To better understand congressional committee prints in the context of compiling a federal legislative history, it helps to first understand what congressional committee prints are and how they can be helpful for legislative researchers. Congressional committee prints are internal publications that are prepared or commissioned by congressional committees to inform committee members’ legislative or oversight activities. Committee prints are not always submitted for publication, but when they are, this information can prove to be a helpful source of background information. The information contained in the prints could include drafts of reports and bills, directories, bibliographies, statistics, staff research reports, transcripts of markup sessions, studies, hearing and hearing excerpts, digests, and analysis. For more information about the publication and organization of congressional committee prints, visit the Government Publishing Office’s “About Congressional Committee Prints” page.

When committees publish legislative calendars (a/k/a "congressional committee calendars"), the calendars are typically published as committee prints. Congressional committee calendars are discussed in-depth in the companion research guide, Congressional Committee Calendars.