Information about Senators' Papers and Archives
The records created and maintained within a senator's office are the property of the member. Most senators donate their collections to a research repository in their home state when they leave office. At the repository, they are made available to researchers after an appropriate amount of time has passed.
The Senate archival collections document floor activities, committee activities, and general Senate administration.
Center for Legislative Archives
The records of the United States Senate and the House of Representatives document the history of the legislative branch beginning with the First Congress in 1789. Although the records remain the legal property of the House and Senate, they are preserved and made available by the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives and Records Administration. Other records from legislative branch support organizations, including the Publications of the U.S. Government from the Government Publishing Office, are also preserved at the Center.
Senate Rules and Statutes Governing Senate Records
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Reports of the Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress
Public Law 101-509 (November 5, 1990) created the Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress. The committee's function is to advise Congress and the Archivist of the United States on the management and preservation of the records of Congress. The following reports are presented in PDF format.
First Report, December 31, 1991
Second Report, December 31, 1995
Third Report, December 31, 2000
Congressional Papers Forum, August 29, 2001
Fourth Report, December 31, 2006
Fifth Report, December 31, 2012
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