About Committee Reports of the U.S. Congress

Committee reports are one set of documents among the variety of document types produced by House and Senate committees that address legislative and other policy issues, investigations, and internal committee matters. Committee reports usually are one of these types: (1) reports that accompany a legislative measure when it is reported for chamber action; (2) reports resulting from oversight or investigative activities; (3) reports of conference committees; and (4) committee activity reports, published at the conclusion of a Congress.

Committee reports are uniquely identified by a standardized citation that includes the Congress, chamber (House or Senate), and report number.

Executive reports are issued by Senate committees reporting on treaties and nominations. Executive report citations begin with the prefix 'Ex. Rept.' followed by the Congress and report number. For example, Ex. Rept. 113-11.

Contemporary Reports

Full text and metadata for committee reports, including executive reports, are searchable within Congress.gov (1995-present). Reports can also be browsed in number order and retrieved by citation.

The Committee Consideration tutorial explains reports within the context of the legislative process.

Historic Reports

Full text and metadata for selected committee reports are available from Century of Lawmaking. Retrieve reports by citation from 1833-1917 (23rd-64th Congresses) or browse reports in number order.