The following three websites provide free access to the United States Code (U.S.C.). All three of these versions of the code are unannotated (i.e., they do not include references to cases and other related primary and secondary sources). On all three of these sites, one can locate code sections by citation or key word as well as browse the lists of titles, chapters, sections, etc. to drill down to the relevant section(s).
Popular Name Tables
When looking for a U.S. law, oftentimes you only know the popular name (e.g. Family and Medical Leave Act). Finding the citation is made easier by use of a popular name table. Below you will find web sites that list the popular names of laws in alphabetical order and provide the citations to those laws (both the Public Law and United States Code (U.S.C.) citations).
Federal statutes are first published as slip laws (individual pamphlets designated by public law number and containing the text of newly passed legislation). At the end of each Congress, the slip laws are compiled and published in chronological sequence as session laws in the official session law publication for federal statutes, United States Statutes at Large. West Publishing publishes an unofficial session law set, United States Code Congressional and Administrative News (USCCAN.)
Below are several websites that provide free access to U.S. Congressional bills. For more information about bills, consult the UCLA Law LibGuide on Federal Legislative History.
Below are several websites that provide free access to U.S. Congressional committee reports. For more information about committee reports, consult the UCLA Law LibGuide on Federal Legislative History.
Recent committee reports are posted for free online by Congress and the U.S. Government Publishing Office:
Some older committee reports are available via scans of the American State Papers and U.S. Congressional Serial set posted by the Library of Congress:
Finally, the UC libraries and other library systems have posted scans of their print copies of the American State Papers and U.S. Congressional Serial Set on HathiTrust:
Below are a couple of websites that provide free access to U.S. Congressional hearings. For more information about hearings, consult the UCLA Law LibGuide on Federal Legislative History.
Debates on the floor of the U.S. Congress are published in the Congressional Record. There is both a daily print edition of the Congressional Record, which consists of softbound pamphlets published every day Congress is in session, as well as a permanent edition, which consists of hardbound volumes that get published at the end of each legislative session. The daily and permanent editions are paginated differently, so it is important to consult the appropriate edition that matches your citation.
Below are links to a few websites that provide free access to the daily and/or permanent edition of the Congressional Record for certain time periods. For more information about Congressional debates and using the Congressional Record, consult the UCLA Law LibGuide on Federal Legislative History.
The resources below are freely available on the Internet. If you are a UCLA user, please note that we have access to CRS Reports from 1916 to present through ProQuest Congressional (select "CRS Reports" from the "Advanced" search page).
Additional federal legislative history guides and related resources can be found in the the Law Librarians' Society of Washington, D.C.'s Legislative Source Book. Among the guides/resources included in this collection are Federal Legislative History Research: A Practitioner's Guide to Compiling the Documents and Sifting for Legislative Intent as well as Legislative Histories of Selected U.S. Laws on the Internet: Free Sources, which includes links to compiled legislative histories for a selection of federal laws, organized by "popular name" as well as by public law number.
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