Subject Guide
Understanding Federal Legislation
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Ben's Guide - How Laws are MadeThe legislative process can get complicated. Designed for kids, Ben's Guide is a great resource for understanding the basics.
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Congress.gov - The Legislative ProcessThere are many stages in how a bill becomes a law, including the introduction and referral of a bill, committee consideration, calendars and scheduling, House and Senate floor actions, executive business in the Senate, bicameral resolution, and presidential actions.
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ProQuest Legislative Insight - The Legislative ProcessRequires ASURITE authentication
The ASU Library subscribes to ProQuest Legislative Insight to provide fulltext access to legislative histories. This help guide explains the legislative process in detail and provides tips for working within this resource. -
United States CodeThe United States Code is a consolidation and codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. It is prepared by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the United States House of Representatives.
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Legal Topics - Law Library of CongressLegal commentary and recommended resources on issues and events with legal significance, including information on other countries.
Understanding Federal Regulation
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Reginfo.gov - The Reg MapThe Reg Map is a chart that gives an overview of the "informal rulemaking" process.
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Regulations.gov - Regulatory TimelineRulemaking is the policy-making process for Executive and Independent agencies of the Federal government. Agencies use this process to develop and issue Rules (Rules are also referred to as “regulations”).
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Reginfo.govFederal regulations address a broad spectrum of activities of the American people. The principal goals of the regulatory system include protecting health, safety, homeland security, and the environment, and improving the performance of the economy, without imposing unacceptable or unreasonable costs on society.
Reginfo.gov provides reliable, transparent information about regulations under development to enable the public to participate effectively in the regulatory process. -
A Research Guide to the Federal Register and the Code of Federal RegulationsFrom the Law Librarians' Society of Washington, DC
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How to Trace Federal Regulations – A Research GuideRules and regulations are created by a federal body such as an agency, board, or commission, and explain how that body intends to carry out or administer a federal law. In fact, these rules and regulations can often affect our everyday lives even more directly than statutes, by laying out the details of how we go about following the laws passed by Congress. This Research Guide will address the basics of how to “trace” a federal regulation, in order to not only derive its statutory authority, but also to learn more about its origins and history.
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Code of Federal RegulationsThe Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) annual edition is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the departments and agencies of the Federal Government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. The 50 subject matter titles contain one or more individual volumes, which are updated once each calendar year, on a staggered basis.
The eCFR is updated daily but unofficial.
