U.S. Bills on Microfiche: 96th (1979) Congress - 110th (2009) Congress

Law & Legislative Reference Services

Our collection includes bills and resolutions on microfiche for the 96th Congress (1979) through the 110th Congress (2009). In some instances, you may not need the microfiche for this period of time. The full text of a bill is occasionally printed in The Congressional Record or in the related hearings and reports. Congress.gov also includes the text of bills beginning with the 101st Congress (1989). 

To retrieve a bill on microfiche, you need the following information. 

• The Congress (for example, 98th) 
• The Session (1st or 2nd)
• The House (House of Representatives or Senate)
• The type of bill or resolution (see table below)
• Microfiche numbers as indicated in the Final Cumulative Finding Aid located on the balcony

An example of a citation is 98th Congress, 1st session, H.R. 138, Fiche #45. 

Below is a table of the types of bills and resolutions. See the definitions tab for an explanation of each document type. 

Bills are issued in microfiche format, and each piece of microfiche is assigned a specific number. A bill will often begin in the middle of a microfiche card and carry over to subsequent cards. Each Congress begins a new numbering system which continues through all the sessions (except for the 101st Congress which starts renumbering the fiche again for the 2nd session). The fiche for each Congress are filed into separate sections for each type of bill. 

To locate a bill or resolution on microfiche, please follow the steps below. 

1. Visit the reference librarian desk on the balcony to request the Final Cumulative Finding Aid.

2. Use the Final Cumulative Finding Aid to obtain the correct microfiche number and location for the bill. 

3. Locate the microfiche in the filing cabinet on level 6B of the stacks.

4. Microfiche readers are available in all three reference areas. 

5. Please do not re-file the microfiche when you are finished. Return it to a book drop area or a librarian.