Legislative Insight provides access to compiled federal legislative histories from 1836 to present in PDF format, with comprehensive but not complete coverage. It can be searched by citation or keyword. A legislative history requires examining bills, reports, hearings, congressional debate, committee prints, and presidential signings. Insight also provides historical context. ProQuest Congressional Universe differs in that it provides access to compiled and non-compiled legislative histories as well as congressional materials that were not enacted into law.

1. ProQuest: Congressional
Universe & Legislative Insight
Lisa Smith-Butler
Working Smarter
March 18, 2014

2. Legislative Insight
 What 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.

3. 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.

5. Documents Needed for a
Legislative History
 A 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.

14. Enacted Bill & Related Bills

16. The Debate/Congressional
Record

18. The Reports

20. Hearings

22. Committee Prints

24. Presidential Signing

26. Historical Context
 Not 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.

30. 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.

31. Universe Coverage
 Congressional 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; and
 Congressional 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)

33.  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.

37. 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.

38. Congressional Universe

41. Scroll Down the Page…

43. Questions?
 Stop by the Reference Desk in the
library;
 Email the Reference Desk @
reference@charlestonlaw.edu;
 Email your librarian liaison;
 Call the Reference Desk @ x 4020; or
 Call your librarian liaison.