Locating Connecticut Legislative History
All legislative history material in the State Library’s collection can be legally cited and certified. Full text copies of compiled legislative histories can be obtained in the following ways:
- *Search our compiled histories by act number* (In addition to previously ordered histories, full-text is available from 2008-present)
- If you don’t find it in our database, please contact us via email, phone or chat to place your order. Or visit us in person. This gives you the advantage of reading through material and determining what you really need. Please see our policy on scanning/photocopying.
Complete legislative histories begin with acts passed in 1953 and usually include both House & Senate proceedings. Public hearings extend further back to 1899 but some pre-1953 committees are unavailable. In 2018, only House, Senate, & some committee hearings were transcribed. Cards marked with “not transcribed” means nothing is available in print. Questions regarding this situation should contact Legislative Management at (860) 240 0100.
Other Sources
The State Library and Judicial Branch Law Libraries have legislative histories from 1980 to the present on microfiche.
The Connecticut General Assembly search page offers full-text transcripts of House and Senate proceedings and Committee public hearings from 1988 to the present online. *Please note that these documents are not paginated, indexed, or in some instances may not include submitted testimony. Submitted testimony for the public hearings is not available prior to 1999.
Consult the Judicial Branch’s step-by-step tutorial for self-paced instruction on how to effectively access these online transcripts.
Connecticut Constitutional Amendment Legislative Histories
Landmark Legislative Histories
Separately prepared volumes contain compiled legislative histories on select landmark Connecticut legislation. In addition to the complete official transcripts, these volumes include:
- Act summaries
- Glossary of terms
- Relevant supporting material from the Permanent Bill File Archive and the State Documents Collection.
Digital versions currently available:
- “An Act Concerning Revision and Codification of the Substantive Criminal Law“. (Penal Code revisions), Public Act 69-828, 1969 House Bill 7182
- “An Act Concerning the Death Penalty“, Public Act 73-137, 1973 House Bill 8297
- “An Act Concerning Product Liability Actions“, Public Act 79-483 House Bill 5870
- “An Act Concerning Lethal Injection, Proportionality Review of Death Sentences and Murder of a Child”, Public Act 95-16, 1995 Senate Bill 855
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“An Act Concerning the Death Penalty“, Public Act 95-19, 1995 Senate Bill 852