1. Federal & State Legislative Research

2. Walk through the legislative process
Review how legislation is published
Explore recommended sources for legislative research
All links available at
on the Legislative Research tab

3. Legislative Process and Publication

4. The Legislative Process
Federal & State Legislative Research
10/13/17
The Legislative Process
We’ll begin by considering how legislation is created – i.e. the legislative process
RA Workshop

5. The Legislative Process
Federal & State Legislative Research
10/13/17
The Legislative Process
Introduction and Debate
Bills
Introduced in each house - assigned sequential numbers within each house
There may be multiple bills on similar topics
Bill may be amended many times throughout the legislative process
Referral to Committee
Early on, may issue committee print containing background research on the proposed legislation
Hearings
May hold hearing to gather opinions and information
Committee Report
Report of committee’s recommendations and proposed amendments
Floor Activity
Proposed legislation is brought before the full house for debate and voting
Recorded in Congressional Record – verbatim accounts and inserted material
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6. The Legislative Process
Federal & State Legislative Research
10/13/17
The Legislative Process
Agreement and Enactment
Conference
After passage in both houses, a conference committee may be formed to resolve differences – can’t change language already agreed upon
Report contains agreed upon language and joint explanation of the compromise
Vote on final language by both houses
Presidential sign or veto
May issue a signing statement
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7. Federal & State Legislative Research
10/13/17
Publication
For research purposes, publication is the most important phase in the process because you always start with the text of the law. Only if the text is unclear would you look back to the documents created during the leg process, ie the leg history
Slip Law
After enactment, a law is assigned a sequential public law number – PL
Is called slip law (printed on slips of paper)
Session Law
After legislative session ends, public laws from that session are arranged sequentially and published in the Statutes at Large
Code
Code contains all laws currently in force arranged by subject matter, regardless of when they were enacted
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8. Recommended Legislative Sources
Federal & State Legislative Research
10/13/17
Recommended Legislative Sources
The law library has numerous sources for locating federal and state legislation, but current and historical. I will be highlighting a few of the most useful sources. They are also linked in the LibGuide.
RA Workshop

9. Federal Legislation – US Code
US Code – Best Current & Recent
Lexis - USCS
Current and superseded (back to 1995)
Features – browse table of contents, terms & connectors search, search segments, popular name table, annotations, Shepards, alerts
Westlaw – USCA
Current and superseded (back to 1990)
Features – browse table of contents or index, terms & connectors search, search segments, popular name table, annotations, KeyCite, alerts

10. Federal Legislation – US Code
US Code – Best Older Superseded
Hein Online - U.S. Code
Current and superseded (back to 1925)
Features – browse table of contents, terms & connectors search, PDF content

11. Federal Legislation – Session Laws
U.S. Statutes at Large – Best overall
Hein Online – Session Laws Library
1789 – Present
Features – keyword search, number browse, popular name search, PDF content
ProQuest Legislative Insight
1776 – Present
Features – keyword search, number search, popular name search, PDF content, complete legislative histories

12. State Legislation – Codes
State Codes – Best Current & Recent
Lexis
Current and superseded (back to early 1990s – varies by state)
Features – browse table of contents, terms & connectors search, search segments, annotations, Shepards, alerts
Westlaw
Current and superseded (back to late 1980s – varies by state)
Features – browse table of contents or index, terms & connectors search, search segments, annotations, KeyCite, alerts

13. State Legislation – Codes
Codes – Best Older Superseded
Hein Online – State Statutes: A Historical Archive
Current and superseded (Pre-statehood to 1950s, varies by state)
Features – keyword search, browse table of contents, PDF content

14. State Legislation – Codes Comparative
Federal & State Legislative Research
10/13/17
State Legislation – Codes Comparative
50 State Surveys
Lexis - 50 State Surveys
To open, type 50 state into search box
Features – keyword search, browse table of contents
Westlaw - 50 State Surveys
Bloomberg Law State Law Chart Builder
Selected topics only – see BLaw rep or librarian for assistance
Features – select which states and which topics to compare
Sometimes you need to know the applicable laws from all 50 states on a specific legal issue. Searching state by state can be very difficult (differences in language) and time consuming. Surveys and other comparative tools can save you time and improve the accuracy of your search.
RA Workshop

15. State Legislation – Codes Comparative
Federal & State Legislative Research
10/13/17
State Legislation – Codes Comparative
Other State Code Comparison Tools
Hein Online – National Survey of State Laws
State-by-state comparisons of current state laws on selected topics
Hein Online – Subject Compilation of State Laws
Index of articles, books, etc. that contain comparisons of state laws
National Conference of State Legislatures
State-by-state comparisons of legislation on a wide array of topics – especially good for emerging topics
Sometimes you need to know the applicable laws from all 50 states on a specific legal issue. Searching state by state can be very difficult (differences in language) and time consuming. Surveys and other comparative tools can save you time and improve the accuracy of your search.
RA Workshop

16. Finding a 50 State Survey
You’ve been asked to compare state statutes on identity theft
Using a source of your choice, locate a 50 state comparison on this topic

17. State Legislation – Session Laws
Best state session laws
Hein Online – Session Laws Library
Pre-statehood –Present, varies by stats
Features – keyword search, browse table of contents, PDF content

18. Wisconsin Code & Session Laws
Best Free Sources for Wisconsin Legislation
Wisconsin Legislature
Pre-statehood –Present
Contains Wisconsin Statutes (code), Acts (session laws), bills and resolutions, legislative history, constitution, regulations, etc.
Features - keyword search, browse table of contents, PDF content, cross references, notification service

19. Federal & State Legislative Research
10/13/17
Legislative History
If code/session law is ambiguous, then legislative history may help clarify the legislative intent behind the legislation
Sometimes the text of enacted legislation is ambiguous. Legislative history may help reveal the intent behind the text of the statute
RA Workshop

20. Legislative History Federal – Best compiled legislative histories
ProQuest Legislative Insight
1776 – Present
Only includes documents for enacted legislation
Features – keyword search, number search, popular name search, PDF content, complete legislative histories

21. Legislative History Federal – Best known legislative history docs
ProQuest Congressional
1776 – Present
Includes documents for proposed and enacted legislation
Features – keyword search, number search, PDF content

22. Legislative History Wisconsin – Best legislative history docs
Wisconsin Legislature
1997/98–Present
Contains bill histories, drafting records, other leg history docs
Features - keyword search, browse table of contents, PDF content, cross references, notification service

23. Legislative History Other States –
Contact a state/university law library or legislative reference bureau in that state

24. Legislative History Document
Finding a Federal
Legislative History Document
You’ve been asked to locate House Report , the conference committee report for the Higher Education Opportunity Act
Locate this report using a source of your choice

25. Bonus – Social Media
Federal & Some States – Best government social media tracking
VoxGov
2013 – Present
Official documents, legislation, news releases and social media updates from government offices, officials and elected representatives
Features – Charts, timelines, comparative analysis, filter by content type, gov’t office, political party, representative, demographics

26. Finding Social Media Posts
You’ve been asked to compare what government representatives from opposing parties are saying about gun control after the Las Vegas shootings
Run a comparison using VoxGov

27. Bonnie Shucha, Deputy Director
Need help finding a code section, session law, 50 state survey, legislative history source, or social media post?
Ask a Librarian
Bonnie Shucha, Deputy Director
UW Law Library