Legislative History Scavenger Hunt

🎯 Your Goal

Welcome to the Legislative History Scavenger Hunt! You're about to become a pro at tracking down congressional documents and understanding how laws are made. You'll use real government databases, find actual legislative documents, and practice proper citations.

Goal: Complete as many challenges as possible. Work individually or in pairs. First team to 80+ points wins eternal glory (and maybe snacks).

🔗 Available Resources

► Congress.gov - Official source, free ► GovInfo.gov - Government documents ► ProQuest Congressional - Comprehensive searching (subscription) ► HeinOnline - Historical materials & compiled leg histories (subscription) ► Westlaw - LH database (subscription) ► Lexis - Legislative History section (subscription) ► Legislative Glossary ► Understanding Bill Status

📚 Database Strategy

You can use ANY of the available databases. Part of this exercise is learning which tool is best for which task. Choose wisely!

📝 How This Activity Works

During the xx-minute session:

Work individually or in pairs (your instructor will specify)
Write your answers directly on this handout OR type them in a digital document
Record which database you used for each challenge in the answer space
Show your work: Note search terms you used and how you found each answer
Ask for hints if you're stuck (costs 2 points per hint)

Submission:

✅ Hand in your completed worksheet at the end of class
✅ OR submit digitally via [Canvas/Email/etc.] before leaving class
✅ Include your name and note which databases you used most
✅ Incomplete work is okay - submit what you have!

Grading/Assessment:

📊 This is a formative assessment - it's about learning, not grades
📊 Points help track progress, but completion and effort matter most
📊 We'll review answers together in the last 10 minutes

Challenge 1: Basic Navigation 15 Points

Question 1.1 (5 points)

Find the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).

What is the Public Law number for the original ADA?

Answer: _______________________________________________

Database used: _____________________

💡 Hint: Try Congress.gov, ProQuest Congressional, or Westlaw/Lexis - search "Americans with Disabilities Act 1990" - look for the Public Law number format: Pub. L. No. XXX-XXX

Question 1.2 (5 points)

What was the bill number before it became law?

(Format: H.R. #### or S. ####)

Answer: _______________________________________________

Question 1.3 (5 points)

Who was the sponsor of this bill?

(Full name and state)

Answer: _______________________________________________

Challenge 2: The Committee Report Hunt 25 Points

Question 2.1 (10 points)

Find the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) - enacted in 2021.

Locate the Senate Committee Report for this bill. What is the report number?

Report Number: _________________________________________

Database used: _____________________

💡 Hint: Try any database - Congress.gov, ProQuest Congressional, or Westlaw/Lexis. Search "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act" and filter by 117th Congress. Look for Committee Reports. Format: S. Rep. No. 117-XX

Question 2.2 (10 points)

Provide a proper Bluebook citation for this Senate Report.

Include the report number, year, and at least one page number (pick any page).

Citation: _______________________________________________

________________________________________________________

Question 2.3 (5 points)

What Senate committee issued this report?

Committee Name: _________________________________________

Challenge 3: Floor Debate Detective 20 Points

Question 3.1 (10 points)

Pick ANY recent bill that passed in the last three years.

Find Congressional Record debate on this bill. What date was it debated? What volume and page number?

Bill Number: ____________________________________________

Bill Title: ______________________________________________

Date of Debate: _________________________________________

Congressional Record Citation: ____________________________

Database used: _____________________

💡 Hint: Use any database - most have Congressional Record. On Congress.gov, look under "All Actions" for debate references. ProQuest Congressional also indexes floor debates. Format: [Volume] Cong. Rec. [Page] (daily ed. [Date])

Question 3.2 (10 points)

Provide a proper Bluebook citation for a statement made during this debate.

Include the member's name who made the statement.

Citation: _______________________________________________

________________________________________________________

Challenge 4: Following the Legislative Journey 20 Points

Question 4.1 (15 points)

Find the Affordable Care Act (Pub. L. No. 111-148).

List the legislative journey from introduction to enactment:

Original Bill Number: ____________________________________

Committee(s) it went through: ____________________________

________________________________________________________

Date passed House: ______________________________________

Date passed Senate: _____________________________________

Date signed into law: ____________________________________

💡 Hint: On Congress.gov, look at the "All Actions" tab to track the bill's complete journey

Question 4.2 (5 points)

Was there a Conference Report for this bill? If yes, what's the report number?

Answer: ________________________________________________

Challenge 5: Hearing Detective 15 Points

Question 5.1 (10 points)

Find any congressional hearing from 2023 or 2024 on artificial intelligence, climate change, or immigration.

Provide the hearing title and citation.

Topic chosen: ___________________________________________

Hearing Title: __________________________________________

________________________________________________________

Committee: ______________________________________________

Date: ___________________________________________________

Database used: _____________________

💡 Hint: ProQuest Congressional has comprehensive hearing coverage. Congress.gov also has "Committee Meetings" search. HeinOnline is good for historical hearings.

Question 5.2 (5 points)

Write a proper Bluebook citation for this hearing, including a witness's name.

Citation: _______________________________________________

________________________________________________________

🌟 BONUS CHALLENGES - EXTRA CREDIT!

Bonus 1 (10 points)

SPEED ROUND: Find a bill that was introduced in the current Congress but DIED in committee (never made it to a vote). Explain how you can tell it died.

Bill Number: ____________________________________________

How you know it died: ____________________________________

________________________________________________________

Bonus 2 (10 points)

CITATION CHALLENGE: Find a Presidential Signing Statement for any law. Cite it properly in Bluebook format.

Law: ___________________________________________________

Citation: _______________________________________________

________________________________________________________

Bonus 3 (15 points)

EXPERT LEVEL: Find a statute that was amended. Locate legislative history for the AMENDMENT (not the original law). Provide the amendment's Public Law number and cite one piece of legislative history.

Original Statute: ________________________________________

Amendment Pub. L. No.: ___________________________________

Legislative History Citation: _____________________________

________________________________________________________

💪 Tips for Success

Start with Easy Wins: Do Challenge 1 first to build confidence
Choose Your Database: Congress.gov is great for recent bills. ProQuest for comprehensive searching. HeinOnline for historical materials.
Use the Filters: Most databases have filters by Congress number, document type, and date
Read the Page: Bill pages have tabs for everything - reports, debate, actions, etc.
Public Law vs Bill Number: Bills become Public Laws when enacted. Same law, different identifiers
Check Your Citations: Use Bluebook Rule 13. Format matters!
Time Management: Stuck after 10 minutes? Skip and return later
Try Different Databases: If you can't find something in one database, try another!

📊 Scoring Breakdown

Challenge	Points	Your Score
Challenge 1: Basic Navigation	15 points	_______
Challenge 2: Committee Reports	25 points	_______
Challenge 3: Floor Debate	20 points	_______
Challenge 4: Bill Tracking	20 points	_______
Challenge 5: Hearings	15 points	_______
Bonus Challenges	35 points	_______
TOTAL	135 points possible	_______

📝 Post-Hunt Debrief Questions

After completing the hunt, discuss these with your classmates:

What was the hardest part? Why?
Which documents were easiest to find? Which were hardest?
What surprised you about the legislative process?
When would you actually use legislative history in practice?
What resources will you bookmark for future research?