Research and Course Guides: Political Science: Legislative

Foundational Documents

United States Constitution
From the U.S. Senate, this annotated version of the Constitution provides the original text (left-hand column) with commentary about the meaning of the original text & how it has changed since 1789 (right-hand column). Free resource.
Charters of Freedom
Official versions from the National Archives of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, & the Bill of Rights. View & download images of the original documents or read transcripts. Free resource.

KF50 .U5 (1st Floor)
1937 to present

Text of laws as passed by Congress and signed by the presidents

Federal Docs X1.1: (3rd Floor)
1873 to present

Verbatim record of debates and actions in Congress

Also called "statutes," "acts," or "codes." "Regulations" too have the force of law.

Nexis Uni (formerly LexisNexis) This link opens in a new window
Choose "US Legal" from the left sidebar & select "Federal Statutes, Codes & Regulations" or "State Statutes, Codes & Regulations." Coverage of public laws begins with 1988; state codes are for the latest complete session.

HeinOnline: United States Code
This collection includes complete coverage of the United States Code dating back to inception in 1925-1926.
HeinOnline: U.S. Statutes at Large
Complete text of Public Laws back to 1789, with additional early federal codes & compilations of statutes.

HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) coverage is comprehensive, containing more than 8,500 volumes dating back to inception (1938).
The Federal Register is updated on a daily basis. Coverage is comprehensive & begins from inception (1936). CU subscription.

Congressional Legislation Search
Formerly "Thomas" from the Library of Congress. Now part of Congress.gov. Track legislation, view sessions live, read the Congressional Record & committee reports, etc., back to the 101st Congress, 1989-90. CR app available for download. Free resource.
HeinOnline: U.S. Statutes at Large
From 1789 to the present, full text of laws as passed by Congress & signed by the Presidents.

American State Papers, (1789-1838) This link opens in a new window
Search & browse this retrospective collection of largely Congressional, but also Executive, documents of the first fourteen U.S. Congresses. The nearly 6,300 publications are a rich source of primary material on wide-ranging aspects of early American history. CU subscription.

U.S. Congressional Serial Set (1817-1994)
Reports, documents and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents & Debates
Beginning with 1774, this site brings together online the records & acts of Congress from the Continental Congress & Constitutional Convention through the 43rd Congress, including the first three volumes of the Congressional Record, 1873-75. Free resource.

HeinOnline: U.S. Federal Legislative History Library
Materials generated in the course of creating legislation, such as committee reports, analysis by legislative counsel, committee hearings, floor debates, & histories of actions taken.

Or Search the Library Catalog for books on important acts:

Use an asterisk * to find varied word endings:
- histor* finds history, histories, historian(s), historical, etc.

Use quotation marks to keep phrases together:
- "civil rights" "legislative histor*"

To find E-Books & online documents, add "electronic resource" to your search:
- "Title IX" "electronic resource"

Congress.gov
Current lists of members, legislative activities, most-viewed bills, etc. Free resource.
Guide to Congress (CQ Press)
A complete institutional history of Congress along with updated insight & analysis on recent shifts in power of the U.S. Senate & House of Representatives.

Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new window
This collection includes coverage in literature, music, political science, psychology, and religion.

Ref JK1 .C749 (4th Floor)
1945 to present

Overview of Congressional actions & documents year-by-year since 1945.