FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

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FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

• Presented by
• Margaret Clark, Reference Librarian
• FSU College of Law Library
• Fall 2005

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FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

• What is it?
• Why do it?
• How does a bill become law?
• How do you research it?

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What is federal legislative history?

• A collection of related documents produced by
  Congress during the enactment, or rejection, of a
  proposed public law.

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Why compile legislative histories?

• To understand the meaning of specific language or
  terminology
• To determine legislative intent at the time
  statute was enacted
• To determine why legislation did not pass
• To clarify questions about a statute if there are
  no cases interpreting it.

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Challenges of compiling legislative history

• Documents may not be found.
• Documents may not tell you anything.
• Legislative history document or compilation is
  only persuasive authority.

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How a Bill Becomes Law
Bill is introduced Bill
Bill is introduced Bill
Committee action Hearings, markups, prints
documents
Committee action Hearings, markups, prints
documents
Reported by full committee Report
Reported by full committee Report
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How a Bill Becomes Law
Floor action Debates, voting, engrossed bill
Floor action Debates, voting, engrossed bill
Conference Action Conference report
Presidential Action Veto or statement
Statute Public law, codified law
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Checklist of legislative documents

• Bills 106 H.R. 275 106 S. 30
• Many versions engrossed enrolled
• Committee reports H.Rpt.106-55
• Committee prints H.R. Doc No.43 (Title)
• Committee documents H. Doc. 105-22
• Committee hearings S. Hrg. 106-75
• Floor debates 132 Cong. Rec. 32408
• CR H2675
• Conference report H. R. Conf. Rep. 105-37
• Slip law/session law Pub. L. 106-386

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Most important?

• Statute text conference report
• Committee reports
• Remarks, debates
• Bill text in various versions
• Witness statements in committee hearings
• Prints, reports, signing statements, news articles

Excerpted from Richard McKinneys Federal
Legislative History Research, http//www.llsdc.or
g/sourcebook/docs/fed-leg-hist.pdf, last updated
January 2005.
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Researching Legislative Histories

• Step 1 Look for cases or law review articles
  for summaries
• Step 2 Look for compiled history sources
• Step 3 Compile your own
• Step 4 Look for amendments that didnt pass

Oates and Enquist, Just Research, Aspen 2005
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Step 1 Find cases law review articles

• Use Westlaw or Lexis
• Databases for cases and law reviews
• Search using
• name of the act OR acronym
• /p
• legislative history
• If you get too many hits

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Step 1 Find cases law review articles

• Use Westlaw or Lexis
• Search using
• name of the act OR acronym
• /p
• legislative history
• /p
• phrase in the provision

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Step 2 Find compiled legislative history
sources

• Three types of compiled legislative history
  sources
• Published histories
• Legislative history indexes
• Legislative history tools

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Step 2 Finding compiled sources

• To find a published history, search Aleph, online
  catalog or other databases.

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Step 2 Finding compiled sources

• B. Consult compiled history indexes
• Union List of Legislative Histories
• Federal Legislative Histories
• Legislative Reference Checklist
• GAO Legislative History Collection

These are print sources
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Step 2 Finding compiled sources

• Consult legislative history tools
• Sources of Compiled Legislative Histories
  (1789-1997)
• USCCAN (1941)
• CIS Legislative History (1984 )

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Step 3 Compile your own history

• FIRST Identify public law number
• SECOND Find public law
• THIRD Identify documents
• FOURTH Find and read documents

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Step 3 Compile your own history

• FIRST Identify public law number
• From US Code citation locate history note at the
  end of statute section
• From popular name
• go to Popular Name Table in USC, USCA, USCS
• go to Cornell Univs Popular Name page online

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Step 3 Compile your own history

• SECOND Find public law
• Find full text of public law in
• Statutes at Large or USCCAN
• Identify the Congress, bill number and year of
  enactment

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Step 3 Compile your own history

• THIRD Identify legislative history documents
• Older statutes
• U.S. Serial Set
• electronically from Readex, 1817-1877
• in microfiche,1903-1969, Mif 207
• USCCAN for post-1945 legislation (not all docs
  listed)

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Step 3 Compile your own history

• THIRD Identify legislative history documents
• More recent
• Lexis and Westlaw
• Congressional Information Service (CIS)
• Abstract/Index volumes from 1970 to present
• Legislative History volumes from 1984 to present
• GPO site for post 1990s legislation
• Thomas site for post 1990s legislation

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Step 3 Compile your own history

• FOURTH Find and read documents

• LEGISLATIVE HISTORYH.R. 395
• HOUSE REPORTS No. 1088 (Comm. on Energy and
  Commerce).
• CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 149 (2003)
• Feb. 12, considered and passed House.
• Feb. 13, considered and passed Senate.

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Step 4 Look for proposed amendments

• Use KeyCite or Shepards
• Use the US Code citation to look for pending
  legislation

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Finding legislative history documents

• Example of legislative history
• Victims of Trafficking and Violence
• Protection Act of 2000
• Start with Popular Name Table
• (USC, USCA, USCS, Cornell University site)

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Finding legislative history documents

• Example of legislative history
• Victims of Trafficking and Violence
• Protection Act of 2000
• Public Law 106-386
• H.R. 3244

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Finding legislative history documents

• Example of legislative history
• using Congressional Universe
• Academic
• Victims of Trafficking and Violence
• Protection Act of 2000
• Public Law 106-386
• H.R. 3244

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Great Internet Research Guides

• LLSDCs Federal Legislative History Research
• LLRXs GPO Access and Thomas for Legislative
  Research
• Virtual Chases Statutory Law and Legislative
  Information
• University of Michigans Legislative Histories

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Final Words

• At the federal level, legislative history is
  relatively easy to findandmuch easier in last
  ten years!
• Process can be time and labor intensive.
• Knowing the legislative process helps in
  finding the relevant documents.
• Knowing how to use a variety of finding tools
  helps in finding the relevant documents.