Congressional Committee Documents

Harris & Ewing. *Photograph of (left to right): Sen. Hattie W. Caraway (AK), Rep. Caroline O'Day (NY), and Rep. Mary T. Norton (NJ), Washington, DC.* July 23, 1937. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division.

Congressional Documents originate from congressional committees and cover a wide variety of topics and may include reports of executive departments and independent organizations, reports of special investigations made for Congress, and annual reports of non-governmental organizations. Congressional documents, along with Congressional reports, are part of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, commonly referred to as the Serial Set.

Three types of Congressional Committee Documents are available:

House and Senate Documents contain various other materials ordered printed by both chambers of Congress
Senate Executive Documents contain the text of a Treaty as it is submitted to the U.S. Senate for ratification by the President of the United States
Senate Treaty Documents contain the text of a Treaty as it is submitted to the U.S. Senate for ratification by the President of the United States.

Learn more about Congressional Committee Documents at govInfo

Subscription Databases for Finding Congressional Committee Documents

The subscription resources marked with a padlock are available to researchers on-site at the Library of Congress. If you are unable to visit the Library, you may be able to access these resources through your local public or academic library.

American State Papers, 1789-1838 External This link opens in a new window
Contains the legislative and executive documents of Congress during the period 1789 to 1838. The American State Papers however are not a complete record of the activities of that time period because of the fire of 1814 and the lack of record keeping during the first fourteen Congresses.
Coverage: 1st Congress-25th Congress, 1789-1838
HeinOnline U.S. Congressional Documents Library External This link opens in a new window
This collection features the complete Congressional Record bound volume set from its inception in 1873 as well as the three predecessor titles: Annals of Congress (1789-1824), Register of Debates (1824-1837) and the Congressional Globe (1833-1873). Also available are the Congressional Record Dailies from 1994-current, as well as the precedents of the House of Representatives from the 1st-94th Congresses, known as Cannon’s, Hind’s and Deschler’s Precedents.
Coverage: 18th century to present
ProQuest Congressional External This link opens in a new window
Explore government in action with the most comprehensive web-based resource available for congressional hearings, public issues, legislation, history, and legal research.
Coverage: 18th century to present
U.S. Congressional Serial Set External This link opens in a new window
The United States Congressional Serial Set contains all the Reports, Documents, and Journals of the US Senate and House of Representatives from the 15th Congress to the 97th Congress 1817 - December 23, 1982. The database, constitutes a rich collection of full text primary source material on U.S. political, social, cultural, military and ethnic history, as well as international relations, explorations, genealogy, commerce, and industrial development. For more information on the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, visit the GPO site U.S. Congressional Serial Set. Documents before 1817 may also be found in the American State Papers provided by the Library of Congress American Memory. Also see the Library of Congress print and microform holdings of the Checklist of United States Public Documents .
Coverage:15th Congress-103rd Congress, 1817-1994

Free Resources for Finding Congressional Committee Documents

A Century of Lawmaking

Beginning with the Continental Congress in 1774, America's national legislative bodies have kept records of their proceedings. The records of the Continental Congress, the Constitutional Convention, and the United States Congress make up a rich documentary history of the construction of the nation and the development of the federal government and its role in the national life. These documents record American history in the words of those who built our government.
Coverage: First Continental Congress-44th Congress, 1774-1875
Center for Legislative Archives

While congressional publications can be found nationwide, the [National Archives] Center's combination of publications and unpublished committee records make our holdings unique.
Coverage: varies
govinfo: U.S. Government Publishing Office

govinfo is a service of the United States Government Publishing Office (GPO), which is a Federal agency in the legislative branch. It provides free public access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.
Coverage: 104th Congress, 1995 to present
Google Books External

Coverage: varies
HathiTrust External

"HathiTrust is a growing, global partnership of major research institutions and libraries working to ensure that the cultural record is preserved and accessible long into the future. The mission of HathiTrust is to contribute to research, scholarship, and the common good by collaboratively collecting, organizing, preserving, communicating, and sharing the record of human knowledge." (HathiTrust website)
Coverage: varies
Internet Archive External
"The Internet Archive offers over 15,000,000 freely downloadable books and texts. There is also a collection of 550,000 modern eBooks that may be borrowed by anyone with a free archive.org account." (Internet Archive website)
Coverage: varies

The Government Depository Collection at the Library of Congress

The Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room keeps the latest ten years of U.S. Government Documents in print or on microfiche as part of the U.S. Federal Government Depository Collection. A SuDoc number is necessary in order to request these. GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications can help you find the SuDoc numbers.

Visit the Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room

Finding Government Documents

Congressional Committee Documents

Subscription Databases for Finding Congressional Committee Documents

Free Resources for Finding Congressional Committee Documents

The Government Depository Collection at the Library of Congress