National Security Law Research Guide

This guide covers U.S. military, espionage, homeland security, and classification/declassification law.

Statutes and Legislative History

I. Major Statutes

Below is a non-exhaustive list of some of major federal statutes related to military and national security law.

Name and Year of Legislation Public Law Number Statutes at Large Citation
USA Patriot Act (2001) P.L. 107-56 115 Stat. 272
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 P.L. 95-511 92 Stat. 1783
Homeland Security Act of 2002 P.L. 107-296 116 Stat. 2135
Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 P.L. 108-458 118 Stat. 3638
National Emergencies Act (1976) P.L. 94-412 90 Stat. 1255
National Security Act of 1947 P.L. 80-253 61 Stat. 495
Posse Comitatus Act P.L. 45–263 20 Stat. 152
War Powers Resolution (1973) P.L. 93-148 87 Stat. 555

 

II. Select Legislative Histories

The statutes described in this guide were created and are updated by the enactment of federal public laws. For a general guide to the federal legislative process and to conducting federal legislative history research, please see the Library's Legislative History Research Guide.

The specialized resources below provide the full text of documents related to the legislative histories of the UCMJ, USA Patriot Act, and the Homeland Security Act. Be aware that a basic understanding of the federal legislative process, which is explained in the Library's Legislative History Research Guide, is required to make the best use of these specialized resources.