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# Statutes at Large

Last updated on 09-16-2024

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## **Statutes at Large, 1789 (Vol. 1, 1st Congress) to Present**

SearchBrowse

**Jump to:**Sample Searches   │  Sample URLs  │  Metadata Fields and Values   │   Related Resources

### About the United States Statutes at Large

**What is it?**

The *United States Statutes at Large*, typically referred to as the Statutes at Large, is the permanent collection of all laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress. The Statutes at Large is prepared and published by the Office of the Federal Register (OFR), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

Every public and private law passed by Congress is published in the Statutes at Large in order of the date it was enacted into law. The laws are arranged by Public Law number and are cited by volume and page number. Also included in the United States Statutes at Large are concurrent resolutions, proclamations by the President, proposed and ratified amendments to the Constitution, and reorganization plans. Until 1948, treaties and international agreements approved by the Senate were also published in the Statutes at Large.

The private firm, Little, Brown, and Company, began publishing the Statutes at Large in 1845 under authority granted by a joint resolution of the 28th Congress. In 1874, the authority to publish was transferred to the U.S. Government Publishing Office under the direction of the Secretary of State. In 1950, the Department of State's responsibility for publishing the Statutes at Large was transferred to the General Services Administration and the OFR. Upon the establishment of NARA in 1985, the Archivist of the United States was given the authority to publish the Statutes at Large, acting through the OFR and the Congressional Printing Management Division of GPO.

Under the provisions of 1 U.S.C. 112, the printed edition of the Statutes at Large is legal evidence of the laws, concurrent resolutions, proclamations by the President, and proposed and ratified amendments to the Constitution.

**What is available?**
                            - Volumes 1-64 (1789-1952): The Statutes at Large includes the text of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, amendments to the Constitution, treaties with Indians and foreign nations, and presidential proclamations, and prior to 1948, also included all treaties and international agreements approved by the Senate. These volumes were made available through digitization efforts lead by GPO.
                            - Volumes 65-116 (1951-2002) are made available through digital imaging efforts on behalf of the Library of Congress. Each section of a volume can be browsed by Bills Enacted into Laws, Private Laws, Presidential Proclamations, Public Laws, Treaties, and other levels of granularity.
                            - GPO provides access to the collection of day-forward Statutes at Large from 2003 to present.

**USLM XML**

USLM XML format is currently available on GovInfo for Statutes at Large volumes back to volume 117 (2003). GPO will be making the USLM XML format available for the digitized Statutes at Large volumes from volume 116 (2002) back to volume 1 (1789). Development to provide public access to the digitized Statutes at Large volumes in USLM XML format is scheduled to take place in an upcoming GovInfo release cycle, and GPO plans to release the volumes in USLM XML format incrementally. 

### Searching the United States Statutes at Large

You can find and search the Statutes at Large by:
                            - Using  Basic Search  for keyword and metadata fielded searches,
                            - Using  Advanced Search ; fields specific to the Statutes at Large will display after you select United States Statutes at Large in the Refine by Collection column,
                            - Using  Citation Search  to retrieve a single Statutes at Large document in PDF format if you know the volume and page number of the document,
                            -  Refining search results  by clicking on links in the Refine Your Search panel on the left-hand side of the page (the sections under Refine Your Search correspond to the metadata available for the documents), and
                            -  Browsing  the Statutes at Large browse page.

**General GovInfo Search Tips**

#### Search Examples

**Search by Statutes at Large Citation** – For example, 120 stat. 1257.
                            - Using Basic Search, enter:  collection:statute citation:"120 stat. 1257" 
                            - Using Advanced Search, select  Statutes at Large  under Refine by Collection, then under Search In select  Citation  from the first box and enter  "120 stat. 1257"  in the next box

**Search by Public Law Citation** – For example, Public Law 109-28.
                            - Using Basic Search, enter:  collection:statute plawcitation:"Public Law 109-28" 
                            - Using Advanced Search, select  Statutes at Large  under Refine by Collection, then under Search In select  Public Law Citation  from the first box and enter  "Public Law 109-28"  in the next box

**Search by Associated Bill Citation** – For example, H.R. 1.
                            - Using Basic Search, enter:  collection:statute associatedbills:"H.R. 1" 
                            - Using Advanced Search, select  Statutes at Large  under Refine by Collection, then under Search In select  Associated Bill Citation  from the first box and enter  "H.R. 1"  in the next box

**Search by United States Code Citation** – For example, 22 U.S.C. 2151 as the United States Code citation.
                            - Using Basic Search, enter:  collection:statute uscodecitation:"22 U.S.C. 2151" 

**Search by Keyword** – For example, documents with *compensation* in the full text of the publication.
                            - Using Basic Search, enter:  collection:statute compensation 
                            - Using Advanced Search, select  Statutes at Large  under Refine by Collection, then under Search In enter  compensation  in the second box

**Search by Popular Name** – For example, documents with *The Patriot Act* as the popular title.
                            - Using Basic Search, enter:  collection:statute popularname:"The Patriot Act" 
                            - Using Advanced Search, select  Statutes at Large  under Refine by Collection, then under Search In select  Popular Name  from the first box and ente r The Patriot Act  in the next box

**Search by Legislation Type** – For example, Proclamations.
                            - Using Basic Search, enter:  collection:statute legtype:proclamation 
                            - Using Advanced Search, select  Statutes at Large  under Refine by Collection, then under Search In select  Legislation Type  from the first box and select  Proclamations  from the next box

### Sample United States Statutes at Large URLs

GovInfo uses two key pieces of information to construct predictable URLs to documents and Details pages.
                            - The Package ID is used to identify an individual yearly volume of the United States Statutes at Large.
                            - The Granule ID is used to identify individual documents that exist within the volume.

**Tip:** You can also use the link service and API to construct predictable links.

**Details Page for a United States Statutes at Large Volume**

Structure: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/{Package ID}

Example:https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/STATUTE-120

 

**PDF File for a United States Statutes at Large Volume**

Structure: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/{Package ID}/pdf/{Package ID}.pdf

Example:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-120/pdf/STATUTE-120.pdf

** **

**Details Page for a United States Statutes at Large Volume Granule**

Structure: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/{Package ID}/{Granule ID}

Example: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/STATUTE-120/STATUTE-120-Pg185

 

**PDF File for a United States Statutes at Large Volume Granule**

Structure: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/{Package ID}/pdf/{Granule ID}.pdf

Example:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-120/pdf/STATUTE-120-Pg185.pdf

 

**HTML File for a United States Statutes at Large Volume Granule**

Structure: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/{Package ID}/html/{Granule ID}.htm

Example: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-120/html/STATUTE-120-Pg185.htm

### United States Statutes at Large Metadata Fields and Values

Metadata fields and values can be used to increase the relevancy of your searches. Metadata fields and values are used throughout GovInfo for
                            - Narrowing Your Search,
                            - Browsing Government Publications,
                            - Field Operators,
                            - Advanced Search, and
                            - Display on Details Pages.

Metadata fields and values can be entered into the **Basic Search **box using field operators. The field operators available for the Statutes at Large are listed in the table below, along with examples for each metadata field. Using Field Operators

Some of these metadata fields are made available for use in **Advanced Search**. The metadata values can be entered in the same format for the fields available on the Advanced Search Page. Using Advanced Search

#### United States Statutes at Large Metadata Value Lists

**Legislation Type**

The table below lists the metadata values which can be used when limiting your search using the *Legislative Type* advanced search field or the *legtype:* field operator.

### Related Resources

                            -  How Our Laws Are Made (PDF)  - House Document 110-49
                            -  Contact your local Federal Depository Library    - To access a physical copy of volumes of the Statutes at Large
                            -  Purchase printed volumes    - From GPO's Online Bookstore
                            -  Not finding the law? Search Public and Private Laws for the slip version  - Public and private laws are also known as slip laws. A slip law is an official publication of the law.

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