Gavin Howe
Knowing when a law was first enacted is an important part of understanding the legal system. The process of enacting a law can be complex and lengthy, and it often involves multiple stages and revisions. To trace the enactment of a law, one must navigate through various documents, such as bills, resolutions, and congressional committee hearings. While the language of a law can be amended over time, resulting in changes, additions, or deletions, the bill number remains constant throughout the process. This allows researchers to trace the history of a law by referring to legislative history documents and resources such as the United States Statutes at Large, which chronologically arranges laws in the order they were enacted. Additionally, each state has default rules that govern the effective dates of newly signed laws, providing guidelines to determine the enactment date when it is not explicitly specified in the bill.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Finding the bill number | Look up its Pub. L. or Stat. citation |
| Use ProQuest Legislative Insight's "Citation Checker" feature | |
| Use Eugene Nabors' Legislative Reference Checklist: The Key To Legislative Histories From 1789 To 1903 | |
| Finding the date of enactment | Look at the first page of the public law as it is printed in the United States Statutes at Large |
| Check the US Code citation | |
| Check the US Statutes at Large | |
| Check the GPO website | |
| Check the Senate or House Document Rooms | |
| Check the Library of Congress | |
| Check the National Archives | |
| Check the Federal Register | |
| Check the US Code Congressional and Administrative News (U.S.C.C.A.N.) | |
| Check the United States Code | |
| Effective date | Specified in the bill or default rules |
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What You'll Learn
Check the US Statutes at Large
The United States Statutes at Large is the official record of every federal statute, public and private law, and concurrent resolution passed by the United States Congress. Each act and resolution of Congress is originally published as a slip law, which is classified as either public law (abbreviated as Pub.L.) or private law (Pvt.L.). At the end of a congressional session, the statutes enacted during that session are compiled into bound books, known as "session law" publications.
The Statutes at Large is the name of the session law publication for US federal statutes. The public laws and private laws are numbered and organised in chronological order. The Statutes at Large include the text of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, amendments to the Constitution, treaties with Native American nations and foreign nations, and presidential proclamations.
To find the bill numbers for public laws passed before 1904, researchers can use Eugene Nabors' Legislative Reference Checklist: The Key To Legislative Histories From 1789 To 1903. For laws passed after 1903, the bill number and date of enactment can be found on the first page of the public law as it is printed in the Statutes at Large.
The Statutes at Large are available online through a variety of sources, including GovInfo, which has the Statutes at Large from 1789 to 2019, and the Library of Congress, which has a digitised collection from 1789 to 1950.
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Look at the US Code
The U.S. Code is a compilation of federal laws arranged by subject by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the House of Representatives. The first edition of the U.S. Code was published in 1926, followed by a second edition in 1934. Since then, new editions have been published every six years, with annual cumulative supplements published in between to ensure the information is up-to-date.
The Library of Congress has made available the main editions and supplements of the United States Code from 1925 through the 1988 edition. These are accessible for free online and can be searched by date, title, and subject. PDF versions of each chapter can also be viewed and downloaded.
The U.S. Code is divided into 54 titles by broad subject area, such as Public Health and Welfare or Education. It is much easier to use the Code's multi-volume general indexes. Another way to determine where a law has been codified is by looking it up by its popular name, for example, the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Each U.S. Code section has a "source note" or "source credit" at the top, which lists all the laws that have affected or created that section. The first citation in a source credit provides information about the public law that gave rise to the U.S. Code section, and subsequent citations provide information about the public laws that amended the section. If the U.S. Code title is a positive law title, there may also be "Historical and Revision Notes," which specify the laws that formed the basis of sections included in the title when it was first enacted.
Additionally, the Office of the Law Revision Counsel provides a Parallel Table of Authorities and Rules for the Code of Federal Regulations and the United States Code, which can be helpful in determining where a law is codified.
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Find the bill number
To find the bill number of a law, you can try the following methods:
Online
- Search by bill number on the official website of the US Congress, which contains Congressional publications and records, including bills and laws, sponsors, hearings, and committee records.
- Use ProQuest Congressional. Go to the top navigation bar and click Legislative & Executive Publications. Select Search by Number from the dropdown menu, then Legislation > Congressional Bills.
- Use Westlaw Edge: From the Home Page, go to – Federal Materials tab > United States Code Annotated (USCA) > under Tools & Resources on the right side of the screen, select United States Code Annotated Popular Name Table.
- Use ProQuest Legislative Insight's "Citation Checker" feature, where you can enter any citation you already have (Pub. L., Stat., or bill number) to find the other two.
- Check the U.S. Senate website for a sequential list of all bills and resolutions, which can be searched by bill number.
In-person
- Check large library systems or college libraries, frequently as part of their participation in the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). Over 1,100 libraries participate in the FDLP, collecting and/or providing public access to government documents.
- Contact Senate Printing & Document Services for a copy of a bill or resolution from the current Congress.
- Contact your senator or call LEGIS at 202-225-1772 for further assistance in identifying a bill or law number.
- Check the print version of the United States Statutes at Large. The bill number is found in the margin at the beginning of the statute.
- Check the print version of the U.S. Code Congressional and Administrative News, which publishes all laws enacted during each congressional session, legislative history, proclamations, executive orders, and reorganization plans.
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Check the GPO website
The GPO website is a valuable resource for checking when a law was first enacted. GPO stands for the Government Printing Office, and it serves as the official website for publishing public and private laws. The website offers a comprehensive database of laws, known as the GPO Access, which includes the full text of public and private laws. This database is regularly updated and is easily searchable, making it a convenient tool for researching the enactment of laws.
To check when a law was first enacted using the GPO website, follow these steps:
- Visit the GPO website: https://www.gpo.gov/.
- Navigate to the "Public Laws" or "Private Laws" section. The website provides separate sections for public and private laws, as they differ in their scope and impact.
- Utilize the search function: The GPO website allows users to search for specific laws by their Public Law Number or other relevant information. You can input the name or number of the law you are interested in.
- Browse the lists of past laws: The GPO website provides lists of past laws, starting from the 103rd or 104th Congress, depending on the source. These lists are organized chronologically, making it easier to identify when a particular law was enacted.
- Check the details of the law: Once you find the law you are looking for, examine the details provided. The GPO website typically includes information such as the date of enactment, the Congress number, and other relevant details.
- Consider the potential for amendments: Keep in mind that laws may be amended over time. If you are interested in the current version of a law, you may need to refer to the United States Code, which incorporates amendments into the original text.
It is important to note that the GPO website primarily focuses on federal laws. If you are searching for state-specific laws, you may need to refer to state-specific resources or websites. Additionally, the GPO website may not always provide the most up-to-date information on the very latest laws. In such cases, cross-referencing with other official sources, such as Congress.gov, can be beneficial.
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Check the date of enactment
To check the date of enactment of a law, you can refer to the United States Statutes at Large, which are annual volumes published at the end of each session of Congress. These volumes are chronological arrangements of the laws in the exact order that they were enacted. The United States Statutes at Large are available from 1789 to 2019 on GovInfo, and from 1789 to 1950 in PDF format at the Law Library. For laws from the 103rd Congress (1993-1994) to the present, you can also refer to the Public Law via the GPO govinfo site.
Another way to find the date of enactment is to look up the public law itself. Each public law will have a date of enactment listed on the first page. To find the bill numbers related to public laws passed before 1904, you can use Eugene Nabors' Legislative Reference Checklist: The Key To Legislative Histories From 1789 To 1903. For laws passed after 1904, the bill number and date of enactment can be found on the first page of the public law as printed in the United States Statutes at Large.
Additionally, you can refer to the United States Code (U.S. Code), which is a codification of all general and permanent laws of the United States. The U.S. Code is updated every six years and can be found in print or online. However, keep in mind that any given provision in the U.S. Code may be the result of multiple acts passed over time, so you may need to trace the legislation back to the original bills, public laws, and Statutes at Large.
It is also worth noting that laws can be amended over time, so if you are looking for the current version of a law, you should refer to the United States Code. The GPO govinfo website provides the full text of public and private laws from the 104th Congress onwards, while Congress.gov offers the full text of laws from the 103rd Congress onwards and summaries from the 93rd Congress onwards.
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Frequently asked questions
You can find the date of enactment of a federal law by looking up its public law number or chapter number. The date of enactment will be listed with the public law number.
If the law was passed in 1904 or later, you can find the bill number on the first page of the public law as it is printed in the United States Statutes at Large. For laws passed before 1904, you can use Eugene Nabors' Legislative Reference Checklist: The Key To Legislative Histories From 1789 To 1903.
You can find the full text of recent public and private laws on the web, or you can order them from the Senate or House Document Rooms, or find copies in a library. The GPO govinfo website provides the full text of public and private laws from the 104th Congress onwards (1995-1996).
Some bills specify an effective date, but most states have default rules that govern the effective dates of newly signed laws.
