congress (1993) to the present.
    • Select "Committee Materials" from the drop-down menu next to the global search box on the Congress.gov homepage

Committee reports: Not every bill has an associated committee report. Some committees publish reports directly on the committee website, so be sure to review the committee website as available.

  • Govinfo.gov: House and Senate Reports, 1995 to the present
    • Govinfo.gov Advanced Search > Refine by Collection “Committee Reports”
  • Congress.gov: House and Senate Reports, 1995 to the present
    • From the bill in Congress.gov > select “Committees” tab from the navigation bar