FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY
About Congressional Hearings
Once introduced and given a number, bills are immediately assigned to the Congressional committee charged with responsibility for that policy area. Much of the work involved in moving a bill through the legislative process is done in Senate Committees and House Committees. These committees may hold hearings, revise draft bills, and recommended passage. Congressional Hearings offer important primary resource information on many research topics. As noted by the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO),
A hearing is a meeting or session of a Senate, House, joint, or special committee of Congress, usually open to the public, to obtain information and opinions on proposed legislation, conduct an investigation, or evaluate/oversee the activities of a government department or the implementation of a Federal Law. In addition, hearings may be purely exploratory in nature, providing testimony and data about topics of current interest. Most congressional hearings are published two months to two years after they are held.
Finding Congressional Hearings
U.S. Congressional Hearings from 1824-present are now available in digital format at FAU Libraries. The Boca campus will no longer house the print editions. Online congressional hearings allow for keyword searching. Access these valuable full-text resources through the following sources:
- ProQuest Congressional- subscription database that allows users to search and download the abstracts and full-text of congressional hearings from 1824 to the present.
- govinfo.gov- service of GPO which provides free digital access to selected hearings from the 104th Congress (1995) to the present.
- Congress.gov- website which contains recent hearing information, such as transcripts, prepared testimony, and video.
Learn more and get helpful search tips from our Finding Congressional Hearing research guide.
