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Home > Library > Research Guides > Proposed Legislation

1. Document produced: House or Senate bill (H.R.# or S.#). The bill number is retained until it is passed in that particular Congress. If the bill does not pass and is reintroduced in the following Congress, it will be assigned a new bill number.

Indexed in:

• CCH Congressional Index (Reference & Admin. Super. KF 49 .C6)
• Congressional Information Service (CIS) Congressional Universe (on campus access only). 
• Congressional Record (print) (Gov Docs & Microform Cabinets 11 & 12)
• Congressional Index (v. 129, 1983- )
• Lexis (LEGIS;RECORD, 1985- ) 
• Westlaw (CR, 1985- ) 
   

Full text in:

• Congressional Bills (103rd Congress, 1993/94- )
• Thomas (Library of Congress Legislative Information Service) (101st Congress- )
• Lexis (LEGIS;BLTEXT, Current Congress, historical files also available) 
• Westlaw (BILLS - current; BILLS-OLD - 1991- )
   

Status/history in:

• History of Bills (v. 129, 1983- )   
• Thomas (Library of Congress Legislative Information Service)
• Lexis (LEGIS;BLTRCK, Current Congress, historical files also available)
• Westlaw (US-BILLTRK - current; BILLTRK-OLD, 1991- )
   

2. Bill is assigned to a committee (over 90% of bills die before hearings are held).

Documents that may be produced: Hearing transcript or committee print

Indexed in:

• CIS Index (print 1970- ) (Reference); Congressional Information Service (CIS) Congressional Universe (on campus access only). 
• CIS US Congressional Committee Hearings Index (pre-1970) (Reference)
• Monthly Catalog (print, 1953-1994 ) (Gov Docs GP 3.8)   See also the Catalog of Government Publications at FDsys.
• (OCLC First Search, July, 1976- ) On campus access only.
• (GPO Access, January, 1994- )
• CCH Congressional Index (Reference  KF 49 .C6)
   

Full text in:

• Congressional Information Service (CIS) Congressional Universe (on campus access only). 
• Congressional Committee Prints (1995 to present) 
• Congressional Hearings (1997 to present)
• Thomas (Library of Congress Legislative Information Service)
• Lexis (LEGIS;CNGTST 1995- )
• Westlaw (USTESTIMONY, January 1993- )
   

3. Bill is reported out of a committee.

Documents produced: House or Senate reports (H.R. Rept.# or S. Rept.#)

Indexed in:

• CIS Index (print 1970- ) (Reference)
• Congressional Information Service (CIS) Congressional Universe (on campus access only). 
• CIS US Serial Set Index (pre-1970) (Reference)
• Monthly Catalog (print, 1953-1994 ) (Gov Docs GP 3.8).  See also the Catalog of Government Publications 
• (OCLC First Search, July, 1976- ) http://www.library.villanova.edu/fs/db.cgi?DB=GPO On campus access only.
• United States Code Congressional and Administrative News
• (Reading Room & Lower Stacks)
• Westlaw (USCCAN) (1948- )
• CCH Congressional Index (Reference & Admin. Super. KF 49 .C6)
   

Full text in:

• Congressional Information Service (CIS) Congressional Universe (on campus access only). 
• United States Code Congressional and Administrative News
• Print -  (Reading Room & Lower Stacks)
• Westlaw - (USCCAN) (1948- )
• Congressional Reports (1995- )
• Thomas (Library of Congress Legislative Information Service) (104th Congress- )
• Lexis (LEGIS;CMTRPT)
   

4. Bill may be debated on floor of House or Senate.

Document produced: Debate transcript.

Indexed in:

• Congressional Record Index (v. 129, 1983- ) 
• CCH Congressional Index (Reference KF 49 .C6)
• Thomas (Library of Congress Legislative Information Service)
   

Full text in:

• Congressional Record (print) (Gov Docs & Microform Cabinets)
• Congressional Record (1994 - ) 
• Library of Congress, Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation - provides access to early congressional proceedings, statutes, and other information.
• Lexis (LEGIS;RECORD, 1985- ) 
• Westlaw (CR, 1985- )
   

5. Bill is introduced in other house and assigned to a committee, where steps similar to those above are taken.

6. Conference is held to reconcile differences when House and Senate pass different versions of bill.

7. President may take action on bill.

Document produced: President's approval message or veto message. Congress can override a veto with a 2/3 majority in both houses.

Indexed/Fulltext in:

• CCH Congressional Index (Reference KF 49 .C6)
• Congressional Record (print, reading room) (Gov Docs & Microform cabinets)
   
• Lexis (LEGIS;RECORD, 1985- )
• Westlaw (CR, 1985- )
   
• Public Papers of the Presidents (Gov Docs GS 4.113)
   
• Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States (1991-2005)
   
• Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (print) (Gov Docs GS 4.114)
   
• Westlaw (WCPD, January 1995- )
• Compilation of Presidential Documents (1992 - )
   
• United States Code Congressional and Administrative News (1948- )
   
• (print) (Reading Room & Lower Stacks)
• Westlaw (USCCAN) 
   

8. Bill becomes a law.

Document produced: Public Law (P. L. # or Pub. L. #)

Slip laws/ Session Laws are published in:

• Slip laws (Gov Docs AE 2.110)
   
• Public and Private Laws (1995 - ) 
• Thomas (Library of Congress Legislative Information Service) (93rd Congress- )
   
• Statutes at Large (Lower Stacks)
   
• US Statutes at Large (2003-2007) 
• Thomas (Library of Congress Legislative Information Service) (93rd Congress- )
   
• United States Code Congressional and Administrative News (USCCAN) (1948)
   
• Print (Reading Room & Lower Stacks)
• Westlaw (USCCAN)

• Lexis (LEGIS;PUBLAW) 
• Westlaw (US-PL - current; US-PL-OLD, 1973- )
   

Laws are codified (arranged by subject) in:

• United States Code (USC) (print) (Reading Room & Lower Stacks)
   
• House website - http://uscode.house.gov/ (note that this version of the code may not be the most current)
• Westlaw (USC)
   
• United States Code Annotated (USCA) (print) (Reading Room & Lower Stacks)
   
• Westlaw (USCA)
   
• United States Code Service (USCS) (print) (Reading Room)
   
• Lexis (LEGIS;USCODE)
   

**Note that all of the documents listed above may not be produced for every bill!

**Note also that a legislative history may have already been compiled! Please see our companion guide, Compiled Federal Legislative history.