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U.S. Legislation and Regulations: Laws/Statutes

A guide to public policy resources.

Finding Statutes (Session Laws) and Codes

Once the President signs a bill into law, the law is assigned a public law number and is published as a 'slip law'. Each year laws are compiled in chronological order and published in the Statutes at Large. Laws arranged by subject are published every five years in the U.S. Code.

Public Laws - are enactments by the Congress signed into law by the President. They are numbered sequentially for each session of Congress, e.g. P.L. 107-110. Read more bout Public and Private Laws (FDsys)

Statutes - Permanent collection of laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress

ProQuest Congressional. Database. Full text from 1987, 100th Congress-current
Search Basic Search or Advanced Search to locate the law text. Select Bills & Laws 1987- present in Advanced Search.

Public Laws via Thomas (1973 (93rd Congress) to present full-text.

Browse a numerically arranged list of laws by Congress and public law number. 

Public Laws via Govinfo. (1995, 104th Cong.)-ongoing. 
This is the official electronic version of public laws.

United States Statutes at Large.  Hodges Library/Stacks/KF50 - 1789-ongoing.  
The official source for session laws passed by Congress. Provides a chronological listing of the text of public laws by Congress and session.  There is a subject/title listing in the back of each volume. The citation format is: Volume no., Stat. Page no., e.g. 104 Stat. 250

Statutes at Large - 1951- ; Govinfo - Gov't Printing Office.
Connect to Statutes at LargeHeinOnline - v. 1, 1789-current (page down in left sidebar)
Browse full text in - Vol. 117, 108th (2003) Congresss - current
Historical digitized volumes 1951-2002 - page down to United States Statutes at Large

United States Code -Hodges Library/Stacks/KF62.A2.  Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Updated with cumulative supplements. Revised every six years.
The Code is the codification by subject of all the general and permanent laws of the United States. Citation format: Title number, Abbreviated code name and section number; e.g. 20 U.S.C. 1080

Browse full text in Govinfo - 1994-current
Search full text in Govinfo

Connect to full text in HeinOnline - page down in left sidebar

Office of Law Revision Counsel

Annotated U.S. Code in LexisNexis Academic - select U.S. Legal/Federal Statutes, Codes & Regulations