Black’s Law Dictionary defines legislative history as “the background and events leading to the enactment of a statute, including hearings, committee reports, and floor debates."
It also describes one of the primary reasons legal, policy, and legislative researchers investigate the legislative history of a particular piece of legislation: “Legislative history is sometimes recorded so that it can later be used to aid in interpreting the statute.”
However, the purpose of legislative history research is not limited to statutory interpretation. Questions researchers may want to answer through legislative history include:
Julia Taylor, Cong. Rsch. Serv., Legislative History Research: A Guide to Resources for Congressional Staff (2013) (citations omitted).
For historical information about legislation, the following resources may be consulted.
The resources listed below provide access to Congressional documents.