Government Information: U.S. Laws
US 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.
Tools for Finding Legislation
- ProQuest Congressional: "Legislative Histories, Bills & Laws"On the left side of the page, click "Legislative Histories, Bills & Laws" to search for: Legislative histories, bill tracking, full text of bills, floor votes, Public Laws, and US Code.
- Shepard's Acts and Cases by Popular Names, Federal and State (print) 3rd Floor"A compilation of popular names by which federal and state acts and cases have been referred to or cited together with an identification of each act in terms of its constitutional or statutory references and each case in terms of the volume and page reference where the text of the decision may be found."
- Public Laws 1973-PresentA resource from the Library of Congress; "Public laws affect society as a whole, and make up most of the laws passed by Congress."
- U.S. Statutes at Large"The United States Statutes at Large, typically referred to as the Statutes at Large, is the permanent collection of all laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress. Every public and private law passed by Congress is published in the Statutes at Large, in order of the date it was enacted into law." Available in print, microfiche, and online.
Federal Legislative & Regulatory Sources
BILLS
1993 - present
1989 - present
Bills through ProQuest Congressional
1989 - present
LAWS AS PASSED THROUGH CONGRESS
Laws through GPO via govinfo.gov
1995 - present
1989 - present
Public Laws through ProQuest Congressional
--Choose "Legislative Histories, Bills & Laws" link, then "Public Laws"
1989 - present
LAWS CODIFIED = U.S. CODE
Bill Signed into Law
How a Bill Becomes Law
- Legislative Process: How a Senate Bill Becomes a LawThis handy PDF explains the legislative process from drafting, through committee committee action, to presidential action.
- Enactment of a LawThis guide from the Library of Congress can be viewed online or downloaded in PDF format. 'Enactment of a Law" provides the history and processes of Federal lawmaking.
- A Bill Becomes LawThis tutorial from the Dirksen Congressional Center walks you through every step of the legislative process. Topics include learning how legislation is used to address societal problems, as well as why and committees are used for detailed, efficient analysis of proposed legislation.
Bills Presented to the President: Congress.gov
Bills that have passed both the House and Senate and have been sent to the White House for the President's signature.
House Floor Today: Congress.gov
Identifies the latest bills and resolutions considered on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives
Senate Floor Today: Congress.gov
Identifies the latest bills, resolutions, nominations, and treaties considered on the floor of the U.S. Senate.