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Legislative histories include the documents which may be used to determine the intent of a law when its meaning is ambiguous. The documents produced during the many different stages of the lawmaking process may provide insight to the lawmaker's understanding and beliefs of certain facts or issues.

Legislative histories include:

• bills and amendments
• committee hearings, prints and reports
• debates of Congress
  
• presidential messages.
  

For more information on how to compile a legislative history, visit the Federal Legislative Histories page at the Law Library's web site.