Washington and Lee University LibGuides: Legal Research Certification 2015: Legislative History and Bill Tracking

Subscription Resources for Legislative History

HeinOnline U.S. Federal Legislative Library
An index and collection of compiled federal legislative histories on landmark acts. Each piece of legislation available in the database includes the public law number, Statutes at Large citation, and any relevant books, articles, and legislative histories in its entry. Requires W&L log-in off campus.
ProQuest Congressional
Search by citation or keyword for federal legislative history materials ranging from 1789 to present. Includes compiled legislative histories, committee reports, hearings, Congressional Record, bill versions, and CRS reports. Requires W&L log-in off campus.
ProQuest Legislative Insight
Contains more than 18,000 compiled histories covering laws from 1929 to the present. Nine thousand of these histories are new and 4,000 include new research. Includes only bills that have passed. Requires W&L log-in off campus.
HeinOnline State Statutes Historic Archive
Historic code versions for every state.
HeinOnline Session Laws Library
Complete set of U.S. federal and state session laws, from the jurisdiction's inception to present, within 60 days of official publication.
HeinOnline U.S. Code Library
Historic versions of the U.S. Code.

Congress.gov
The official website for U.S. federal legislative information, presented by the Library of Congress. Updated daily with information on the current legislative session, and maintains records of Congressional activity back to 1973. Set alerts to receive updates on bills or legislators by email.
Gov Info
The official portal for authenticated U.S. primary legal materials online, including congressional reports, hearings, debates, bills, and enacted statutes (public and private laws). Coverage currently ranges back to the mid-1980s or 1990s for most materials. Search by keyword or browse to the specific documents you need.
GovTrack
Provided by the non-partisan Sunlight Foundation. Allows you to follow legislation in Congress, from bill introduction to floor vote, as well as profiles for senators and representatives. Enter a lawmaker, topic, or bill number to get information on who represents you and find relevant legislation. Register to track bills and issues within the site and connect with other users.
GovTrack.us
Independently owned website designed to help find and track bills in the U.S. Congress and understand lawmakers' legislative records. Displays status of federal legislation, voting records, congressional district maps, bill text, and more. Use to track bills for updates or get alerts about votes with email updates and RSS feeds.

State Laws and Legislature Websites (LLSDC)
Links to the official legislature websites for all states, including state statutory and administrative codes. Maintained by the Law Librarians' Society of Washington, D.C.
50 State Searchable Bill Database (NCSL)
Comprehensive topical databases of current and proposed legislation across all 50 states, provided by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Virginia LIS
Official portal for Virginia legislative information for the current and past sessions of the General Assembly. Includes bill summaries, bill texts, and Senate and House documents back to the mid-1990s, plus the "Lobbyist in a Box" feature that allows bill tracking alerts by legislator, committee, keyword, and more.
Library of Virginia - Legislative History in Virginia
Extensive guide to conducting legislative history research in Virginia, provided by the state public library in Richmond. Includes helpful tips on how and where to find info in print and online, as well as official archival materials in various physical collections in the Commonwealth.