STATUTORY INTERPRETATION

1
STATUTORY INTERPRETATION LOCAL GOVERNMENT LAW
2
Compiled Legislative Histories

• Thought for the the Day Let someone else do the
  work for you.
• Governmental, Commercial and Non-profits all have
  strong motivations to compile legislative
  histories on major enactments for purposes of
  administration, sale, lobbying, litigation, etc.
• These are highly useful sources if one exists for
  your Public Law

3
Bibliographies of Compiled Legislative Histories

• Federal legislative Histories An Annotated
  Bibliography and Index to Officially Published
  Sources. Greenwood Press. 1994 Res. KF 42.2 1994
• 255 legislative histories (1862-1990)
• Sources of Compiled Legislative Histories. Fred
  B. Rothman Co. 1996 Res.KF 42.2 1979 (updated
  last in 1992)

4
State Legislative Histories

• Manz, William H. Guide to State Legislative and
  Administrative Materials. 2002 ed. Littleton,
  Co Fred B. Rothman Publications. 2002. KF 1
  .G8 2002
• Details print and electronic sources for
  administrative and legislative information for
  the fifty states.

5
Background information

• The Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report, the
  Washington Post, National Journal and the New
  York Times can be excellent sources of background
  information.
• The Law Library has a subscription to
  Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report,
  library.cqpress.com/cqweekly

6
MULTISTATE REFERENCESOURCES

• Definition
• Gather together in one place the laws of all the
  states arranged by subject or provide a list of
  publications that have gathered together all the
  state statutes on a given subject
• Martindale-Hubbell Law Digest (Reserve KF 190.
  M32 2002
• All states
• Two dozen categories 100 topics
• Gives citation to statutes and refers to
  important cases

7
MULTISTATE REFERENCESOURCES II

• Uniform Laws Annotated (Reserve KF 165 . A5 1968)
  38 volumes West Publishing
• Since 1892 the National Conference of
  Commissioners on Uniform State Laws have
  developed approx. 220 Uniform Laws model acts
• Full text of act, commentary annotations
• Annual tables listing by act name jurisdiction
• Subject Compilation of State Laws (KF 1 .F672)
• Annual
• Reference to texts articles and Web sites
  listing subject compilations of state laws

8
MUNICIPAL CODES AND CHARTERS

• Charter - basic laws creating the structure of
• local government
• Ordinances - laws passed by local governing
• body
• Code - subject arrangement of the ordinances

9
MUNICIPAL CODES AND CHARTERS II

• The full text of many city and county codes
  also can be found at the Seattle Public Librarys
  Web site
• http//www.spl.lib.wa.us/selectedsites/municode.h
  tml

10
MUNICIPAL CODES AND CHARTERS III

• Ordinance Law Annotations. (15 vols. West Group
  1969-) KF 5313.S5
• Contains cases on scope and applications of
  local laws.
• Annual supplements and editorial paragraphs
• preceding each topic
• Municipal Ordinances Text and Forms 2nd ed. (KF
  5313 .M342 2002 Supp.)

11
BUILDING CODES

• Industry standards
• Many local agencies incorporate industry
  standards
• and codes by reference
• For example the Uniform Building Code
• (International Conference of Building
• Officials) or National Fire Prevention Code
• Building Officials and Code Administrators
• International)
• http//www.osufiret.com