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Bills
full text: 1989-present
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Laws
full text: 1988-present
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Please note: Links on this page set
up for UA Campus use ONLY
How to find a Bill
CIS holdings:
full text online from 1989 (101st Congress) to present
How current is CIS? There may be a few days delay
for a bill to be included in Congressional Universe
after it is introduced. For the most recent documents,
consult the Washington Post section named "Inside
Washington," or other large newspapers such as the New
York Times.
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Definition:
A bill is a proposed law. There are 2 types of
bill numbers: "H.R." for bills working their way
through the House of Representatives, and "S."
for bills making their way through the Senate.
Search by Bill Number:
- Select Bills by Number
- Choose H.R. or S.
- Fill in the number
- Select the congress
Example: H.R. 10 (limited
to most recent congress) |
Search by Keyword or Name:
- Select Bills
- Enter the Keyword(s)
or Title
- Select the congress
if known
Example: Aviation Security (limited to
the 107th congress)
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Practice
1. Search the subject "terrorism" for
the full-text of a bill from the most recent Congress.
What is the number of the bill, when it was introduced,
and who was the sponsor?
2. Search by bill number (HR 19 for the 107th Congress).
Where did you search in Congressional Universe?
When was this bill introduced? Who was the sponsor?
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How to find Congressional Debate on
a Bill or a Topic
CIS holdings:
full text online from 1985 (99th Congress) to present
Debates records prior to 1985 are found in the
CIS Microform Congressional Record Collection in Compact
Shelving, 1st floor |
Definition:
Debate (also called "remarks") is the time allotted
by the House or Senate to discuss the bill, divided equally
between majority and minority parties. Debates are referred
to by their Bill Number (either H.R. or S.),
and are located in the publication Congressional Record.
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Search by Keyword and Speaker:
- Select Bills
- Enter the Keyword(s)
and Name of Speaker
- Select the Congress number
if known
Example: Terrorism McCain
(limited to the 107th congress)
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Search by Date:
- Select Congressional Record
by page or date
- Type the date using
the following format: May 28, 1908
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Practice
Find a recent remark on terrorism made by Senator
McCain during the 107th Congress. |
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How to find Committee Hearings &
Prints
CIS holdings: index
only from 1970 (91st Congress) to present. Prior to
1970, see the CIS
Congressional Indexes, 1789-1969.
Full text of Congressional Hearings are not available
online. At the UA Library, Congressional Hearings
are to be found in the CIS Microfiche Collection in compact
shelving on the 1st floor. See also: How
to find Hearing Testimonies. |
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Definitions:
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A Hearing ("Hrg.") is House
or Senate committee activity that involves asking
individuals to testify on specific topics. Hearings
may also be called to investigate a matter or conduct
oversight of existing programs.
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A Committee Print ("Prt.")
can be anything the committee wants to issue in
support of its legislative and oversight functions.
Prints are produced by the congressional staff for
the committee members.
Search by Subject:
- Select Subject
- Enter your keyword(s)
or choose a subject from the Subject List
- Enter the appropriate date
- Select the Hearing or
Print you want from the listed results
- Write down the CIS Number
(i.e.: 92-H701-30) and the Congress (i.e.:
102-1)
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Search by Number:
- Select Document Number
- Select the type of document
(i.e.: H. Prt. or S. Hrg.)
- Select the Congress
- Fill in the number
- Select the Hearing or
Print you want from the listed results
- Write down the CIS Number
(i.e.: 92-H701-30) and the Congress (i.e.:
102-1)
Example: S. Hrg. - 106 - 10 |
Practice
Use the topic of terrorism to find a recent House
and Senate Hearing or Print. Indicate the proper
citation. Where are these documents located in
the Library? What format are they in? |
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How to find Hearing Testimonies
CIS holdings: full text online from
1993 (103rd Congress) to present; 1988-1993 are not complete
See also: How to
find Committee Hearings & Prints |
Definition: Prepared
statements and selected question & answer transcripts
presented during congressional committee hearings.
Search by Keyword(s) and/or Witness
Name
- Enter as little or as much
information as you know about the testimony,
including
- Keyword(s)
- The name of the witness
- Type of committee
- Date
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Practice
Find the full text of testimony by actor Michael
J. Fox on Parkinson's disease from a congressional
hearing.
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How to find a Public Law
CIS holdings: full text online from
1988 (100th Congress) to present |
Definition:
Laws are proposed legislation passed by
both houses of Congress and signed by the President, or
passed over Presidential veto. Laws and Statutes are given
a PL (Public Law) number.
Search by Number:
- Select Public Law by Number
- Choose HR, S or PL
- Fill in the number
- Select the congress
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Search by Keyword or Title:
- Select Public Laws
- Enter the Keyword(s)
or Title
- Select the congress
if known
Example: search by greenhouse
effect (any congress) |
Practice
1. Find the text of a recently passed
public law on terrorism. What is the public law's
name and number?
2. Find the text of public law 38
from the 107th Congress. How did you find it?
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How to find Statutes at Large
CIS holdings: full text online from
1789 to 1997 |
Definition:
Statutes at Large are the official
compilation of public and private laws printed by the
Government Printing Office. The Statutes At Large is printed
annually and the laws within it are arranged by order
of passage. Statutes are referred to by either a PL
(Public Law) or a Stat (Statute) number.
Search by Number:
- Select Statutes at Large
by number
- Select the type of number
you have:
- Statutes At Large (i.e.:
110 Stat 56)
- Public Law (i.e.: PL 104-104)
- Chapter
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Search by Keyword:
- Select Statutes at Large
- Enter the Keyword(s)
or the popular name of the law (use the
list if you're not sure)
- You may limit by type of
law or treaty and the date if you
wish
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Practice
1. Find the full text of the Indian
Depredation Act of 1891. How would you cite this
act?
2. Find the full text of 110 Stat
56. In this citation, what does the "110" refer
to? The "56?" |
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How to find U.S. Code
CIS holdings: full text of current
codified law |
Definition:
U.S. Code is the codified and consolidated
version of the laws passed by both houses of Congress
and signed by the President, or passed over Presidential
veto. It is arranged by subject in 50 categories called
titles; the citation is comprised of two numbers:
the title number (which is between 1 and 50) and
the section number, for example: 7 USC 1621.
Search by Citation:
- Select United States Code
citation
- Enter the title number
and the section number in the boxes
Example: 7 [USC] 1621 |
Search by Keyword:
- Select United States Code
- Enter Keywords or Title
Example: homeland security |
Practice
Find the codified laws related to
the United States Flag. What U.S. Code titles have
information about the commercial use of the flag?
How would cite the first item on the list?
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