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Finding Facts, Reviews, and
More
Researching U.S. Federal
Legislation
Page 1 of 9
Step One: Bill
Introduced
When a member of
Congress has an idea for a new law, s/he becomes the sponsor
of that bill and introduces it by giving it to the clerk of
the house in which s/he serves or by placing it in a box,
called the hopper. The clerk assigns a number to the bill in
consecutive order of introduction, with H.R. for bills
introduced in the House of Representatives and S. for bills
introduced in the Senate.
The Government Printing Office (GPO) then prints the bill
and distributes copies to each representative.
There can also be joint resolutions designated as
"H.J.Res." or "S.J.Res.". Public bills deal with general
questions and become Public Laws, or Acts, if approved by
Congress and signed by the President. Private bills deal with
individual matters such as claims against the Federal
Government, immigration and naturalization cases, land titles,
et cetera, and become private laws if approved and signed.
H.Res./S.Res. are procedural; H.Con.Res/S.Con.Res express
opinion.
Resulting Publications and Locations:
Sources in italics are available only to students,
faculty, and staff of the U of M unless accessing from a U of
M campus library.
Bills
13th - 42nd Cong.
1813 -
1873 |
A
Century of Lawmaking - Library of Congress
Only a
few bills were selected for the 13th to 17th Congresses,
but the 18th Cong. (1823) - 42nd Cong. is largely
complete. |
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73rd - 106th Cong.
1934 -
2000 |
LAW Microform Collection (US
Docs)
Call No: Mfiche Y1.4/ |
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101st - 106th Cong.
1989 -
2000 |
WILSON Gov Pub
Call No:
Mfiche Y1.4/:1 - Y 1.4/9:
Ask at desk for Final
Cumulative Finding Aid GP 3.28: |
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101st Cong. -
1989 - |
LexisNexis
Congressional |
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101st Cong. -
1989 - |
Thomas |
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103rd Cong. -
1993 - |
GPO
Access |
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