ProQuest Congressional Universe & Insight

ProQuest: Congressional Universe & Legislative InsightLisa Smith-ButlerWorking SmarterMarch 18, 2014

Legislative InsightWhat is it?

◦ProQuest Legislative Insight provides: access to compiled federal legislative

histories that are available from 1836 to the present;

documents are available in PDF format; and

comprehensive coverage is attempted but is not always available because some documents are missing.

How Do I Search Insight?Insight can be searched via:

◦Citation which includes Public Law number, Statutes at Large citation, or enacted bill number; and

◦Keyword.

Documents Needed for a Legislative HistoryA compiled legislative history

requires a researcher to examine:◦bills;◦House and Senate reports;◦House and Senate hearings;◦Congressional Debate published in

the Congressional Record;◦Committee prints; and◦Presidential Signings.

Enacted Bill & Related Bills

The Debate/Congressional Record

The Reports

Hearings

Committee Prints

Presidential Signing

Historical ContextNot only does ProQuest

Legislative Insight provide the researcher with the PDF format of relevant documents, it also provides historical context into which the legislation can be placed.

ProQuest Congressional Universe: How Does It Differ from Insight?While Insight provides access to compiled

legislative histories from 1836 to the present, Congressional Universe provides access to:◦ compiled legislative histories;◦ non-compiled legislative histories; and◦ congressional hearings, reports, debate, and bills

that were not enacted into law.As an example, the Patient Protection

Affordable Care Act, because it was enacted as law, can be found in Insight. Hillarycare, never enacted, can be found as bills, hearings, debate and reports in Universe.

Universe CoverageCongressional hearings from 1824- 2003;Congressional Committee prints from 1830 to

the present;Congressional Research Services (CRS) reports

from 1916 to the present; Unpublished Congressional hearings from 1824

to the present; andCongressional debate from 1789 to the present

via:◦ Annals of Congress (1789 – 1824)◦ Register of Debates (1824 – 1937)◦ Congressional Globe (1833-1873)◦ Congressional Record (1873 – Present)

Universe also provides access to:◦member names and committees

from 1985 onwards;◦federal regulations from both the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations; and

◦political news from: Washington Post from 1987 to the

present; Roll Call Newspaper from 1998 to the

present; and CQ Political Transcripts from 1995 to

the present.

How Do I Search Universe?Universe can be searched by:

◦Keyword that can be restricted by date or Congress;

◦an index created by ProQuest; or◦citation of bill, Statutes at Large,

Public Law, or U.S.C.

Congressional Universe

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