United States Government Documents: The Presidency, Congress, the Courts, & Agency Regulations: Congressional Hearings

Online sources ~ Print & microform

"A hearing is a meeting or session of a Senate, House, joint, or special committee of Congress, usually open to the public, to obtain information and opinions on proposed legislation, conduct an investigation, or evaluate/oversee the activities of a government department or the implementation of a Federal law. In addition, hearings may also be purely exploratory in nature, providing testimony and data about topics of current interest. Most congressional hearings are published two months to two years after they are held." (GPO: About Congressional Hearings)

1824 -- current
Proquest Congressional includes both published hearings and a collection of unpublished hearings (but note date restrictions, below)*
Select the Advanced Search:
Unselect all, and select only Congressional Hearings (1827 - ),
Use the drop-down menu above the search windows to search title, committee, witness, witness affiliation and other options,
Restrict by date or Session of Congress to narrow your search.
*Note: Not all congressional hearings are published.
The transcripts of unpublished hearings are transferred to the National Archives. The PQ Congressional database includes unpublished hearings that are not longer "closed." Senate hearings generally remain closed for 20 years, and House hearings remain closed for 30 years. Hearings that contain classified or sensitive material generally remain closed for 50 years.

1973 - 2016

Chamber: House and Senate
Format: Print/Online
Locations: Search the library catalog. Add the terms/phrases "united states" and "congress" and "hearing" to a keyword search.
Note: As of mid-2016, we are no longer receiving print copies of Congressional Hearings via the Federal Library Depository Program. All published hearings are now available online and discoverable via the library catalog.

1956 - 2008

Chamber: House and Senate
Format: Microfiche
Locations: Readex Government Documents Microfiche

Pre - 1973

Chamber: House and Senate
Format: Print
Note: Selected hearings purchased by the library.
Locations: Search the library catalog. Add the terms/phrases "united states" and "congress" and "hearing" to a keyword search.

1839,1856,1864 - 1952*

Chamber: House
Format: Microfiche
Locations: Microfiche 600. Olin Library, Lower Level

1839,1856,1864 - 1952*

Chamber: Senate
Format: Microfiche
Locations: Microfiche 601. Olin Library, Lower Level*

*The Microfiche 600/601 set may be lacking some hearings for the 74th through 78th Congresses, or from 1935 - 1944. Search the library catalog for print versions of hearings from 1953-1955.

Note: Hearings of the House Committee on Armed Services are cataloged together, as a series, from 1947 onward.
Location: Uris Library UA23.3 A3 H43.