Contents
The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress.
Related Collections: Under different titles materials similar to the Congressional Record have been published since 1774. They are the following:
Journal of the Continental Congress 1774-1789.
Paper-GovPubs Stacks. 328.73 U58
Index-GovPubs Stacks. GS 4.2:C 76/2/774-89 V. 1-5
Online-http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwjc.html
Records of the daily proceedings of the Continental Congress, as kept by it’s then Secretary, Charles Thomson.
Annals of Congress 1789-1824.
Paper-GovPubs Stacks. X. Congress/Session
Online-http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwac.html
Originally, known as The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States, the Annals of Congress were complied between 1834 and 1856, using available records and newspaper accounts.
Register of Debates 1824-1837.
Paper-GovPubs Stacks. X. Congress/Session
Online-http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwrd.html
Register of Debates is the second of a series of four publications containing the debates of Congress, and is a summary of the "leading debates and incidents" of the session.
Congressional Globe 1833-1873.
Paper-GovPubs Stacks. X. Congress: Session
Microfiche-Microfiche Cabinets. X. Congress/Session
Online-http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwcg.html
The Congressional Globe is the precursor to the Congressional Record and is the third of a series of four publications containing the debates of Congress. Originally a synopsis of the daily proceedings and debates of Congress was provided but by 1851 the Globe made full transcription available.
The Congressional Record is divided into five parts:
1) Debates and floor actions of the House
2) Debates and floor actions of the Senate
3) The Annual Index; consists of an index to Bills and access to information by subject or name.
4) The Daily Digest; contains a brief summary of the floor action in the House and Senate, and in Committees.
5) Appendix; includes the Extension of Remarks (information not originally spoken on the floor, but by request has been added to the Record).
Citations to debates on specific public laws can be found in the CIS Annual Legislative Histories of U.S. Public Laws, 1970-2001, located in the Government Publications Reference Room. For more current information, there are on-line indexes available via GPO Access (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cri/) and Thomas (http://thomas.loc.gov/home/r110query.html)
The Department holds the Congressional Record in multiple formats depending on the year and the original format of distribution from the Government Printing Office. The Department holds the Congressional record in paper from the 43rd Congress 1st session to the 98th Congress 2nd session and in microfiche from the 95th Congress 1st session to the 105th Congress 1st session. There are also on-line versions of the Congressional Record (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/crecord/index.html) covering 1994-present from GPO Access and ((http://thomas.loc.gov/)) 1989-present via Thomas.