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West e-lert Newsletter
September 2008

FED-LH extends its reach

Federal legislative history research on Westlaw continues to get easier.
Legislative history documents (e.g., Congressional Record documents, committee hearing transcripts, and presidential signing statements) for many major federal acts have recently been added to the U.S. GAO Federal Legislative Histories database (FED-LH). These acts include the following:
  • Department of Energy Organization Act, Pub. L. No. 95-91
  • Protection of Children Against Sexual Exploitation Act of 1977, Pub. L. No. 95-225
  • Act of Nov. 2, 1978, Pub. L. No. 95-575 (eliminating racketeering in the sale and distribution of cigarettes)
  • Revenue Act of 1978, Pub. L. No. 95-600
  • Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978, Pub. L. No. 95-621
  • Motor Carrier Act of 1980, Pub. L. No. 96-296
  • Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, Pub. L. No. 96-350
  • Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act of 1980, Pub. L. No. 96-364
  • Customs Courts Act of 1980, Pub. L. No. 96-417
  • Equal Access to Justice Act, Pub. L. No. 96-481
  • Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, Pub. L. No. 96-510
  • Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, Pub. L. No. 96-511
  • Defense Officer Personnel Management Act, Pub. L. No. 96-513
  • Bankruptcy Tax Act of 1980, Pub. L. No. 96-589
  • Product Liability Risk Retention Act of 1981, Pub. L. No. 97-45
  • Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982, Pub. L. No. 97-248
Compiled histories are available in FED-LH for nearly 4,000 public laws enacted between 1974 and 1995. Over the next four years, more than 20,000 compiled histories will be available, with nearly 1 million PDF documents to be available. The database will cover 1915 and 1921 through 1995.