Acts of Congress

Federal Acts that shape rights, duties, and powers in the U.S.

Major legislation that defines government powers and limits, establishes individual rights, and shapes the economy, environment, security, and social policy.

📚 Understanding Federal Acts

This section organizes major Acts of Congress that have shaped American law, governance, rights, and daily life.

Each Act entry provides:

Link to the text of the statute
Historical context and purpose
Impact on rights, governance, and society
Key sections and citations
Updates and live controversies

🏛 Why It Matters

Understanding these Acts is essential because they define the powers and limits of government, establish and protect individual rights, shape the economy, environment, security, and social policy, and provide insight into the ongoing debate over the role of Congress vs. the states vs. the courts.

Browse Acts by Category

Explore all 112 federal acts organized by policy area. Click on a category to see all related acts.

Administrative Law

1

1946: Administrative Procedure Act (APA)

Antitrust & Competition

3

1890: Sherman Antitrust Act 1914: Clayton Antitrust Act 1914: Federal Trade Commission Act (FTC Act)

Civil Rights & Equality

12

1963: Equal Pay Act of 1963 1964: Civil Rights Act of 1964 1965: Voting Rights Act of 1965 1967: Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)1968: Fair Housing Act 1973: Rehabilitation Act of 1973 1978: Pregnancy Discrimination Act 1990: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)1991: Civil Rights Act of 1991 1994: Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)2008: Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA)2008: Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)

Consumer Protection

6

1938: Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA)1968: Truth in Lending Act (TILA)1970: Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)1972: Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA)1977: Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)1978: Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA)

Criminal Justice

3

1970: Controlled Substances Act (CSA)2000: Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act (CAFRA)2018: First Step Act

Education

6

1965: Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)1965: Head Start Act 1965: Higher Education Act (HEA)1974: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)1990: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)2015: Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

Emergency Powers

3

1950: Defense Production Act (DPA)1976: National Emergencies Act (NEA)1977: International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)

Energy Policy

4

1992: Energy Policy Act of 1992 2005: Energy Policy Act of 2005 2007: Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA)2021: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)

Environmental Law

7

1969: National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)1970: Clean Air Act (CAA)1972: Clean Water Act (CWA)1973: Endangered Species Act (ESA)1974: Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)1976: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)1980: Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA / Superfund)

Finance & Banking

16

1913: Federal Reserve Act 1933: Emergency Banking Act 1933: Glass–Steagall Act (Banking Act of 1933)1934: Gold Reserve Act 1945: Bretton Woods Agreements Act 1976: IMF Second Amendment Implementation Act (End of Gold Standard)1977: Federal Reserve Reform Act 1978: Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978 1980: Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act (DIDMCA)1982: Garn–St Germain Depository Institutions Act 1989: Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act (FIRREA)1991: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act (FDICIA)1999: Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act (GLBA)2008: Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (EESA, TARP)2010: Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act 2018: Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act

Foreign Policy

1

1961: Foreign Assistance Act (FAA)

Government Transparency

1

1966: Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

Healthcare & Social Policy

7

1965: Medicare & Medicaid Act 1986: Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA)1996: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)1997: Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)2008: Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA)2010: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA)2022: Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)

Immigration

3

1952: Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)1986: Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA)1996: Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA)

International Trade

1

1974: Trade Act of 1974

Labor & Employment

7

1935: National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)1938: Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)1946: Employment Act 1970: Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act)1978: Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act (Humphrey–Hawkins Act)1988: Drug-Free Workplace Act 1993: Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Miscellaneous

3

1974: Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA)2022: Bipartisan Safer Communities Act 2025: Acts of Congress

National Security & Defense

9

1807: Insurrection Act 1878: Posse Comitatus Act 1973: War Powers Resolution 1978: Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)1994: Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)2001: Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF)2001: USA PATRIOT Act 2002: Homeland Security Act 2003: Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA)

Natural Resources

1

1976: Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA)

Public Health

5

2016: Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA)2018: SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act 2020: CARES Act 2020: Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)2021: American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)

Securities & Markets

3

1933: Securities Act of 1933 1934: Securities Exchange Act of 1934 2002: Sarbanes–Oxley Act (SOX)

Social Welfare

1

1935: Social Security Act

Taxation

1

1986: Internal Revenue Code of 1986

Technology & Privacy

6

1996: Communications Decency Act § 230 1998: Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)1998: Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)2008: FISA Amendments Act 2015: Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA)2022: CHIPS and Science Act

Voting & Elections

2

1939: Hatch Act 1971: Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA)

Historical Timelines

See how legislation evolved over time in key policy areas.

Finance & Banking Timeline

Federal Reserve Act, Glass-Steagall, Dodd-Frank, and the evolution of financial regulation

Civil Rights Timeline

From the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the Americans with Disabilities Act

Voting Rights Timeline

Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, and election law evolution

Environmental Law Timeline

Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, CERCLA, and environmental protection

Labor & Employment Timeline

Fair Labor Standards, NLRA, OSHA, and workplace rights

Defense & Security Timeline

War Powers Resolution, PATRIOT Act, and national security legislation

Consumer & Commerce Timeline

Truth in Lending, Consumer Product Safety, and commerce regulation

Healthcare & Social Policy Timeline

Social Security Act, Medicare, Medicaid, ACA, and social safety net

Criminal Justice & Due Process Timeline

Controlled Substances Act, Crime Control Acts, and criminal law

Technology & Privacy Timeline

ECPA, CFAA, Section 230, and digital age legislation

Immigration Timeline

Immigration and Nationality Act, IRCA, and border policy

Administrative Law Timeline

APA, regulatory framework, and the administrative state

Most Influential Acts

Landmark legislation that fundamentally shaped American law and society.

Social Security Act (1935)

Created federal safety net for elderly, unemployed, and disadvantaged

Administrative Procedure Act (1946)

Established framework for federal agency rulemaking and adjudication

Civil Rights Act (1964)

Prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin

Voting Rights Act (1965)

Outlawed discriminatory voting practices and protected minority voting rights

Controlled Substances Act (1970)

Federalized drug policy and created DEA enforcement framework

War Powers Resolution (1973)

Limited presidential war powers and required congressional authorization

Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)

Prohibited discrimination against individuals with disabilities

PATRIOT Act (2001)

Expanded surveillance and law enforcement powers post-9/11

Affordable Care Act (2010)

Major healthcare reform expanding insurance coverage and regulation