Research Guides: Federal Legislative Research: Congressional Reports

U.S. Congressional Serial Set

The Serial Set contains the House and Senate Documents and the House and Senate Reports. The reports are usually from congressional committees dealing with proposed legislation and issues under investigation. The documents include all other papers ordered printed by the House or Senate. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, executive-branch materials were also published in the Serial Set.

U.S. Congressional Serial Set (Print) by Government Printing Office The U.S. Congressional Serial Set is located on the 4th floor of the LSU Law Library. Please see a librarian for assistance with locating a particular report.

Online:

ProQuest Congressional Serial Set Maps & Serial Set 1789-1969 ProQuest Congressional Serial Set Maps & Serial Set 1789-1969 A valuable collection of American historical documents and U.S. government publications compiled under the directive of Congress.
U.S. Serial Set (Readex) This has the same information as the Microform and Print versions, but is searchable.
American State Papers & Serial Set - HeinOnline he United States Congressional Serial Set, commonly referred to as the Serial Set, is considered the most essential publication for unveiling American history. Spanning more than two centuries with more than 17,000 bound volumes, the records in this series include House and Senate Documents, House and Senate Reports, the American State Papers, and much more.

Committee Reports - Online Sources

Government Publishing Office Congressional Reports Contains Congressional reports from 1995 to the present.
Congress- Committee Reports 1995 to the present.
Lexis - Committee Reports 2000-current
Westlaw Congressional Committee Reports 1990 to present: All congressional committee reports, including reports on bills that did not become law. 1948 to 1989: All congressional committee reports printed in U.S. Code Congressional and Administrative News (USCCAN). Also includes other selected reports based on availability. *1933 to present: Congressional committee reports relating to securities laws.

What are Congressional Reports?

Congressional reports are reports generated by committees or chambers of Congress to explain the history and intent of the bill, the findings of the Congress, and the reason why the committee approves the bill, or any amendments to the bill they have suggested. Congressional reports are one of the most infomrative documents when compiling a legislative history. There are two main types of Congressional reports. They are:

1) Committee reports: When a bill is proposed in Congress, it is sent to Congressional committee. If the committee recommends the passage of the bill, they will create a report that explains the findings of the committee, the bill history and intent, and the reasons why the committee approves of the bill.

2) Conference reports: If a bill is passed in one chamber of Congress, and the second chamber of Congress edited the text of the bill before they passed it, the second chamber sends the bill back to the first chamber and a conference committee is established comprised of members of both chambers of Congress to work out the difference between both versions of the bills. The conference report is a statement submitted with the conference committee version of the bill to explain the changes in the text. The conference report can be printed as a House Report, but it can occassionally be printed as a Senate Report, and is also published in the Congressional Record, the House and Senate Journals, and the U.S. Serial Set.