[PW] Indiana Code/Public Law

[Sue Kamm]

I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV.  However, in a previous incaration I was a law librarian.  

A public law is the measure enacted by the legislature, be it Congress or state.  New laws are collected in a publication which may be called Statutes at Large.  (I've checked the Indiana General Assembly [legislature] web site (http://www.in.gov/legislative/) but can find nothing indicating they have such a publication.  

When a bill is introduced, the author (or legislative staff) indicates which code sections would be affected by the action.  Here's a link to an enrolled act:  http://tinyurl.com/32vtz9. On this page there's a link to the Indiana Code sections affected (apparently none for the bill).  

I don't know who is responsible for publishing the official Indiana codes, but whoever it is will take the bill's language as signed by the governor and publish the appropriate code sections.  

In California (I don't know if this is true for Indiana), the annotated code includes notes on how the measure was enacted, giving the statute citation.  

You don't say where you're located.  If you're close to a law library, particularly the one for a school of law, they may have the Indiana codes available.

Fred Shapiro will doubtless have more to say on this <g>

-----Original Message-----
>From: "Kump, Cindy" <ckump at sf.edu>
>Sent: May 7, 2007 6:22 AM
>To: list at project-wombat.org
>Subject: [PW] Indiana Code/Public Law
>
>I have a patron who needs help finding some legal information but I
>don't have much experience with this kind of research.  Are there any
>W0mbats who can point me in the right direction for information on
>Indiana laws?  I have included the original query below.
>
> 
>
>I can find Indiana Code information easily enough but I have not yet
>been able to figure out how to find public law information, so at this
>point, I'm not doing much better than the patron. 
>
> 
>
>Thanks for any help you can give.
>
> 
>
>Cindy 
>
> 
>
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>
> 
>
>I am a grad student in the PA program and was hoping you could help me
>figure out how to track down some information for my project.  Part of
>my project is tracing the history of Indiana PAs, and I am trying to
>find past practice laws.  I was told that the best way to do that is to
>follow the trail of public law amendments that are stated at the bottom
>of statements in the Indiana code.  For example:
>
> 
>For section 25-27.5-1: at the end it says
>As added by P.L.227-1993, SEC.11. Amended by P.L.288-2001, SEC.6. 
>
> 
>
>So I wonder if I can track down information about PL 227-1993, etc.,I
>can learn what the original wording of the law was.  However, I cannot
>seem to figure out how to search public law, only "Indiana code."  As
>law is definitely not my strong suit, I am getting pretty confused about
>how to go about this.  If you can help me with this, or help point me
>towards somebody who understands legal jargon, I would really appreciate
>it!
>
> 
>
>
> 
>
>_______________________________________________
>Project Wombat
>list at project-wombat.org
>http://www.project-wombat.org/


Your friendly CyberGoddess and newly re-elected Councilor-at-large,
Sue Kamm
Inglewood/Los Angeles, CA
Truest of the Blue, Los Angeles Dodgers Think Blue Week 2000
Visit my blog:  http://suekamm.blogspot.com
email:  suekamm [at] mindspring.com
Thanks to all who voted for me!
When you absolutely, positively HAVE to know, ASK A LIBRARIAN!