Training presentation for inexperience paralegals on how to find statues for federal and New York jurisdictions.

1. Legal Research for the Legal
Assistant:
How to Find Statutes
(Federal & New York)
Janice E. Henderson, Esq., M.L.S.

2. Federal Statute Research:
How A Law Is Made
 A proposed law may be introduced into either
chamber of the Congress as a bill or a joint
resolution.
 The bill/joint resolution is printed and referred to
one or more committees for review.
 Published in Congressional Record:
◦ http://thomas.loc.gov/ (From 101st Congress
(1989))
◦ http://beta.congress.gov/congressional-record
(From 1985, vol. 141), or
◦ http://www.gpoaccess.gov (Scattered years
from 1968)
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3. Federal Statute Research:
Bills
 Bills are given a number.
◦ House of Representatives: H.R. 1
◦ Senate: S. 1
Types of Bills
 Public Bills
◦ Public bills pertain to matters that affect the general public
or classes of citizens
 Private Bills
◦ Private bills affect just certain individuals and
organizations.
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4. Federal Statute Research:
Bills to Laws
 When a bill is passed in identical form
by both the Senate and the House, it
is sent to the president for his
signature.
Different Bill Versions
 Joint Conference
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5. Federal Statute Research:
Bill Becomes Law
 Bill is sent to the President.
President can either:
 Sign the bill and make it law.
 Veto the bill.
◦ If Congress is still in session the original
House can override a veto by the
required two-thirds vote.
◦ If the other House also overrides the veto
with two-thirds vote, the bill becomes law.
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6. Federal Statute Research:
Law
 After the bill is signed into law it is now
given a public law number.
◦ Example: P.L. 109-1
 The official publication for public laws is:
United States Statutes at Large. It’s
abbreviation is: Stat.
◦ It also contains concurrent resolutions,
reorganization plans, proposed and ratified
amendments to the Constitution, and
proclamations by the President.
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7. Federal Statute Research:
Public Law
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8. Federal Statute Research:
Federal Statutes
Official
 United States Code (U.S.C.)
Unofficial
 United States Code Annotated
(U.S.C.A.) – Thomson-West
 United States Code Service
(U.S.C.S.) - LexisNexis
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9. Title 1, General Provisions
Title 2, The Congress
Title 3, The President
Title 4, Flag and Seal, Seat of Government, and the States
Title 5, Government Organization and Employees; and Appendix
Title 6, Domestic Security
Title 7, Agriculture
Title 8, Aliens and Nationality
Title 9, Arbitration
Title 10, Armed Forces; and Appendix
Title 11, Bankruptcy; and Appendix
Title 12, Banks and Banking
Title 13, Census
Title 14, Coast Guard
Title 15, Commerce and Trade
Title 16, Conservation
Title 17, Copyrights
Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure; and Appendix
Title 19, Customs Duties
Title 20, Education
Title 21, Food and Drugs
Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse
Title 23, Highways
Title 24, Hospitals and Asylums
Title 25, Indians
Title 26, Internal Revenue Code; and Appendix
Title 27, Intoxicating Liquors
Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure; and Appendix
Title 29, Labor
Title 30, Mineral Lands and Mining
Title 31, Money and Finance
Title 32, National Guard
Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters
Title 34, Navy (Repealed)
Title 35, Patents
Title 36, Patriotic Societies and Observances
Title 37, Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services
Title 38, Veterans' Benefits; and Appendix
Title 39, Postal Service
Title 40, Public Buildings, Property, and Works
Title 41, Public Contracts
Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare
Title 43, Public Lands
Title 44, Public Printing and Documents
Title 45, Railroads
Title 46, Shipping; and Appendix
Title 47, Telegraphs, Telephones, and Radiotelegraphs
Title 48, Territories and Insular Possessions
Title 49, Transportation
Title 50, War and National Defense; and Appendix
United States Code Titles
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10. United States Code
Annotated
How to Use this Title
 General Subject Index
 Individual Title index
 Popular Name Table
 Classification Table:
http://uscode.house.gov/classificatio
n/tables.shtml
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11. United States Code
Annotated
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12. United States Code Annotated:
Updating Statute
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13. Federal Statute Research:
Resources for Laws
 Congressional Record (Cong. Rec.): Contains the
bills and debates.
 Statutes at Large (Stat.): Contains the slip laws.
 United States Code Congressional &
Administrative News (U.S.C.C.A.N.): Contains the
public laws.
 United States Code (U.S.C.): Contains the laws
broken into topics.
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14. Federal Statute Research:
Electronic Resources for Laws
 GPO Access: www.gpoaccess.com
 Thomas: http://thomas.loc.gov
 Congress.com:
http://beta.congress.gov
 House of Representatives:
http://uscode.house.gov/browse.xhtml;
jsessionid=5996109342EFFEEC003B
9D9E7D340C7C
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15. Federal Statute Research:
Legislative History
 Committee Hearings
 Debates
 Committee Reports
 Bills and/or Law
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16. Federal Statute Research:
Legislative History
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17. Federal Statute Research:
Legislative History Resources
 Congressional Record contains debates and the
senator’s and representative’s comments.
 U.S.C.C.A.N. contains major Congressional
Committee Reports, Presidential Signing
Statements and Proclamations, Executive Orders,
Reorganization Plans, President’s Messages,
Federal Regulations for the U.S. Federal
government, Proposed Constitutional
Amendments, Federal Court Rules and Sentencing
Guidelines.
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18. Federal Statute Research:
Legislative History Resources
 Committee Reports:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cp109/cp109query.html
 House of Representative Committee Hearings:
http://commdocs.house.gov/committees/
 Senate Committee Hearings:
http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/senate/senat
e11sh.html
 Hearings for Both Houses:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/chearings/index.html
 Congress.com:
http://beta.congress.gov/committees
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19. New York State Statute
Research
 Bills
◦ Senate, ex. S.00001
◦ Assembly, ex. A.00001
 Once signed by the Governor the bill
will become a law.
◦ Ch. 1 of 2006
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20. New York State Statutes
 McKinney’s Consolidated Laws of
New York (Thomson-West)
 McKinney’s Consolidated Laws of
New York – Consolidated Edition
(Thomson-West)
 Consolidated Laws of New York
(LexisNexis)
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21. New York State:
Statute Research Resources
 New York State Legislature:
http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/menuf.cgi
 New York State Assembly:
◦ Bills: http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/
◦ Laws:
http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/menugetf.cgi?COMM
ONQUERY=LAWS
 New York State Senate:
http://www.nysenate.gov/open
 New York Legislative Bill Jackets (from 1995):
http://iarchives.nysed.gov/PubImageWeb/listCo
llections.jsp?id=68007
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22. New York State
Legislative History Resources
 Bill Jacket
 New York Legislative Annual
 New York City Legislative Annual
Electronic:
 New York Legislative Bill Jackets
(from 1995 to 2011):
http://iarchives.nysed.gov/PubImageWeb/lis
tCollections.jsp?id=68007
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23. New York City Legislation
 New York City Council is the
legislative body for New York City.
 Once a bill is signed by the Mayor it
becomes a local law.
◦ Local Law 4 of 2006
 NYC Council
Website:http://legistar.council.nyc.gov/
Legislation.aspx
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24. New York City Legislation
LOCAL LAWS
OF
THE CITY OF NEW YORK
FOR THE YEAR 2006
No. 4
Introduced by Council Members Addabbo Jr., Nelson, Seabrook and Stewart (by request
of the Mayor).
A LOCAL LAW
To amend the administrative code of the city of New York in relation to members of
the fire department who formerly served as police officers.
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph 1 of subdivision a of section 15-111 of the administrative code
of the city of New York, as amended by chapter 645 of the laws of 1998, is amended to
read as follows:
(1) Any member of the uniformed force of the fire department, who immediately
prior to his or her appointment or employment as such, has served or shall have served as
a member of the police force of the police department, shall have the time served by such
member in such police department counted as service in the fire department in
determining his or her [compensation, promotion,] retirement and pension in such
department as herein or otherwise provided, upon condition that he or she shall
contribute to the appropriate fire department pension fund a sum equal to the amount
which he or she would have been required to contribute had the time served in the
police department been served in the fire department.
§2. This local law shall take effect immediately and shall apply to persons who join
the uniformed force of the fire department on or after the effective date.
THE CITY OF NEW YORK, OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK, s.s.:
I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true copy of a local law of the City of New
York, passed by the Council on April 5, 2006 and approved by the Mayor on April 10,
2006.
VICTOR L. ROBLES, City Clerk of the Council
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25. New York City Legislation
 New York City Charter
◦ http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/LAWSSEAF.c
gi?QUERYTYPE=LAWS+&QUERYDATA=@
LLNYC+&LIST=LAW+&BROWSER=BROWS
ER+&TOKEN=48844505+&TARGET=VIEWN
ew
 New York City Administrative Code
◦ http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/LAWSSEAF.c
gi?QUERYTYPE=LAWS+&QUERYDATA=@
LLADC+&LIST=LAW+&BROWSER=BROWS
ER+&TOKEN=48844505+&TARGET=VIEW
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26. The End
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