Legislative History - Federal Statutes and Codes
- Public Laws
- Statutes at Large
- U.S. Code
Public Laws
Federal laws are initially published as "slip laws" or Public Laws.
The Public Law number refers to the number of Congress and chronological sequence of the law's enactment. For example, PL101-336 refers to the 336th law enacted by the 101st Congress.
Public Laws are cumulatively published in the United States Statutes At Large.
Public Laws and Statutes are often split into different parts as they are merged into the United States Code.
Public Laws and Statutes are singular documents in time.
The US Code changes over time, as Public Laws and Statutes add or delete content from the US Code.
Public Laws and Statutes are divided into parts called "Titles" and "Sections," but these have nothing to do with the Titles and Sections of the US Code.
Public Laws are available at:
(a) GPO Access (104th Congress- , 1995- )
(b) Library of Congress. Thomas (93rd Congress- , 1973- )
(c) LexisNexis > Legal > Federal Legal - U.S. > United States Code Service Materials > USCS Public Laws (100th Congress, 2nd Session- ,1988- )
(d) Westlaw > U.S. Federal Materials > Federal Statutes > US-PL (current Congress);
US-PL-OLD (93rd-109th Congress, 1973-2006); USCCAN (United States Code Congressional and Administrative News, 1973- )
(f) Law Library (2nd floor) KF50.U53 (most recent few years)
(g) Cleveland Public Library Database - Congressional Universe - Public Laws (1988- )
Statutes at Large
The Statutes at Large are the official permanent publication of federally enacted Private and Public Laws.
Statutes and Public Laws are often split into different parts as they are merged into the United States Code.
Statutes and Public Laws are singular documents in time.
The US Code changes over time, as Public Laws and Statutes add or delete content from the US Code.
Statutes and Public Laws are divided into parts called "Titles" and "Sections," but these have nothing to do with the Titles and Sections of the US Code.
Statutes are available at:
(a) HeinOnline - U.S. Statutes at Large (1789-2005)
(b) Library of Congress. American Memory Project. A Century of Lawmaking For a New Nation. Statutes at Large (1st-43rd Congress, 1789-1857)
(c) LexisNexis > Federal Legal - U.S. > United States Code Service Materials > USCS Statutes at Large Table (1st Congress- ,1789- ) - Provides corresponding Public Law number from Statute citation.
(d) Westlaw > U.S. Federal Materials > Federal Statutes > US-STATLRG (1789-1972)
(e) GPO Access (108th Congress, 2nd Session, 2004)
(f) Law Library (2nd floor) KF50 .U5 (1789- ); Law Library (base level) Microforms (1789-1977) and Microforms (1937-2001)
- Cornell's Legal Information Institute (LII) US Code -most up-to-date free source on the web
- Findlaw
- The Public Library of Law by Fastcase - official versions back to 1988
U.S. Code
The United States Code is a subject compilation of federal laws.
The U.S. Code is divided into 50 Titles, and each Title is divided into Sections. Each Section includes a Statutes at Large source note, as well as historical notes and cross references.
The U.S. Code was first published in 1926, and it is completely republished about every six years. Because of this very slow publication process, it is advisable to consult commercially published annotated versions of the U.S. Code.
Annotated versions of the U.S. Code are frequently supplemented by "pocket parts" or pamphlets. Each Code section is followed by extensive annotations (eg, references to citations to cases, administrative code sections, attorney general opinions, legislative history materials, as well as numerous secondary sources). Annotated codes also include extensive indexes and parallel reference tables.
Note that older editions of the U.S. Code are available on microforms. (see links below) Lexis has older versions back to 1992, Westlaw has back to 1990. The Public Library of Law by Fastcase has official versions back to 1988.
The official U.S. Code is available at:
(a) GPO Access (1994-2000 eds.)
(b) U.S. House of Representatives Office of the Law Revision Counsel (current ed.)
(c) Law Library (2nd floor) KF62 2000; Law Library (base level) Microforms (1940- )
Annotated versions of the U.S. Code are available at:
(a) LexisNexis > Legal > Federal Legal - U.S. > United States Code Service: Code, Const, Rules, Conventions & Public Laws; LexisNexis > Legal > Federal Legal - U.S. > United States Code Service Materials > United States Code Service - Titles 1 through 50
(b) Westlaw > U.S. Federal Materials > Federal Statutes > USCA
(c) Law Library (Reference) United States Code Service KF62 .L38; Law Library (Reference & 2nd floor) United States Code Annotated KF62.5 .W45; Law Library (base level) Microforms (1927-)
Free Online Versions: