This document provides an overview of resources for researching New York state legislative history. It details that in 2010, 6,719 bills were introduced in the Senate and 9,261 in the Assembly, with 496 bills being signed by the Governor. The document then lists numerous print and electronic sources for tracking bills, finding debates, committee hearings and reports, memoranda, veto messages, and bill jackets. These include resources from the New York State Library and Legislature websites, as well as commercial databases like Westlaw and LexisNexis.

1. New York Legislative History Linda Holmes Brooklyn Law School Library

2. Federal Legislative History: House & Senate Hearings & Reports,Congressional Record, Compiled Legislative Histories.

3. New York State Legislative History has been referred to as “looking for a needle in a haystack.”

4. New York State Legislature, Albany

5. New York legislative activity in 2010: 6,719 bills introduced in the Senate 9,261 bills introduced in the Assembly 496 bills signed by the Governor A statute is the result of the combined action of the Legislature and the Governor on a bill.

6. New York Times series on the “Albany Syndrome,” October 2002. Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law (www.brennancenter.org) The New York State Legislative Process: An Evaluation and blueprint for Reform (2004) Unfinished Business: New York State Legislative Reform (2006 Update) Articles/Reports Critical of the New York State Legislative Process:

7. Laws of the State of New York (KFN 5025 .A23) 1797 to date McKinney’s Session Laws of New York (KFN 5025 .M3) 1954 to date New York Consolidated Laws Service: Session Laws (KFN 5025 .L42) 1976 to date Session Laws

8. McKinney’s Consolidated Laws of New York (KFN 5025 .A4 M15) Westlaw: Database: NY-ST-ANN Consolidated Laws of New York (KFN 5030 .A4 L33) Lexis: New York – NY Consolidated Laws Service Codes

9. Lexis: Source: NYTEXT Westlaw: Database: NY-BILLS New York State Assembly: http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/ Bills for Current Session of Legislature

11. Online: Lexis: Source: NYTRCK Westlaw: Database: NY-BILLS Print: New York Legislative Record and Index (1971-1984) KFN 5007 .N43 State of New York Legislative Digest (1985 to date) KFN 5007 .N44 New York Legislative Service State Report (1996 to date) KFN 5007 N42 Bill Tracking

12. New York State Library in Albany www.nysl.nysed.gov New York Public Library Science, Business and Industry Library in Manhattan www.nypl.org Legislative Journal: Daily record of actions taken by the Senate & Assembly, not verbatim proceedings

13. http://assembly.state.ny.us/av http://www.nysenate.gov/video Channel 159 of Time Warner Cable also broadcasts legislative proceedings Debates: Bills in the NYS Legislature can pass without debate

17. Transcripts: New York State Library – www.nysl.nysed.gov New York Legislative Service – www.nysl.org Live Hearings: New York State Assembly – http://assembly.state.ny.us New York State Senate – www.nysenate.gov/calendar Committee Hearings

18. New York State Library – www.nysl.nysed.gov New York State Legislative Documents (KFN 5005 .N496) New York State Assembly – http://assembly.state.ny.us/Reports New York State Senate – www.nysenate.gov Committee Reports

20. Sponsor’s memoranda: New York Legislative Annual (KFN 5005 .N499) Governor’s approval memoranda: New York Legislative Annual McKinney’s Session Laws Consolidated Laws of New York: Session Laws Public Papers of the Governors of the State of New York (J 87 .N717) Memoranda: On introduction or approval of a bill

21. For current legislative session: Contact Governor’s Counsel’s office 1905 & 1921 to date (Microform): New York State Library,New York State Archives, New York Public Library Science, Business & Industry Library New York Legislative Service (Fee-based service) – www.nyls.org Bill Jackets

23. The BLS Library may be able to obtain a bill jacket on interlibrary loan for you from the State Library in Albany. Please speak to a reference librarian directly if you would like for us to try and obtain one for you. Bill Jackets, cont’d.

24. New York State Archives:www.archives.nysed.gov

25. Digital Bill Jackets: 1995-2009

26. 2008 Bill Jacket

27. Letter from Commissioner ofDept. of Correctional Services

28. NY-LH-REP: Documents include executive, legislative, judicial and sponsor memoranda, 1996 to date NY-LH-VOTES:Voting records for bills passed 2005 to date NY-LH-BILLJACKET: Bill jackets from the Governor’s office, 1996 to 2006 Electronic Legislative Historyfor New York on Westlaw: NY-LH

29. New York State Law Revision Commission Reports, 1935-1977 (KFN 5014 .L33) From 1970 – 1995 the Law Revision Commission Reports were reprinted in McKinney’s Session Laws (KFN 5025 .M3) Their reports are also available on their website: www.lawrevision.state.ny.us New York State Law Revision Commission

30. New York Law Journal New York Times Syracuse Law Review: Annual Survey of New York Law (P Sy 8) Legislative Gazette www.legislativegazette.com Times Union (Albany) www.timesunion.com/capitol Commentaries on Legislation

31. Adelman, Elizabeth, New York Legal Research (1 Ref. KFN 5074 .A34 2008) Manz, William, New York Legal Research Guide (1 Ref. KFN 5074 .G53 2004) Manz, William, “If it’s Out There: Researching Legislative Intent in New York,” 77 New York State Bar Association Journal 43, March/April 2005. New York Red Book (1 Ref. JK 3430 .N5 2010) State Legislative Sourcebook: A Resource Guide to Legislative Information in the Fifty States (1 Ref. JK 2495 .S68 2011) Print Sources for Further Research

32. Legislative History of a New York State Law: A Tutorial and Guide to Library Resources. Prepared by librarians of the New York State Library. www.nysl.nysed.gov/leghist/ Legislative Intent in New York State: Materials, Cases and Annotated Bibliography. By Robert Allan Carter, 2nd ed., New York State Library, 2001. www.nysl.nysed.gov/legint.htm Electronic Sources for Further Research from the New York State Library