What Are Bills and Resolutions?
A proposed law may be introduced in either the House or the Senate as a bill or a joint resolution. When a bill or a resolution is introduced, it is ordered to be printed and referred to one or more committees for review. Frequently there are multiple versions of the same bill because as bills are amended, or introduced for the first time in the other chamber after passing successfully in the first, a new version of the bill is required to be printed. Most of these bills are so called, public bills. However, there is another category of legislation called private bills and federal charters, which are designed to be of benefit to an individual or a group of individuals, but not to the public in general.
Resolutions are also legislation, but may be limited in effect to the Congress or one of its chambers. They may express the collective opinion of either the House or the Senate on a policy issue. Concurrent resolutions relate to the operations of Congress, including both chambers, or express the collective opinion of both chambers on public policy issues. Joint resolutions are considered to have the same effect as bills and require the approval of the President.
Indexes
| Title/Description | Years | Location |
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Congressional Record (103rd Congress +) |
1994+ |
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Congressional Record (101st Congress +) |
1989+ |
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ProQuest Congressional (full text, all bills, every stage) (1st Congress + ) |
1789+ |
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Congressional Record: History of Bills (43rd- 107th Congress) |
1873-2002 |
US Doc 506 |
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Congressional Record (43rd- 111th Congress) |
1873-2010 |
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Congressional Globe (23rd - 42nd Congress) |
1833-1873 |
US Doc 504 and HeinOnline U.S. Congressional Documents |
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Register of Debates (18th- 25th Congress, 1st session) |
1824-1837 |
US Doc 502 and HeinOnline U.S. Congressional Documents |
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The Debates and Proceedings (1st - 18th Congress, 1st session) |
1789-1824 |
US Doc 500 |
| 1789-1824 |
Full Texts
Full Texts
| Title/Description | Years | Location |
|
ProQuest Congressional (full text, all bills, every stage) (1st Congress + ) |
1789+ |
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All published versions of Bills (103rd Congress+) updated daily |
1993+ |
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Thomas (Library of Congress) (101st Congress+) |
1989+ |
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Bills and resolutions (97th- 106th Congress) |
1981- 2000 |
Microfiche Su Doc Y1.4/ Use finding aid Superintendent of Documents Microfiche User's Guide... at Doc Ref KF49 .S95x to locate the bills in this collection. |
|
Bills and resolutions (96th Congress) |
1979-1980 |
Microfiche Su Doc X96-1:H.R. etc Use finding aid Superintendent of Documents Microfiche User's Guide... at Doc Ref KF49 .S95x to locate the bills in this collection. |
|
Bills and resolutions (90th-97th Congress) |
1965-1983 |
Law Library Microfiche US 201 |
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Bills and resolutions in United States government publications (depository) [microform]. (85th-89th Congress, 1st sess.) |
1957-1965 |
Microprint 2 (at HD) |
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Bills and resolutions (73rd-89th Congress) |
1933-1967 |
Microfiche S 550 |
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Bills and resolutions (1st-72nd Congress) |
1789-1933 |
Film S 936 |
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Bills and resolutions (76th-84th Congress) |
1939-1956 |
Center for Research Libraries #7080765 Available through Interlibrary Loan |
| House Bills and resolutions (6th-42nd Congress) | 1799-1873 |
Library of Congress American Memory.House Bills and Resolutions |
| Senate Bill and resolutions (16th-42nd Cogress) | 1819-1873 |
Library of Congress American Memory. Senate Bills and Resolutions |
| Senate Joint resolutions (18th-42nd Congress) | 1824-1873 |
Library of Congress American Memory. Senate Joint Resolutions |