1. Arkansas Legislative History SWALL Annual Meeting 2006 Kathryn C. Fitzhugh University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Library Little Rock, Arkansas 501-324-9974 (KCF’s line) 501-324-9970 (Reference Desk) kcfitzhugh@ualr.edu Copyright 2006, Kathryn C. Fitzhugh. All rights reserved.

2. Arkansas General Assembly www.arkleg.state.ar.us www.arkleg.state.ar.us Senate: www.arkansas.gov/senate/ Senate: www.arkansas.gov/senate/www.arkansas.gov/senate/ House: www.state.ar.us/house/ House: www.state.ar.us/house/www.state.ar.us/house/ Meets in odd-numbered years for 60 days; can vote to extend a session. Meets in odd-numbered years for 60 days; can vote to extend a session. Special sessions. Special sessions. There Oughta Be a Law! A Manual, Ref KFA 4021.A244 1992, describes the legislative process. There Oughta Be a Law! A Manual, Ref KFA 4021.A244 1992, describes the legislative process.

3. Arkansas General Assembly www.arkleg.state.ar.us www.arkleg.state.ar.us 85th General Assembly 85th General Assembly Arkansas Senate | House of Representatives | Senate/House Calendars| State of Arkansas Website Arkansas Senate | House of Representatives | Senate/House Calendars| State of Arkansas Website Arkansas Senate House of Representatives Senate/House Calendars State of Arkansas Website Arkansas Senate House of Representatives Senate/House Calendars State of Arkansas Website Frame Version / Frame Version / Frame Version Frame Version Legislators and Committees Legislators and Committees Legislators and Committees Legislators and Committees Acts Acts Acts Bills and Resolutions Bills and Resolutions Bills and Resolutions Bills and Resolutions Previous Legislative Sessions Previous Legislative Sessions Previous Legislative Sessions Previous Legislative Sessions Arkansas Code Arkansas Code Arkansas Code Arkansas Code Research Resources Research Resources Research Resources Research Resources Meetings and Events Meetings and Events Meetings and Events Meetings and Events Staff Organizations Staff Organizations Staff Organizations Staff Organizations Batch Bill Status Batch Bill Status Batch Bill Status Batch Bill Status Education Issues Education Issues Education Issues Education Issues Agency Budget Information Agency Budget Information Agency Budget Information Agency Budget Information -Bills Referred to Committees- -Bills Referred to Committees- -Bills Referred to Committees- -Bills Referred to Committees- View Act (Ex: 2) View Act (Ex: 2) View Bill (Ex: HB1002) View Bill (Ex: HB1002) Today's Meetings Today's Meetings * - Denotes a Non-Legislative Meeting * - Denotes a Non-Legislative Meeting There are no scheduled meetings for this date There are no scheduled meetings for this date Site Map | Privacy Policy | Contact Us This site is maintained by the Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Research, Information Systems Dept., and is the official website of the Arkansas General Assembly Site Map | Privacy Policy | Contact Us This site is maintained by the Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Research, Information Systems Dept., and is the official website of the Arkansas General Assembly Site MapPrivacy PolicyContact Us Site MapPrivacy PolicyContact Us

4. Bills and Resolutions Current bills under “Bills and Resolutions” on General Assembly’s website. Current bills under “Bills and Resolutions” on General Assembly’s website. Older bills and resolutions under “Previous Legislative Sessions/Historical Acts and Bills;” 1987-date. Older bills and resolutions under “Previous Legislative Sessions/Historical Acts and Bills;” 1987-date. Arkansas Legislative Digest. Summarizes and indexes the bills and resolutions. Arkansas Legislative Digest. Summarizes and indexes the bills and resolutions. Lexis: AR Bill Tracking and Full Text Bills. Current data Lexis: AR Bill Tracking and Full Text Bills. Current data Westlaw: AR-BILLS. Current data. Westlaw: AR-BILLS. Current data.

5. Bill Tracking General Assembly’s web site: Path: Bills and Resolutions/Bill Status. General Assembly’s web site: Path: Bills and Resolutions/Bill Status. Lexis: AR Bill Tracking. Current data. Lexis: AR Bill Tracking. Current data. Westlaw: AR-BLLTRK. Current data. Westlaw: AR-BLLTRK. Current data. Arkansas Legislative Digest & DigestWeb. Arkansas Legislative Digest & DigestWeb. Arkansas House of Reps.: 501-682-7771. Arkansas House of Reps.: 501-682-7771. Arkansas Senate: 501-682-6107. Arkansas Senate: 501-682-6107.

6. Session Laws Effective dates: An act becomes effective on the 91 st day after the final adjournment of the session in which the act was passed if the act has no emergency clause. Effective dates: An act becomes effective on the 91 st day after the final adjournment of the session in which the act was passed if the act has no emergency clause. Arkansas Attorney General’s opinion each year gives the exact effective date. See www.arkansas.gov/ag/opinions/, 1991-date; print and microform copies for earlier dates. Arkansas Attorney General’s opinion each year gives the exact effective date. See www.arkansas.gov/ag/opinions/, 1991-date; print and microform copies for earlier dates. www.arkansas.gov/ag/opinions/ Older acts: preface of Arkansas Statutes Annotated (superseded code) gives effective dates for 1838-1979. Our present code: Arkansas Code Annotated. Older acts: preface of Arkansas Statutes Annotated (superseded code) gives effective dates for 1838-1979. Our present code: Arkansas Code Annotated.

7. Session Laws Under “Acts” on General Assembly’s web site. Under “Acts” on General Assembly’s web site. Older session laws, 1987-date, under “Previous Legislative Sessions.” Older session laws, 1987-date, under “Previous Legislative Sessions.” Acts of Arkansas. 1837-date. Biennial except for special sessions. 1 east & Sp. Coll. KFA 3625.A22 Acts of Arkansas. 1837-date. Biennial except for special sessions. 1 east & Sp. Coll. KFA 3625.A22 Territorial acts on microfiche. Territorial acts on microfiche. Westlaw: Current: AR-LEGIS. Archive: AR- LEGIS-OLD, 1991-date. Westlaw: Current: AR-LEGIS. Archive: AR- LEGIS-OLD, 1991-date. Lexis: Current: Arkansas Advance Legislative Service. Lexis: Current: Arkansas Advance Legislative Service.

8. Older Session Laws on www.arkleg.state.ar.us www.arkleg.state.ar.us Previous Legislative Sessions Previous Legislative Sessions Historical Acts and Bills (from now, back to 1987) Historical Acts and Bills (from now, back to 1987) Search Historical Acts and Bills Search Historical Acts and BillsSearch Historical Acts and BillsSearch Historical Acts and Bills 2005 Regular Session (85th General Assembly) 2005 Regular Session Acts 2005 Regular Session Bills and Resolutions 2005 Arkansas Code Sections Amended 2005 Regular Session Fiscal Summary 2005 Regular Session General Summary 2005 Regular Session House Journal 2005 Regular Session Acts 2005 Regular Session Bills and Resolutions 2005 Arkansas Code Sections Amended 2005 Regular Session Fiscal Summary 2005 Regular Session General Summary 2005 Regular Session House Journal2005 Regular Session Acts2005 Regular Session Bills and Resolutions2005 Arkansas Code Sections Amended2005 Regular Session Fiscal Summary2005 Regular Session General Summary2005 Regular Session House Journal2005 Regular Session Acts2005 Regular Session Bills and Resolutions2005 Arkansas Code Sections Amended2005 Regular Session Fiscal Summary2005 Regular Session General Summary2005 Regular Session House Journal

9. House and Senate Journals House Journals. 2003-date. House Journals. 2003-date. Senate Journals. 2003-date. Senate Journals. 2003-date. Both on General Assembly’s web site under “Previous Legislative Sessions.” Both contain minutes of proceedings – summaries of bills, voting records, selected speeches. Both on General Assembly’s web site under “Previous Legislative Sessions.” Both contain minutes of proceedings – summaries of bills, voting records, selected speeches.

10. Code Conversion Tables and Historical Notes Arkansas Code Annotated (Ark. Code Ann.) = Official Code. Arkansas’ current code (since 1987). Publisher: Lexis Law Pub. Tables Volumes A & B. Arkansas Code Annotated (Ark. Code Ann.) = Official Code. Arkansas’ current code (since 1987). Publisher: Lexis Law Pub. Tables Volumes A & B. Have act no. > tables give you current code section or status (repealed, obsolete, superseded, etc.) Follow up with citator. Have act no. > tables give you current code section or status (repealed, obsolete, superseded, etc.) Follow up with citator. Historical Notes: Give original and amending act numbers and dates. Historical Notes: Give original and amending act numbers and dates. Historical Notes: Give pre-1987 code section numbers. The Code Revision Commission changed Ark. Code numbers in 1987. Not all pre-1987 code sections have changed so the old code numbers must be used in research. Search unamended acts under old (pre-1987) code numbers and new code numbers. Historical Notes: Give pre-1987 code section numbers. The Code Revision Commission changed Ark. Code numbers in 1987. Not all pre-1987 code sections have changed so the old code numbers must be used in research. Search unamended acts under old (pre-1987) code numbers and new code numbers.

11. Research Reports: 1966-1988 Indexed by the Arkansas Legal Index at http://themis.law.ualr.edu:81 Indexed by the Arkansas Legal Index at http://themis.law.ualr.edu:81 http://themis.law.ualr.edu:81 Staff Report – Arkansas Legislative Council. KFA 3620.S72 Staff Report – Arkansas Legislative Council. KFA 3620.S72 Research Report. KFA 3620.R43 Research Report. KFA 3620.R43 Informational Memos. KFA 3620.A77 Informational Memos. KFA 3620.A77 Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Research may have more: 501-682-1937. Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Research may have more: 501-682-1937.

12. What Arkansas Does Not Have Floor Debate. Try local newspapers for excerpts: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; Arkansas Democrat and Arkansas Gazette in print and on Lexis (from 1984) and Westlaw’s ARKGAZABS database with no date coverage specified. Floor Debate. Try local newspapers for excerpts: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; Arkansas Democrat and Arkansas Gazette in print and on Lexis (from 1984) and Westlaw’s ARKGAZABS database with no date coverage specified. Publication or recording of committee reports. Publication or recording of committee reports. Publication or recording of hearings. Publication or recording of hearings.

13. Articles Mullane, Statutory Interpretation in Arkansas: How Arkansas Courts Interpret Statutes. A Rational Approach. 2005 Ark. Law Notes 73. Essential reading. Mullane, Statutory Interpretation in Arkansas: How Arkansas Courts Interpret Statutes. A Rational Approach. 2005 Ark. Law Notes 73. Essential reading. http://law.uark.edu/library/publications/lawnotes 2005/mullane73.pdf http://law.uark.edu/library/publications/lawnotes 2005/mullane73.pdf  Mullane, Statutory Interpretation in Arkansas: How Should a Statute Be Read? When Is It Subject to Interpretation? What Our Courts Say and What They Do. 2004 Ark. Law Notes 85. http://law.uark.edu/library/publications/lawnotes 2004/mullane.pdf http://law.uark.edu/library/publications/lawnotes 2004/mullane.pdf

14. FIN Questions: Call the reference desk, 501- 324-9970. Questions: Call the reference desk, 501- 324-9970. Kathryn’s direct line: 501-324-9974. Kathryn’s direct line: 501-324-9974. Happy researching! Happy researching!