"Laws usually form the base for social welfare policy specifically and public policy generally."
Andrew W. Dobelstein, 'Federal Legislation & Administrative Rule Making', Encyclopedia of Social Work Vol. 2, pg. 996.
Brief Guide to Research of the History and Development of Social Policy and Public Law
- Finding the name of a law and the location of its text - [REF] KF 80 .S5
Since many laws are known only to the public by their popular names, a good source to consult is Shepard's Acts and Cases by Popular Names.
Example: Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.
Here you will find the date enacted, the Public Law number, Statutes-At-Large number and the law's location in the U.S. Code.
- Locating the law written as it was passed - [REF] KF 48 .U5
Using the Public Law number found in Shepard's, for example PL 103-3, select the appropriate volume of U.S. Code Congressional and Administrative News by the information on the spine of the book.
The page numbers are the "PL" or public law numbers themselves.
- Locating the legislative history of a public law - [REF] KF 48 .U5
Using the source above, USCCA, select the volume labeled legislative history that uses the same law number, to locate background information on the law.
- Additional information about laws and prospective legislation can be found in many locations including the sources below.
Reference Books:
| Congressional Quarterly Almanac |
[REF] JK 1 .C663 |
| This is a great source for the
"needs for" and "debates about" the issue
occurring before the law was enacted. |
| Encyclopedia of Social Work |
[REF] HV 35 .S6 |
Periodicals:
| CQ Researcher |
Online and [REF] D 414 .E3 current year at Periodicals/Reserve Desk |
| Facts on File |
[REF] D 410 .F3 |
| CQ Weekly Report |
Periodicals/Reserve Desk (print and microfiche) |
Indexes to Periodicals:
Web Sites:
Web sites that have legislative information such as the Congressional Record, Federal Register, Public Laws, Committee Reports, etc.
| Judith Vaughn, Revised September
2007 |
Return to Guides Index |
