House and Senate committees hear testimony on proposed legislation in order to determine what is needed and to hear the views of various persons or organizations interested in the legislation. Hearings are held for almost all substantive legislation, and transcripts of most hearings (including exhibits provided by those testifying) are published.
Hearings can provide a wealth of information for background research. For interpreting enacted legislation, hearings are less useful than other legislative documents because they focus on the views of the parties testifying rather than the views of the committee or Congress.
Hearings are published individually.
