Records of U.S. Congress & Signed Laws

At the Center for Legislative Archives, we hold the historically valuable records of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. These are the official records of congressional committees and administrative offices. This means that we hold records spanning the entire legislative process, which can include drafts of bills and legislative bill files, copies of amendments, hearing and markup transcripts, committee correspondence and reports, staff working files, petitions and memorials, meeting minutes, executive communications, etc. 

What we don't have are the original, signed copies of enrolled bills or resolutions—sometimes referred to as the red line copy. An enrolled bill or resolution is the final form of a measure agreed to by both chambers of Congress. Enrolled bills and resolutions are signed by the presiding officers of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate (or their designees) and then sent to the President of the United States. 

Once a bill or resolution is signed by the President and becomes law, it is held by a different unit within the National Archives. Red lines copies are part of Record Group 11—General Records of the U.S. Government. For assistance with RG 11, or to request a copy of a signed law, please email archives1reference@nara.gov.

For more on the engrossment and enrollment processes, there are several helpful CRS reports on Congress.gov:

• Enrollment of Legislation: Relevant Congressional Procedures
• Legislation: Engrossment, Enrollment, and Presentation
• Introduction to the Legislative Process in the U.S. Congress

If you have any questions, please email us at legislative.archives@nara.gov or check out the resources under Getting Started with Your Research.