Law Library

This is an introduction to some aspects of researching federal statutes, which are the laws enacted by the U.S. Congress.

A bill passed by the House and Senate and approved by the President becomes either a public law (abbreviated P.L. or Pub.L.) which has general applicability, or a private law (not discussed here) whose purpose is to benefit a specific person or locality.

A Congress is composed of two one-year sessions. Public laws enacted during a Congress are numbered consecutively. Those enacted during the 103rd Congress (1993/94) are cited:  P.L. 103-1, 103-2, and so forth.

Session Laws

When first enacted, the public laws are published in numerical order (i.e., P.L. 103-1, 103-2, etc.), first in paperback and later in permanent bound volumes. Such volumes are called session laws because the laws of each legislative session are bound together.

Public laws are published in numerical order in the following ways:

1. in the United States Code Congressional and Administrative News (known as the USCCAN), which contains selected legislative history documents as well as the public laws,
2. in the United States Code Service Advance, a paperback supplement to the United States Code Service (see below under Codes),
3. as individual slip laws,
4. in the United States Statutes at Large (cited Stat.), and
5. on the Internet in the GPO Access database at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/index.html. The public laws of the latest two Congresses are there.

Codes

Public laws of a general and permanent nature are incorporated into a 50-title code, or subject arrangement, of statutory law soon after being approved. Some public laws are published in the notes rather than as code sections. Two kinds of laws which are not codified are appropriations laws (which are public laws) and private laws. Each title of the code covers a different area of law, such as bankruptcy (title 11) or tax (title 26). The following versions of the code are used to find federal statutes currently in force.

1. The United States Code (USC)

   Published by the federal government, it is updated by annual cumulative supplements. A completely revised edition is issued every six years.

2. The United States Code Annotated (USCA)

   This is a commercially-published version with annotations (references to other sources of information and summaries of court decisions). Annual pocket parts update both the law and the annotations. Paperback code supplements further update the material several times a year. Additional paperback supplements publish, in numerical order, public laws too new to appear in the code supplements.

3. The United States Code Service (USCS)

   This is another commercially-published annotated code, updated by annual pocket parts and more frequent paperback code supplements. Another supplement called the United States Code Service Advance publishes the new public laws in numerical order.

4. The United State Code on the Internet in GPO Access. This database is searchable by key words.

To Find a Current Federal Statute

1. When you know the public law number (e.g., P.L. 103-1)
   1. In the tables volumes of the USCAor USCS, find the "Statutes at Large" table and look for your public law number. The table tells you which titles and sections of the code have incorporated your law. The many sections of a public law may go into different titles and sections of the code, depending upon their subject matter.
   2. Next, find your title(s) and section(s) of law in the appropriate volume(s) of the USCS or USCA. A section of law may be followed by annotations consisting of history notes, references to other sources of information about the law, and summaries of court decisions which have interpreted the law.

2. When looking for statutes dealing with certain subject matter (e.g., bankruptcy)
   1. Consult the alphabetical index to the USCA or USCS. The appropriate subject heading will refer you to a title and section of law (e.g., 11 ss 524) where your subject is addressed in the code, or
   2. search the United States Code on GPO Access by key words.

3. When you know the popular name of the statute (e.g., Civil Rights Act of 1964)

   The USCA has a popular name table in the last index volume. The USCS has one in the later tables volumes. Popular name tables list the laws by name and give the P.L. numbers and code citations. Shepard's Acts and Cases by Popular Names: Federal and State is another source to check.

To Check for Amendments When Using the
USCA, the USCS or GPO Access

1. Always be aware of the dates of coverage of the volume you are using. Look for coverage information on the title page, and find the copyright date on the back of the title page.
2. Next, look in the pocket part supplement inserted into the back of the volume. Every year each volume gets a new cumulative pocket part which contains any changes in the law or annotations since the volume was printed. The front cover of the pocket part has coverage information.
3. Then, check for amendments to your section of law in the paperback code supplements which update the pocket parts.
4. Finally, consult the latest issue of the USCCANor United States Code Service Advance. Each has a table listing code sections amended during the current year, along with the public law numbers of the amendments.
5. New public laws are published in the USCCAN, in the United States Code Service Advance and as individual slip laws.
6. When you are viewing the United States Code online in GPO Access, recent public laws which amend the text are listed at the top of the first screen. These are not integrated into the text; they can be found among the public laws in GPO Access, or in the printed sources.

Law Library

Updated 02/05/2008