Regulatory, Legislative, and Judicial Law Resources
Regulatory, Legislative, and Judicial Law Resources
Legislation is the common term for the process Congress uses to makes laws, or more specifically how a bill becomes a public law or private law. Public laws effect society as a whole and private laws effect a particular person, family or group. Most bills enacted are public laws. Public laws are published by date of enactment in the Statutes at Large. Every six years, public laws are compiled by subject into the United States Code, which is a collection of all general and permanent laws currently in effect. The U.S. Code shows the current status of laws and subsequent amendments.
Regulations are rules enacted pursuant to the rule making authority of federal governmental agencies granted them by Congress. Proposed rules are first published in the Federal Register. Public comments and hearings on the proposed regulations are then considered. Once a regulation formally takes effect, it is known as a final rule and is published in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The CFR is organized by subject and is a compilation of all regulations that are currently in effect.
Legislation Sources
Provides comprehensive legislative information and analysis. Includes the Congressional Record, the Serial Set, Statutes at Large and Congressional Prints, Hearings, CRS Reports and Legislative Histories. To search and see coverage, click on "advanced search"
Provides full text access to the U.S. Code, the Code of Federal Regulations, and the Federal Register as well as various state level regulatory information. Also includes federal and state case law. Click on the "legal" tab once you have accessed the database.
Full-text access to the Code of Federal Regulations, and the Federal Register as well as various state level regulatory information and includes federal and state case law. Click on the "law" tab once you have accessed the database. Includes American Jurisprudence 2d, American Law Reports, and U.S. Code Annotated. Bills, public laws and legislation, complete government information, library of historical documents; committee information, text of Congressional Record. Generally provides information from 1990.Links to Federal legislative, executive and judicial publications and websites with coverage primarily from 1993.
Will take over GPO Access by 2010 and includes the federal budget, Congressional Directory, Hearings, Documents, Congressional Record, Economic Indicators, Federal Register, Public and Private Laws and more.A valuable resource with information about currently pending legislation.
Regulatory Sources
Code of Federal Regulations
This is a useful but unofficial version of the CFR. It is updated continuously. It also covers regulations as they appeared in prior years back to 1981.
This is another unofficial version of the current CFR.
This is the official version of the CFR. Updates are done at regularly scheduled intervals. It also covers regulations as they appeared in prior years back to 1996. We also have in print on the Evans Annex 5th floor at AE 2.106/3:
Federal Register
Coverage of the Federal Register from 1980 to the present. January 1981 to CurrentThe official, daily publication reporting the regulatory actions of the executive branch. In addition to notices of rules and proposed rules, executive orders and other presidential documents. Online coverage begins in 1994. For older editions see the Federal Register cabinet on Evans 2nd floor microfilm.
- The Federal Register Tutorial - National Archives
Related Sites:
GSA's web site that contains information for Unified Agenda and Regulator Plan, EO 12866 Regulator Review and more. Also has the Reg Map to show the informal rulemaking process. Find, review, and submit comments on proposed regulations.The Cornell e-Rulemaking Initiative offers a broad range of academic expertise in information science, law, and the social sciences, allied with LII's unique experience as the oldest and largest public access provider of legal information on the Internet.
From the Committee on the Status and Future of Federal e-Rulemaking, a report to Congress and the President.
Understanding the Legislative Process
A description of federal legislative process, from the Library of Congress' Thomas site. The House of Representative's description of the legislative process. Lots of overviews, background information and guides to legislative information, regulatory information and more. Prepared by the Congressional Research Service.Lexis/Nexis is one the major legal databases. LexisNexis Academic provides access to federal and state judicial opinions (case law), law review journals and other legal oriented information.
Campus Research is the other major legal database. Campus Research provides access to federal and state judicial opinions (case law), law review journals and other legal oriented information. The official Supreme Court website has information about the court and recent opinions. The website for the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. This site has extensive information about the judicial branch of the federal government and links to federal courts at all levels throughout the country.