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Legal Research for UNT Students

Resources for students new to legal research

Legislative History

Federal Legislative History

Federal legislative history refers to the documents produced by and for Congress as a bill is introduced, considered, debated and ultimately approved. The legislative history of a statute can be used to determine the intent of the legislature. Understanding the intent of the legislature can bolster your argument for how an ambiguous statute should be interpreted.

Tutorials on How to Compile a Legislative History

Precompiled Legislative Histories

Sometimes a legislative history has already been compiled for a specific statute, especially if it is historically important. These resources will save you the labor of having to compile a legislative history yourself. 

Related Resources

Resources for Tracking Legislative History

Government Websites

These websites provide free access to documents related to each step of the legislative process.

Subscription Databases

These databases, which are restricted to members of the UNT community and visitors to the UNT campus, provide access to documents related to each step of the legislative process. .