Frequently Asked Questions: Law Library of Congress

Congress.gov

Bill and resolution texts published by GPO are available on Congress.gov from 1993 (103rd Congress). Bill and resolution texts from 1989 (101st Congress) to 1992 (102nd Congress) that predate authenticated digital publishing are partially available.

Law texts published by GPO are available on Congress.gov dating from 1951 (82nd Congress).

Text versions for bills and joint resolutions dating from 1799 (6th Congress) to 1873 (42nd Congress) are available on Congress.gov. House-originated bill text versions are available from 1799 (6th Congress), Senate-originated bill text versions are available from 1819 (16th Congress), and Senate-originated joint resolution text versions are available from 1823 (18th Congress). The text versions are undesignated and not necessarily in order of legislative procedure. In the legislation text search results, these text versions use the file extension UBTV (Unidentified Bill Text Version).

GovInfo.gov

GovInfo contains all published versions of bills from the 103rd (1993-1994) Congress forward.

Subscription Online Databases

Bills and resolutions have also been digitized and made part of the ProQuest Congressional and ProQuest Legislative Insight databases, which are available onsite at the Library of Congress.

Print Copies

Bills and resolutions are available in print and microform at the Law Library of Congress and are selectively available at other libraries throughout the country, including some Federal Depository Libraries.

For more information about federal bills and resolutions, visit the Law Library's research guides:

• Federal Statutes: A Beginner's Guide -- Bills and Resolutions
• Compiling a Federal Legislative History: A Beginner’s Guide