Research Guides
United States Federal Government Resources: U.S. Laws
Introduction
The Constitution delegates the authority to pass legislation solely to Congress (the Legislative Branch); however, before a law can be enacted it must be signed by the president, and in order to remain it must stand up to judicial review.
A bill is a proposed law brought before the House and/or Senate for consideration. Members of the House and Senate may a propose bill to become law, although the majority of bills that come before congress have been drafted by interest groups and the executive branch. Bills dealing with money, taxes, and the budget must originate in the House, and only members may introduce bills in the House.
This page offers resources to help you find and track bills, as well as resources to help you to better understand the Legislative process.
Bills
Sources of full-text bills, bill tracking, and bill analysis can be found on the Bills - U.S. Congress page of the Government Publications Sources by Subject guide.
Laws: Full Text
- US Public Laws - Westlaw Campus Research
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These sources provide the full text of Public and Private laws as passed by congress. The United States Statutes at Large is the primary source for the laws and resolutions passed by Congress. "Slip Laws" are the official publication of individual laws, which are then compiled in the Statues at Large.
- Statutes at Large - govinfo1951-about 8 years ago.
- Statutes at Large - Law Library of Congress1789 - 1950.
- Statutes at Large - UW Libraries1789-2009. Print copies held in GovPub Reference, call number AE 2.111:
1789-1941. Microfiche held in the Gallagher Law Library Reference Area Microfiche, call number KF50 .U5m
1937-2009. Print copies held in the Gallagher Law Library Reference Area LC, call number KF50 .U5 - Public and Private Laws - GPO1995-current. Available for download in PDF format.
- Public Laws - ProQuest Congressional
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1988-current. Enter your search term(s), then use the filters on the right to limit your results to the document type "Public Law". - Public Laws - Congress.gov1995-current, full text downloadable as a PDF. Summaries, actions, titles, sponsors, related bills and amendment information available from 1973.
- Private Laws - Congress.gov1989-current, full text downloadable as a PDF. Summaries, actions, titles, sponsors, related bills and amendment information available from 1973.
- Statutes at Large - Hathi Trust1789-1859 (incomplete) digitized from Harvard University's collection
1789-1954 (incomplete) digitized from the University of California's collection
1845-1921 (incomplete) digitized from the University of Michigan's collection
1877-1921 (incomplete) digitized from the New York Public Library's collection
1975-2006 digitized from the University of Minnesota's collection
Laws Codified = U.S. Code
The United States Code is the arrangement of Public Laws into 54 subject areas, or "titles". The print version of the U.S. Code is published every six years, although online editions may be updated more frequently.
- United States Code - GPO1994-current editions. Titles available for download in PDF format.
- US Code Annotated - Westlaw Campus Research
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Includes extra features: Notes of Decisions, History, Citing References, Context & Analysis - United States Code - Office of the Law Revision CounselSearch or browse the current edition of the U.S. Code.
- ProQuest Congressional
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Index to current edition only. Enter search terms then use the filters on the right to limit results to Document Type: U.S. Code. - United States Code in Print at the UWCurrent edition held in GovPub Reference. Previous editions held in the Gallagher Law Library with call no KF 62.
Finding Legislation: Tools
- Shepard's Acts and Cases by Popular Names, Federal and StateA list of federal and state acts and cases organized by popular name with citations for where the text can be found. For federal acts, identifying information includes the Public Law number, Statutes at Large citation, and the U.S. Code sections affected by the act. Available in GovPubs Reference, call number KF90 .S52
These sources either provide tools for identifying the law you are looking for or are guides to documents related to the Public and Private laws passed by congress.
- Index and List of Public and Private Acts - American Memory1789-1875. Scanned from the Statutes at Large, the index and lists from each volume will help you identify the full title, date, and page number(s) of the Statues at Large where the text can be found.
- U.S. Code Congressional and Administrative News1949-2000. Previously titled "United States Code Congressional and Administrative Service" and "United States Code Congressional Service", this publication contains a subject index for each session of congress which includes the Statutes at Large citations. Also included is a table correlating the number of each Public Law to the corresponding Statutes at Large citation, bill number, and committee report number. Available in the GovPub Stacks, call number KF 48 .W45
- U.S. Federal Law Research GuideThis guide from Gallagher Law Library offers links to free and UW-Only resources that can help you search for and find legislation.
- Law Research GuideThis legal research guide from Gallagher Law Library can make searching for and finding legislation easier by pointing out specific legal resources and providing research tips.
Bill Signed into Law
Photo by Pete Souza [courtesy of wikimedia commons, public domain]
Browse This!
- Public and Private Laws - UW Libraries1994-current. Print copies available in the GovPub U.S. Stacks. Search by call number AE 2.110. Most titles start with "An Act to".