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SWALL BULLETIN
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
FROM
THE BENCH
President's
Letter
from Beth Youngdale
SWALL
AT AALL
SWALL
Members at the Twin Cities: A Round up of the 2001 AALL Annual Meeting
by Robert Hu
TRANSCRIPT
Minutes
of SWALL Business Meeting: Minnesota
by Susan Spillman
WILLS
AND ESTATES:
ARCHIVAL AND PRESERVATION
Rice
University's Seminar on Collection Preservation in Light of Hurricane
Allison
by Mark Lambert
SIDEBAR
My
AALL Experience: 2001
by Caren Luckie
Reflections
Upon Retiring From The Colorado Supreme Court Library
by Lois Calvert
Changes
in Law Libraries from 1996 to 2001:
Survey Data for Southwest Librarians
by Sue Altmeyer
STATUTORY
SUPPLEMENTS:
STATE LEGISLATURES
Bills
from 63rd Colorado Legislative Session of Interest to Law Librarians
by Molly Otto
Compiling
Legislative History in Texas
by Matthew Mantel
Arkansas
Legislative History Research Guide
by Kathryn C. Fitzhugh
EXPERT
WITNESSES:
REGIONAL REPORTS
News
From the CoALL Annual Holiday Party
by Karen Selden
COURT
FILINGS:
NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
News
from the Arkansas Supreme Court Library
News
From the University of Arkansas
News
from the University of Texas Tarlton Law Library
News
From The Colorado Supreme Court
News
from the National Indian Law Library in Boulder, Colorado
News
from the Texas State Law Library
News
from Vinson & Elkins in Houston
by Karl Gruben
News
from the AALL Government Relations Committee:
Call For Nominations For The 2002 Public Access To Government
Information Award
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STATUTORY
SUPPLEMENT:
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
ARKANSAS
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY RESEARCH GUIDE
by
Kathryn C. Fitzhugh
Reference/Special
Collections Librarian
UALR Wm. H. Bowen School of Law
UALR/Pulaski County Law Library
I. Introduction
Since 1955 Arkansas has not printed committee reports, committee
prints, floor debate, or the minutes of senate and house proceedings.
Therefore, to compile legislative history in Arkansas you must become
acquainted with the other reference resources and web sites devoted to
the Arkansas legislation. This article will give you the introduction to
the sources you will need. The first sections include sources that
explain the working of the Arkansas General Assembly and how a bill
becomes a state law. The later sections of this article discusses how to
find the sources of legislative history.
The Arkansas General Assembly has 135-member legislative body, 35
members in the Senate and 100 members in the House of Representatives.
The General Assembly convenes on the second Monday in January of
odd-numbered years. An Arkansas legislative session lasts for 60 days
unless the legislature votes to extend the session. Additionally, the
governor has the power to call a special session.
II. General Assembly Web Sites
Arkansas General Assembly:
www.arkleg.state.ar.us/
Includes links
to:
- bill tracking
- bills and
resolutions, 1997-date
- session laws (acts), 1997-date
- Arkansas Code
(unannotated)
- information about legislators, committees
- list
of staff members
- meetings
and events calendar
- committee hearing videos from the Senate Technology and Legislative
Affairs Committee
- session summaries
- Links
to the Arkansas Senate
Website: www.accessarkansas.org/senate/senate.htm
- Links to
the Arkansas House of Representatives Website: www.state.ar.us/house/
II. Arkansas Legislative Digest
The Arkansas Legislative
Digest. ( Little Rock: AR: Arkansas Legislative
Digest, Inc.) 1939-date.
- Commercial looseleaf service that publishes
daily updates during legislative sessions;
- Serves as an index to bills
by author, bill number, subject, and by act number if the bill passes,
for both general and appropriations bills;
- Provides summaries of bills
and resolutions. Provides rosters for both houses and their committees;
- Lists legislators by district and by county.
- Contains committee
calendars
- Provides a summary record of actions taken by the houses
-
Offers the Interim Digest, a weekly report on the activities of the
interim legislative committees and executive actions taken when the
legislature is not in session.
- Publishes an online version, Digest
Web http://www.ardigest.com/www/intro99.htm.
- Holdings:
UALR/Pulaski County Law Library, Little Rock, 1967-date
-
Arkansas Supreme Court Library, 1955-date
- University of Arkansas Young
Law Library, Fayetteville, late 1940's, 1963-date
III. Reference Resources
- Arkansas General
Assembly. Little Rock, AR: Public
Information Office, Arkansas House of Representatives. A directory
published in odd-numbered years.
- Arkansas
House of Representatives, A Bill Becomes a
Law, <http://www.state.ar.us/house/bill.html>
(last visited Dec. 15, 2001). The Arkansas
House of Representatives publishes this on their website.
- Arkansas
Bureau of Legislative
Research. Bill Drafting Manual, also available at www.arkleg.state.ar.us/data/BillDraftingManual.PDF
(Little Rock, AR: Bureau of Legislative Research, 2000)
- Legislative
Directory (Little Rock: Arkansas Legislative Digest).
Published every other year since 1993.
- Legislative Directory.
Little Rock, AR:
Southwestern Bell Telephone Co., 1977-date. This is published in
odd-numbered years.
- William H.
Manz,
Guide to State Legislative and
Administrative Materials (2000 ed. Littleton, CO: Fred B. Rothman
Publications). Pages 35-42 cover Arkansas.
-
Morell Eugene Mullins,A Handbook for Legislative Drafters: Arkansas
Edition (Little Rock, AR: Arkansas Legislative Digest, Inc.,
1986).
- There Oughta Be
a Law!: A Manual for New Arkansas Legislators (Little Rock, AR: Arkansas
Legislative Council and Bureau of Legislative Research) This title was
published every two years from 1982 through 1992. It was
written to acquaint newly elected legislators with the basic rules,
procedures, forms of motions, organizational structure, and traditions
of the Arkansas General Assembly. It is not indexed.
IV. Rules of Procedure
- Parliamentary Manual of the
Senate. (Little Rock, AR: Committee on
Rules, Senate, General Assembly).
- Rules of the House of Representatives
of the State of Arkansas. (Little Rock, AR: Committee on Rules, House of
Representatives, General Assembly).
V. Bills and Resolutions
Current Arkansas bills and resolutions may be acquired through the
following sources:
- Arkansas General Assembly's web site at:
www.arkleg.state.ar.us/
- Bills, amended bills, resolutions, calendars,
and committee hearing schedules are available from the Public Bill Room
at the State Capitol during sessions at a cost.
-
The Arkansas Legislative Digest offers bills and resolutions indexed by sponsor, bill
number, and subject. It is possible to order bills and resolutions
at the following
charges: Mailed or faxed locally: $.40 per page. Picked up: $.25 per
page. Faxed long distance: $1.00 per page. Subscriptions are available. Contact info: 411 S. Victory, Suite 203, Little
Rock, AR 72202; Tel.: 800-382-0859, 501-376-2843.
- Digest Web, the Arkansas Legislative Digest's
online version. The cost is $1,500 per year from November 1 through June 30 during sessions and $360 per year
when the legislature is not in session.
- Lobbyist-in-a-Box. Little
Rock: Information Network of Arkansas. An online bill tracking system
that contains the full text of current bills and session laws; it is
available by subscription only during legislative sessions for $200 per
legislative session.
- Lexis: ARK, ARTEXT
- Westlaw: AR-BILLS
Bill Tracking information is available at the following sources:
- Arkansas General Assembly's web site at www.arkleg.state.ar.us/
- House of Representatives: 501-682-7771
-
Senate: 501-682-6107
-
Digest Web,
http://www.ardigest.com/www/intro99.htm, the online version of the
Arkansas Legislative Digest.
- Lobbyist-in-a-Box. See above description
about this item.
- Lexis. Library: ARK, File: ARTEXT
- Westlaw. Database ID: AR-BILLTRK
- The Arkansas Legislative Digest, mailed daily during
sessions, includes a summary of each bill, reports on all action taken, committee schedules, roll call votes.
Retrospective Arkansas bills and resolutions may be acquired through
the following sources:
- Arkansas General Assembly's web site at:
www.arkleg.state.ar.us/, which contains bills dating from 1991 to
present.
- Arkansas General Assembly. House Bills, Senate Bills and
Resolutions. Little Rock: Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Research.
Microfilm. 57th Session, 1949-date.
- Holdings in central Arkansas
include:
- UALR/Pulaski County Law Library,
- Little Rock Arkansas
Supreme Court Library
VI. Session Laws
Session laws with no specified effective date or emergency clause
become effective 90 days after the legislative session ends. The day of
adjournment is not counted, so acts become effective on the 91st day
unless they have a specified effective date or an emergency clause.
Online sources include:
- Arkansas General Assembly's web site at
www.arkleg.state.ar.us/
contains: 1991-date
- Lexis:
1989-date
- Westlaw:
1989-date
- Loislaw.com:
1993-date
- Digest
Web: http://www.ardigest.com/www/intro99.htm,
the online version of Arkansas Legislative Digest
- Lobbyist-in-a-Box.
See section V above for a description of this item.
Print Sources include:
- Slip laws are available from the Secretary
of State's office, State Capitol, Room 026, Capitol Mall, Little Rock,
phone 501-682-5070, at $.25 per copy.
- Arkansas
Legislative Digest.
1939-date. Current session laws are available by subscription at $575
per session.
- Advance Legislative
Service. Acts. (Charlottesville, VA: Lexis Law Publishing).
Published during and
immediately after a legislative session. It contains no annotations.
- Acts of
Arkansas. (Little Rock, AR: Secretary of State). This is
published since 1837 biennially, except
for special sessions. It contains the General Acts of Arkansas in volume 1
and the appropriation acts in volume 2. Each volume usually contains
several parts, called "Books." A subject index is available in
both volumes.
- Arkansas General
Assembly, Acts. (Hein)
Territorial session laws, 1818-1936 (Territories of Missouri and
Arkansas); state session laws, 1836-date. This is available on
microfiche at the UALR/Pulaski County Law Library.
VII. Summaries of Session Laws
- Arkansas. Bureau of Legislative Research. Summary of Action on
General Legislation by the ... General Assembly of the State of
Arkansas. Biennial. 1987-date.
- Arkansas Bureau of Legislative
Research, Summary of Action on Fiscal Legislation by the ... General
Assembly of the State of Arkansas. Biennial. 1987-date.
- Arkansas
General Assembly. Session Summaries. www.arkleg.state.ar.us/
VIII. Hearings
The Technology and Legislative Affairs Committee of the Senate
publishes videos of their committee meetings beginning with March 1,
2001. The videos are available as computer files that may by watched
with a Real Player program. The videos are located at the legislature's
website: www.arkleg.state.ar.us/2001/scripts/ablr/real/realarchives.asp
No other hearings are published and no official transcripts are made.
Notes taken by staff members are not available to the general public.
IX. Committee Reports
No written reports. Reports on legislation are limited to the
following recommendations which are recorded in the Journal of each
house: pass, pass as amended, concur in, or not pass.
X. Debates
Floor debates are not officially recorded.
XI. Journals and Proceedings, 1st Session, 1836 - 60th Session, 1955
- Arkansas. General Assembly.
Journals of the ... Session of the
General Assembly of the State of Arkansas. (Little Rock, AR: Woodruff &
Pew, Printers to the State). 1836-1840.
- Not indexed.
- Consists of Senate
and House Journals issued together in separately paged sections.
-
Contains the transcribed proceedings of both houses.
- Held by:
- UALR/Pulaski
County Law Library, Little Rock 1837 [1836], 1838, 1840
- University of
Arkansas Young Law Library, Fayetteville 1836, 1838, 1840
- Arkansas.
General Assembly. Senate, Journals of the Senate for the ... Session of
the General Assembly of the State of Arkansas
- published from the 4th
Session, 1842/43 - 1955
- containing the transcribed proceedings of the
Senate
- Not
indexed
- Holdings:
- UALR/Pulaski County Law Library, Little
Rock 5th Session, 1844/45 - 53nd Session, 1939.
- University of Arkansas
Young Law Library, Fayetteville 4th Session, 1842/43 - 60th Session,
1955.
- Secretary of State, Elections Office 4th Session, 1842/43 -
1940/41.
- Arkansas General Assembly. House of Representatives.
Journals
of the House for the ... Session of the General Assembly of the State of
Arkansas. (Little Rock: AR: Eli Colby), 4th Session (1842/43)
- 60th Session (1955)
- containing the transcribed proceedings of the House.
- Not indexed.
-
Holdings:
- UALR/Pulaski County Law Library, Little Rock 5th Session,
1844/45 - 56th Session, 1947
- University of Arkansas Young Law Library,
Fayetteville 4th Session, 1842/43 - 60th Session,1955
Journal of the Convention of Delegates of the People of Arkansas
Assembled at the Capitol, January 4, 1864
-
Journals of the House
of Representatives on the Sessions of 1864, 1864-65, and 1865. (Little
Rock, AR: Price & Barton, 1870).
- Holdings:
- UALR/Pulaski County Law
Library, Little Rock
- University of Arkansas Young Law Library,
Fayetteville
XII. House and Senate Journals: Unpublished
The Secretary of State's Elections Office houses deposit copies of
House and Senate Journals in oversize red binders. The early volumes
consist of handwritten, transcribed proceedings. Later volumes consist
of summaries of actions taken with no minutes or transcribed
proceedings, lists of bills considered with results of either do pass,
do not pass, concur in, as amended. The binders contain a record of
votes on bills, giving the number of votes in four categories in later
years, for example, listing the number of votes under affirmative,
negative, absent or not voting, and voting present.
The journals include the text of amendments to bills, brief summary
results of committee action, the texts of inaugural addresses of the
governors, and selected speeches. Indexed by bill number.
- Holdings for
Senate: 1840-date.
- Holdings for House: 1842-date.
- The journals are
available for viewing at the Secretary of State's Elections Office; they
will copy for $0.25 per page.
- Contact info: The Elections Office, Room
026, State Capitol, Little Rock, Arkansas.
XIV. Newspapers
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette occasionally reports
excerpts of floor debates.
XVI. Directory of Publishers, Libraries, and State Offices
-
Arkansas Legislative Digest, Inc.
411 South Victory Street, Suite 203
Little Rock, AR 72202
800-382-0859
501-376-2843
Email: ardigest@swbell.net
www.ardigest.com/www/intro99.htm
-
Arkansas Supreme Court Library
Justice Building
625 Marshall Street
Little Rock, AR 72201
501-682-2147
courts.state.ar.us/
-
Central Arkansas Library System (Public Library)
100 Rock Street
Little Rock, AR 72201
501-918-6000
vera.cals.lib.ar.us/
-
Information Network of Arkansas
425 West Capitol Avenue, Suite 3565
Little Rock, AR 72201
877-727-3468
501-324-8900
Email: info@ark.org
www.accessarkansas.org/lobbyist
-
Lexis Law Publishing (formerly Michie Company)
701 E. Water Street
Charlottesville, VA 22906
800-542-0957
www.lexislawpublishing.com
-
LexisNexis
9443 Springboro Pike
Miamisburg, OH 45342
800-544-7390
212-309-8189
800-543-6862
www.lexis.com
-
Loislaw.com
105 North 28th Street
Van Buren, AR 72956
800-364-2512
www.loislaw.com
-
William S. Hein & Co.
10368 Centennial Road Littleton, CO 80127
800-457-1986
www.wshein.com
-
State Offices, State
Capitol
Capitol Mall,
Little Rock AR 72201
-
Bureau of Legislative Research
Room 315
501-682-1937
- Public Bill Room,
Third Floor
375-7771 Ext. 262
-
Secretary of State
Elections Office, Room 026
501-682-5070
Executive
Office: 501-682-1010
www.sosweb.state.ar.us
-
UALR/Pulaski County Law Library
UALR Bowen School of Law
1203 McMath Avenue
Little Rock, AR 72202-5142
501-324-9444
www.ualr.edu/~lawlib/index.htm
-
University of Arkansas
Young Law Library
Robert A. Leflar Law Center
Waterman Hall
Fayetteville, AR 72701
501-575-5604
law-gopher.uark.edu/new/library.html
-
West Group
610 Opperman Road
Eagan, MN 55164-0526
800-255-2549
Law Librarian hotline: 800-401-9378
www.westgroup.com
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