Subject Guides

Legislation

Guide Contents

Presidential signing statements

Signing statements are used by Presidents to comment on signed bills being enacted into laws. Comments can include the President's interpretation of the law's language; objections to provisions of the law; and the President's intent regarding the execution of the law, giving guidance to executive branch agencies.

See the Library of Congress guide on Presidential Signing Statements for an in-depth discussion.

Signing statements are available in Presidential Documents. The are also generally published in the Congressional Record and as House Documents, both of which are available in Proquest Congressional.

ProQuest Congressional
Access to legislative publications including Congressional Hearings (parts A-D), U.S. Bills and Resolutions (2014-2018), laws, reports, documents, prints, the Federal Register, the Code of Federal Regulations, and member and committee information.
In addition to the Basic Subscription, BU Libraries has access to the full text of the Congressional Record and its predecessor publications from 1789-present, the Congressional Serial Set from 1789-2010, Serial Set maps from 1789-present, Executive Branch Documents, 1789-1932, and Congressional Research Service reports.