Federal Legislative History Research

After a bill completes the markup session, it returns to the chamber floor, where legislators may engage in debate over its various elements. When floor debates occur, they provide strong evidence of legislative intent, as legislators often discuss why the bill should or should not become law and examine the specific language within the bill.

Congressional Record entries: The Congressional Record may contain a transcript of arguments for or against a proposed bill or amendment or explanations of provisions that are vague or unclear within a bill.

Floor debates and remarks regarding bills in the Congressional Record:

• The History of Bills serves as the index to the Congressional Record. It provides users with page numbers to all locations a bill is discussed within the Congressional Record, including when a bill is debated and commentary on a bill if it exists.
  • Congress.gov: History of Bills, varies; coverage is not complete
    • From the bill in Congress.gov > select “actions” from the navigation bar > under “actions overview,” select “Bill History – Congressional Record References” > the History of the Bill will provide page numbers and link you to the notation in the Congressional Record
  • Govinfo.gov: History of Bills, 1983 to the present
    • Select the Congressional Record from the govinfo.gov homepage > select History of Bills at the bottom of the page > locate your bill using the Congress and bill number > the History of the Bill will provide page numbers and link you to the notation in the Congressional Record