LRL Home - Legislation - Legislative History and Intent
Legislative history vs. legislative intent
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Legislative history relates to how a bill becomes law, and includes the documents and steps involved in passage. Legislative intent relates to why a bill becomes law, and who proposes ideas or reforms. The primary documents of legislative history can often illustrate legislative intent.
| Legislative history
| Legislative intent
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- Primary documents
- Bill file
- Committee reports
- Bill analyses
- Bill history
- Fiscal notes
- Committee hearings and audio tapes
- Journals
- Interim committee reports
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- Who
- bill author, sponsor in the legislature (a legislator's own words would carry the most weight as to intent)
- supporters, opposition, witnesses
- individuals, committees, or organizations that proposed ideas or reforms
- Why - events, federal involvement
- News articles, testimony, bill analyses
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