Black's Law Dictionary defines legislaive history as "the background and events leading to the enactment of a statute, including hearings, committee reports, and floor debates."
Among other uses, researhers compile legislative histories when performing statutory interpretation.
The following are documents that you will want to find when compiling a legislative history. The definitions provided were taken from the United State Government Printing Officie Federal Digitial System (GPO FDsys).
See Congress.gov's Glossary for brief explanations of legislative terms.
Before diving into a research project, it's essential to have a strategy for how you will conduct your research.
At the Law Library, we've developed a research worksheet that you can use to help organize the information you've been given and develop a plan for your research. Feel free to make copies and use it as you're given research assignments.