| -- Mr. Justice Frankfurter |
Researching the legislative history of a federal statute is the process of examining the reports and records of hearings and debates that preceded the enactment of a law in an effort to determine what Congress intended in passing the law in the manner that it did. The need to examine the legislative history of a particular law usually arises in the context of litigation. The statute at issue may be ambiguous and the court will request guidance in applying it.
Because there is a vast amount of information, both government and commercial, available on federal legislative actions, you may be intimidated upon being assigned the task of compiling a legislative history for a federal statute. However, while the materials at times may be extensive, there are effective techniques and methods that will enable you to compile such a history in an efficient, timely, and cost-effective manner.
