What are Committee Hearings?

A Congressional committee, in its study of a bill, may hold hearings where interested parties are invited to testify on the legislation being proposed. Transcripts of this testimony together with supplementary material are published as hearings and can shed light on the pros and cons of pending bills. After the hearings, a committee may approve the bill and send it back to the House or Senate along with a Report (See Congressional Reports) and recommendations. If a committee does not issue a report with recommendations, a bill is said to "die" in committee and will not progress further. When similar bills are presented and passed in the House and Senate, a conference committee of the two chambers is formed to reconcile differences. The new bill is reintroduced and acted on.

• Hearings from 1976 to present are catalogued in EUCLID, the Woodruff Library's online catalog. You will need the Su Doc number to locate them on Level 1 of the Library in either the paper collection or the microfiche collection. The Su Doc number for both House and Senate hearings begins with Y 4.
• CIS Annual. CIS Index to Publications of the United States Congress. KF49 .C62 Reference, 1970 to date.
  This is a print index of committee hearings. Online access in LexisNexis Congressional (Emory only)
• U.S. Congressional Commitee Hearings Index. Congressional Information Service. is a print index of hearings, broken down by names and subject. It is the companion index to Microfiche 270-273; however, it also gives the Superintendent of Documents number which can be used to track down a paper copy in the collection. Located in Reference at KF40 .C53, 23rd Congress - 91st Congress, 1833-1969. Online access in LexisNexis Congressional (Emory only)
• For unpublished hearings, go to
• CIS Index to Unpublished U.S. House of Representatives Committee Hearings, Congressional Information Service, 1833-1968, Reference, KF40 .C54. Accompanies Microfiche 1165. Online access in LexisNexis Congressional (Emory only)
• CIS Index to Unpublished U.S. Senate Committee Hearings, Congressional Information Service, 18th Congress to 96th Congress, 1823 - 1980, Reference KF40 .C55. Accompanies Microfiche 1164. Online access in LexisNexis Congressional (Emory only)
• GPO Access
  Selected hearings beginning 1995 and are arranged by committee. There is no index.
• LexisNexis Congressional (Emory only)
  Hearing testimony text is available from 1988; citations available from 1789. Also indexes the unpublished House and Senate hearings.
• Law Librarian's Society Of Washington D.C. lists comprehensive links to various free sources of Congressional hearings and testimony on the web.

What are Committee Markups?


Markups are committee or subcommittee meetings held after hearings in order to make changes to a bill and make recommendations to the floor regarding its passage. Votes are taken among committee members to determine if the bill should be referred to the floor for consideration. The committee explains its decisions and findings in a written account that accompanies the bill text. These written accounts are issued if the committee decides to recommend the bill and are covered by the press and are not issued as formal government documents.

Where are Committee Markups?

• National Journal (Emory only)
  Provides "you are there" coverage of every House and Senate subcommittee and committee markup session. Individual mark up reports are provided on every bill, with roll call votes on amendments and final passage. Since 1999. Paper copy in stacks under JK1 .N3, 1975 to date.
• LexisNexis Academic (Emory only)
  Provides transcripts and summaries of markups. Go to Guided Search. Click on News/Transcripts and the specific file is Political Transcripts, although it may be better to search all transcripts. Use markups as a keyword.
• The text of markups often appears in the printed hearings of the House Agriculture and Foreign Affairs/International relations committees. Votes occasionally appear in the House and Senate Reports submitted on bills.