Floor debates are recorded in the Congressional Record (1873 - present) and its predecessors: the Congressional Globe (1833-1873), the Register of Debates (1824-1837), and the Annals of Congress (1789-1824).

The Congressional Record is published daily when Congress is in session. It is issued in paper, and in recent years, distributed electronically by the Government Printing Office (GPO). An index volume is published every two weeks.

A permanent, bound edition of the Congressional Record is eventually released, which includes editorial revisions and other additions, and which has its own index. The index to the bound edition cannot be used with the daily edition, and vice versa.

The electronic versions of the Congressional Record provided by GPO, Thomas, and LexisNexis coincide with the daily edition of the print source - not the permanent edition.

Learn more about the Congressional Record.