Research Guides

PA Legislative History

1. History

• Purdon's Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Annotated Res & US (KFP 30 1930 .A44)

• Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes Annotated Res & US (KFP 30 1930 .A44)

Find the proper title and code section of the law you are researching by using either the popular name table or the subject index. Find the date the law was passed, page number in Laws of Pennsylvania, and act number at the end of the code section. The cite should be in the following format: 1989, July 10, P.L. 291, No. 50

• 1989, July 10 = Date passed
• P.L. = Pamphlet law
• 291 = Page number in Laws of Pennsylvania
• No. 50 = Act number (Not included prior to 1965)

2. Laws of Pennsylvania (print) US (KFP 25 .A23)

Using the date and page number, locate the correct act. Note its house or senate bill number, which were included beginning in 1965.

3. History of House Bills and Resolutions (1965- ) US (KFP 15 .P46);  History of Senate Bills and Resolutions (1965- ) US (KFP 15 .P46)

The histories of the bills are arranged in bill number order. You will find citations to legislative discussion, if the bill was discussed. See "remarks" or "debate" for the date or page number where floor discussion is reported in either the House Legislative Journal or Senate Legislative Journal.

4. House Legislative Journal US (KFP 18 .P42);  Senate Legislative Journal US (KFP 18 .P42)

Locate the appropriate information by date or page number. Prior to 1965 you must use the indexes in the journals themselves for references to "remarks".

5. Pennsylvania House and Senate Bills

Pa. General Assembly Electronic Bill Room (1981/82 session- )

• http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/billroom.htm
• Lexis (PA;PATEXT) 

In the PA library, full text of all versions of a current bill may be located in the PATEXT file. Text of a law that has just been enacted is available in the PA;PAALS file. The PA;PATRCK file tracks the legislative history of a current bill. Historic bill and bill tracking files are also available from 1991.

• Westlaw (PA-BILLTXT)

The full text of various versions of a bill may be located in the PA-BILLTXT file. The PA-LEGIS file contains full text of recently enacted laws. Legislative history may be followed in the PA-BILLS file. Historic bill and bill tracking files are also available from 1988.

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