Guides: Labor and Employment Law Research Guide: Primary Law

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Federal Statutes

For Labor titles, browse Table of Contents for Titles 5, 8, 26, 29, 30, 38, 39 and 42 of the U.S. Code.

Where to Find the U.S. Code

For an introduction to statutory research, see our Statutes Research Guide guide. The following is a list of sources for the full text of federal laws:

U.S. Statutes at Large (Stat.) - Free Web (GovInfo) Coverage: 1951 to 2011
U.S. Statutes at Large (Stat.) - In Print Call Number: KF50 .U5 (Williams 2nd Floor: Williams Reading Room)
U.S. Code (U.S.C.) - Free Web (OLRC) Available via the Office of the Law Revision Counsel (OLRC) of the U.S. House of Representatives. Coverage: 1995 to Present
U.S. Code (U.S.C.) - Free Web (GovInfo) Coverage: 1994 to Present
U.S. Code (U.S.C.) - In Print Call Number: KF62 2006 .A2 (Williams, Reading Room & 5th Fl.)
U.S. Code Annotated (U.S.C.A.) - Westlaw Paid subscription database; requires log in.
U.S. Code Annotated (U.S.C.A.) - In Print Call Number: KF62 1927.A3 (Williams Reading Room & 5th Fl.)
U.S. Code Service (U.S.C.S.) - Lexis Paid subscription database; requires log in.
U.S. Code Service (U.S.C.S.) - In Print Call Number: KF62 1972.U5 (Williams Reading Room & 5th Fl.)

Federal Legislation

Proposed Federal Legislation

Congress.gov: For the full text and status of pending and recently enacted legislation, try a word search in the current Congress
Lexis: Browse Sources > Search Sources > Congressional Full Text Bills - Current Congress
Westlaw: Bills introduced in current session of Congress
CQ Weekly

Federal Legislative History

For many federal labor & employment laws, there are compiled legislative histories available in the Library. These compilations usually include bills, Congressional Record debates, reports, and hearings.

To find a compiled legislative history, try a keyword search in the Library's catalog . For example, you could search for "labor and legislative history." In addition, good starting places for legislative history research include:

To learn more about legislative history, read our Legislative History Research Guide.

Federal Regulations

For a guide to the federal executive-branch regulatory process and the process of conducting federal administrative law research in general, see the Law Library's Administrative Law Research Guide. Federal agencies' regulations appear in the following publications:

Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) - Westlaw
Index available in the right-hand menu.
Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) - Lexis
The CFR Index is available here.
Code of Federal Regulations - HeinOnline
Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) - Free Web (GovInfo) Available via the U.S. GPO's GovInfo.gov. Coverage: 1996 to the Present.
List of CFR Sections Affected (L.S.A.) - Free Web (GovInfo) Lists proposed, new, and amended Federal regulations that have been published in the Federal Register since the most recent revision date of a CFR title. Available via the U.S. GPO's Federal Digital System (FDsys). Coverage: 1997 to the Present.
eCFR - Free Web A currently-updated version of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR); not an official legal edition of the CFR.
Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) - In Print Call Number: KF70 .A3. Microfiche: 1938 - date (Media Services, Cabinets B13-B14)
Federal Register (Fed. Reg.) - Westlaw
Federal Register (Fed. Reg.) - Lexis
Federal Register (Fed. Reg.) - Free Web (GovInfo) Available via the U.S. GPO's Federal Digital System (FDsys). Coverage: 1960 to Present
"Federal Register 2.0" - Free Web An unofficial web edition of the Federal Register (also known as “Federal Register 2.0″ or “FR2″), provided by the Office of the Federal Register. Includes links to related material. Coverage: 1994-present.
Federal Register Library - HeinOnline

Case Law

Lexis: Browse > Practice Area > Labor and Employment > Cases.
Westlaw: Select Practice Area > Employment. Includes cases from U.S. Supreme Court, courts of appeals, district courts, and related federal and territorial courts.
VitalLaw - Labor & Employment Law Practice Center
Bloomberg Law - Labor & Employment Practice Center

For more information on finding court decisions, see our Case Law Research Guide.

HeinOnline: Labor and Employment

Labor and Employment: The American Worker
Compilation of labor law cases, U.S. Code sections, C.F.R. sections, Congressional hearings, reports and more.

Labor and Employment Law Research Guide

Contents

Key to Icons

Federal Statutes

Where to Find the U.S. Code

Federal Legislation

Proposed Federal Legislation

Federal Legislative History

Federal Regulations

Case Law

HeinOnline: Labor and Employment

Statutory Research Tutorial

Legislative History Research Tutorial

ProQuest Congressional and Legislative Insight Tutorial

Administrative Law Tutorial

Regulatory History Tutorial

Case Law Research Tutorial