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Congressional Committees

Updated and maintained by Patricia Hardesty
Liaison Librarian for History, Philosophy and Religion, Political Science

Originally compiled by Gordon Miller


November 2002

This handout is designed to serve as a guide to resources in Carrier Library to researching the Congressional committee system in general and for locating material on the committees and their historical beginnings and changes over time.

In addition to sources in the reference and general collections there are examples of government documents that include information on Congressional committees. Indexes and reference titles are listed.

Other types of materials listed include directories, dissertations, and Leonardo subject heading possibilities.

Table of Contents

Subject Headings

The following list of Library of Congress subject headings are examples of accepted terms to use when searching Leonardo for Congressional committee information. To find additional subject heading possibilities consult the Library of Congress Subject Headings volumes located adjacent to the online terminals and at the reference desk.

United States. Congress
United States. Congress - Committees
United States. Congress - History
United States. Congress. House
Unites States. Congress. House. Committee on (name of committee)
United States. Congress. Senate.
Unites States. Congress. Senate. Committee on (name of committee)

Guides

Guides are intended to furnish an overview of a subject and suggest and/or recommend research possibilities. The Morehead title is more for the beginning researcher while Schmeckebier writes for the individual that has used government documents extensively

Goehlert, Robert U. The United States Congress: An Annotated Bibliography, 1980-1993 . Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, 1994.
(Ref JK 1061 G64 1994).
This bibliography includes citations to Congressional committees and their work.

Morehead, Joe. Introduction to United States Government Information Sources. 6th ed. Littleton, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, 1999.
(Ref ZA 5055 U6 M67 1999).

Schmeckebier, Laurence, and Eastin, Roy B Government Publications and Their Use. 2nd rev. ed. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1969.
(Ref Z 1223 Z7 S3 1969).

Reference Sources

Several sources in the reference collection have information of value on Congressional committees. They are useful for statistics and chronologies in addition to standard overviews of committee arrangement and work.

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-1989.... Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office 1989.
(Ref JK 1010 U5 1989).

Congress A to Z: CQ's Ready Reference Encyclopedia. 3rd ed. Washington D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, 1999.
(Ref JK 1021 C554 1999).
A brief overview of the committee system is followed by a short bibliography.

The Encyclopedia of the United States Congress. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995. 4 vol.
(Ref JK 1067 E63 1995).
An outstanding scholarly, work. Coverage is the full range of Congressional activity. Entries include bibliographies.

Guide to Congress. 5th ed. Washington D.C.: CQ Press, 2000. 2 vol.
(Ref JK 1021 C56 2000).
Excellent source that contains chapters on the Committee system and their staffs. A useful bibliography is appended.

Nelson, Garrison. Committees in the U.S. Congress, 1947-1992. Washington, D.C. : Congressional Quarterly, 1993- . vol. 1- .
(Ref JK 1029 N45 1993).
Volume 1 lists all committees for the years covered and gives their memberships.

Stubbs, Walter. Congressional Committees, 1789-1982: a Checklist. Westport Conn.: Greenwood, 1985.
(Ref JK 1029 S78 1985).
Comprehensive coverage is provided in an alphabetically arranged list of all committees of Congress. Additional information includes a bibliography, and a chronological list of committees.

Directories

Directories are useful in locating brief information AND as a source for making contacts with the committee(s) of choice. The two titles cited here are the most valuable. An additional source of usefulness at the beginning of a Congress is the periodical Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report which lists committees, and their members, within a few weeks of selection.

Congressional Staff Directory. Mt Vernon, Va.: Congressional Staff Directory. 1959 - . annual. Place of publication and publisher vary.
(Ref JK 1012 C65).
Commercial publication which includes information on Congressional committees and their staffs.

United States. Congress. Official Congressional Directory. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1809? - . annual. Publisher varies.
(Ref JK 1011 U5).
Official directory of Congress. Congressional committee information is provided.

Monographic Sources

Titles listed here are representative examples of books in the general collection of Carrier Library. The accepted way to determine Library holdings is to check Leonardo with the subject headings noted above

"Changing Congress: the Committee System." in: The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. vol. 411. January 1974.
(H 1 A4 v. 411).
The whole issue of this journal is devoted to the committee system of Congress. Leading scholars discuss the merits, and deficiencies, of the system.

Cooper, Joseph. Congress and Its Committees: A Historical Approach to the Role of Committees in the Legislative Process. New York: Garland, 1988.
(JK 1429 C66 1988).
A dissertation with extensive footnotes and bibliography.

Fenno, Richard F. Congressmen in Committees. Boston : Little, Brown, 1973.
(JK 1029 F4).

Goodwin, George, Jr. The Little Legislatures: Committees of Congress. [Amherst]: University of Massachusetts, 1970.
(JK 1029 G6).

Haynes, George H. The Senate of the United States, its History and Practice..... Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, 1938.
(JK 1161 H28).

Morrow, William L. Congressional Committees. New York, Scribner, 1969.
(JK 1029 M6).

McConachie, Lauros G. Congressional Committees: A Study of the Origins and Development of Our National and Local Legislative Methods. New York: B. Franklin, 1974 reprint of the 1898 edition.
(JK 1029 M2 1974).
An early, scholarly, study of the Congressional Committee system.

Origins and Development of Congress. 2nd ed. Washington D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, 1982.
(JK 1021 074 1982).

Parker, Glenn R. Factions in House Committees. Knoxville: University of Tennessee, 1985.
(JK 1429 P37 1985).

Smith, Steven S. Committees in Congress. 3rd ed. Washington D.C.: CQ Press, 1997.
(JK 1029 S64 1997).

Uslaner, Eric M. Congressional Committee Assignments: Alternative Models for Behavior . Beverly Hills, Calif. Sage, 1974.
(JK 1429 U74).

Vogler, David J. The Third House; Conference Committees in the United States. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University, 1971.
(JK 1111 V63).

Government Documents - Historical Analysis

All references in this section are located in Government Documents in Carrier Library. These are examples of committee histories. The most useful sources for locating this type of information are the two "CIS" indexes noted in the "Indexes" section (below).

U.S. House. Committee on House Administration. History of the United States House of Representatives, 1789-1994. Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1994.
(Gov Doc Y 1.1/.2:103-324).

U.S. House. Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. 180 Years of Service, a Brief History. (H. Rpt. 94th Congress, 1st Session). Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1975. Illustrated.
(Gov Doc Y4.In8/4:Se6)

U.S. House. Committee on Rules. A History of the Committee on Rules. (H. Rpt. 97th Congress, 2nd Session). Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1983. Illustrated. Bibliography.
(Gov Doc Y4.R86/1:R86/4).

U.S. House. Committee on Science and Technology. Toward the Endless Frontier: History of the Committee on Science and Technology, 1959-1979. (H.Prt.). Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1980. Illustrated. Bibliography.
(Gov Doc Y1.2:F92/959-79).

U.S. House. Committee on Small Business. A History and Accomplishments of the Permanent Select Committee on Small Business House of Representatives of the United States (Together with a Complete List of its Hearings, Reports, and Statistical Data); 77th to 92d Congresses, 1941-1972 . Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1973.
(Gov Doc Serial Set 13034-9. 93d Congress, 2d session, House Document no. 93-197).
The spine notes 1st session.

U.S. House. Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives. History of the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives. (H. Prt 97-15). Washington D.C. : Government Printing Office, 1982.
(Gov Doc Y4.J89/1:H62/982).

U.S. House. Committee on Ways and Means. A Bicentennial History, 1789-1989. (H. Doc. 100-244). Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, [1990].
(Gov Doc Serial Set 13885).

U.S. House. Temporary Select Committee to Study the Senate Committee System. Senate Committee System. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1976.
(Gov Doc Y4.Se5/4:C73 and Y4.Se5/4:C73/pt.2).
A separate Committee Print on this is @ Y4.Se5/4:C73/2.

U.S. House. 94th Congress, 1st Session. (H. Doc. 94-187). Committee Organization in the House. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1973.
(Gov Doc Serial Set 13110-3, 13110-4, 13110-5).
Exhaustive study with over 100 witnesses providing testimony. Volume two contains a bibliography.

U.S. Senate. Temporary Select Committee to Study the Senate Committee System. Senate Resolution 127, to Study the Senate Committee System. Hearings, July 31 and August 2, 1984. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1984.
(Gov Doc Y4.Se5/4:Se5/pt.1 and print on this is @ Y4.Se5/4: S. prt. 98-254).

U.S. Senate. 94th Congress, 2nd Session. First Report, With Recommendations, of the Temporary Select Committee to Study the Senate Committee System. . .. (S. Rpt. 94-1395). Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1976.
(Gov Doc Serial Set 13132).

U.S. Senate. 95th Congress, 1st Session. History of the Committee on Finance, United States Senate. (S.Doc. 95-27). Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1977.
(Gov Doc Serial Set 13176-1).

U.S. Senate. 95th Congress, 2nd Session. A Brief History of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and its Activities Since 1947. (S.Doc. 95-93). Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1978. Illustrated.
(Gov Doc Serial Set 13205-1).

U.S. Senate. 96th Congress, 1st Session. History of the Committee on Rules and Administration, United States Senate. (S. Doc. 96-27). Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1980.
(Gov Doc Serial Set 13232).

U.S. Senate. 96th Congress, 2nd Session. History of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources, United States Senate, 1869-1979. (S. Doc. 96-71). Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1980. Illustrated.
(Gov Doc Serial Set 13318).

U.S. Senate. 97th Congress, 1st Session. History of the Committee on Finance, United States Senate. (S. Doc. 97-5). Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1981.
(Gov Doc Serial Set 13389).

U.S. Senate. 97th Congress, 1st Session. History of the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, 1816-1981. (S. Doc. 97-18). Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1982. Illustrated.
(Gov Doc Serial Set 13389).

U.S. Senate. 99th Congress, 1st Session. The United States Senate, 1787-1801: A Dissertation on the First Fourteen Years of the Upper Legislative Body. (S. Doc. 99-19). Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1985.
(Gov Doc Serial Set 13614).
Scholarly (dissertation) presentation that includes a chapter on the early committee system in the Senate. Bibliography.

U.S. Senate. 99th Congress, 2nd Session. Background Information on the Committee on Foreign Relations United States Senate: 170 Anniversary, 1816-1986. (S.Doc 99-21). Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1986.
(Gov Doc Serial Set 13663).
This history includes a bibliography.

U.S. Senate. 103rd Congress, 1st Session. Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate: 126th Anniversary, 1867-1993(S. Doc. 103-17). Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1995.
(Gov Doc Serial Set 14154 and Gov Doc microfiche Y 1.1/3:103-17).

Dissertations

Dissertation Abstracts
Online in Research Databases. 
Dissertation Abstracts lists all dissertations produced in the United States since 1861. Because of original research and extensive bibliographies dissertations can have value for studies on Congressional Committees. Since Carrier Library has few dissertations check at the Reference Desk for assistance on how to obtain this type of information.

Indexes

Scholarly and general interest indexes are included in this section. Unless noted the indexes are located in the Index/Abstract area on the main level. Generally, but not always, the beginning entry subject is "United States - Congress -". Occasionally the subjects "Congressional Committees" or the committee name is the reference point.

America: History and Life 1964- .
CIS Annual 1970 - . (print).
CIS U.S. Serial Set Index 1975-1978. 36 vols. (Ref Z 1223 Z9 C65 1975). (print)
GPO Monthly Catalog. 1976- .
International Political Science Abstracts 1979- . (print)
Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications 1939- . (print)
New York Times Index 1851-2004. (print).
Public Affairs Information Service Bulletin 1917-1921, 1923-1924, 1929- . 1972 - . (database)
Reader's Guide Abstracts 1900- . (1983 - on as a database)
Social Sciences and Humanities Index 1965-1974. (print)
Social Sciences Citation Index 1976-1986. (print)
Social Sciences Abstracts. 1974- . (1983 - on as a database).
Washington Post Index 1971-1993 . (print)

Electronic Text Sources

Congress .
(Electronic Text).
This site has a number of Congressional links.

Thomas: Legislative Information on the Internet .
(Electronic Text).
The major web site for Congressional information since the 103rd (1993) Congress.

WorldCat
Online in Research Databases. 
The WorldCat database has the book holdings of most American libraries.

This page is maintained by: Patricia Hardesty
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