MICHIGAN LEGISLATIVE
HISTORIES
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Legislative Histories
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Background Information |
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Bill Texts
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Committee Hearings
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Committee Reports |
State Agency Reports
Floor Calendars |
Floor Debates |
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Laws
Last updated on February 5,
2007
Documents printed in conjunction with the enactment of a law are
used to clarify the intent of the law, to interpret political
factors influencing its passage, and to provide background
information for citizen input on current legislation.
Fewer printed documents are available for Michigan legislation than
for legislation of the United States Congress. Among the reasons
are the small size of state legislative staffs, limited state
financial resources, and a narrow readership.
Michigan Legislative Histories is designed for users of the Harlan
Hatcher Graduate Library and is not intended as a definitive work
for legal research. It lists resources readily available on The
University of Michigan campus and from the State Capitol in
Lansing.
For a description of the Michigan legislative process, see
How
a Bill Becomes a Law, issued by the State Legislature.
Sources of
Michigan Legislative History provides similar
information to this guide from the perspective of the Library of
Michigan's Law Library.
- Gongwer News Service
- Behind-the-scenes political report on the Michigan Legislature and
legislation
- Quotations by legislators and lobbyists made on the floor, in
committee, and in news conferences
- Coverage begins with September 1993
- Searchable by date or keyword
- Single-site password available in Documents Center; ask staff for
sign-on
- Contact the Legislator who
introduced the bill within three
years of its introduction for background information and
copies of related publications
- Contact the House Fiscal Agency
(517-373-8080) or
Senate Fiscal Agency (517-373-2768) for the existence of a
current
bill on a given subject and any printed documents it may
have
- Journals and Newsletters
- Statewide professional organizations and state agencies may carry information in their journals
- A few indexed in Michigan Magazine Index, 1965-88 (Doc.
Cen.. Z 1297.M592)
- Only microfiche for 1979-87, also located in the Documents Center
- Most journals are not indexed and therefore must be
skimmed
Web Sources
- Citizens Research
Council of Michigan
- Analyzes state and local government finances and organization (e.g.
tax assessments, funding a new Detroit stadium)
- Research reports on policy proposals as well as selected testimony
before the state legislature
- Web site indexes publications since 1916 and provides the text of
some publications
- Institute of
Public Policy and Social Research
(MSU)
- Search publications by keyword for an analysis of current Michigan
public opinion polls on policy issues
- House Legislative Analyses
- Summaries of all House bills and Senate bills referred to the House
- Analyzes problem the bill addresses, impact, pros and cons
- Full-text copies are available under bill number in the Michigan
Legislature web site beginning 1997
- Paper copies of older analyses filed by bill number at the U Mich Law
Library
- Legislative
Analyses (Mich. Dept. of Labor and Economic Growth)
- Full text of selective analyses within the department's purview, 1996+
- Includes insurance, real estate, accounting, partial-birth abortions
- Michigan in Brief
- Analyzes 65 issues likely to come before the State Legislature
- Examples include AIDS, assisted suicide, casinos, civil rights,
crime, firearms, Headlee Amendment, roads, taxes and welfare reform
- Provides background with statistics, pro and con arguments, and web
or address sources for additional information
- Appendices address a variety of non-legislative issues (foundations,
volunteerism, basic statistics and state symbols)
- Economic, political and cultural history of Michigan since the 17th
Century
- Concise but meaty descriptions of state and local government
- Sponsored by the Michigan Nonprofit Association, Council of Michigan
Foundations, and Public Sector Consultants
- Latest edition is 2002/2003 in Doc. Cen. JK 5801 .M541
- Michigan
Municipal League Legislative Issues
- Summary of proposed state legislation affecting local
governments
- Federal/state relations, environment, and public works
- Includes links to bills and Michigan Municipal League
position
- Municipal lobbying primer
- Senate
Fiscal Agency Reports
- List of special and recurring reports on economic issues of
legislative concern (e.g. prisons, local government debt, charter
schools) beginning 1994
- Full text available beginning June 1996
- Selected analyses of bills before the State Legislature beginning
1997
- Stateline (PEW Research
Center)
- Summary of news articles about state legislative issues for all 50 states
- States can be compared and ranked on population, economic, crime,
budget, and environmental factors
- State
Capital Universe (UMich Only)
- Various policy briefs from the National Conference of State
Legislatures for past ten years
- State Net Capitol Journal for Michigan since 1998 and State Capitols
Report covering all states since 1994
- Newspaper Indexes
- Detroit Free Press
- Full text of current issue only
- Full text since 1982 also available through Newsbank
(UMich
Only)
- Full text on microfilm (FILM X442)in the Graduate Library since 1832
- Detroit News
- Current issue only with indexing back to 1995
- See Newsbank
(UMich Only) for articles since 1999
- Full text on microfilm on (FILM X881) in the Graduate Library since 1873 with a printed index since 1987 in the Reference Room (AI 21 .D48)
- Ann Arbor News
- Top news for past week on the web
- Articles since July 1, 2004 available from Newsbank
(UMich
Only)
- Index on microfiche, Sept. 1976-April 1984
- MICRO-F X236 in Serials/Microform Room
- Retrospective
- House Journals
- Graduate Library Stacks as J
87.M5c; Law Library in MICH.COLL.
- Bound within two years after close of session
- Indexes House and Senate bills by subject and House
bills by sponsor
- Gives status of House and Senate bills in the House
- Senate Journals
- Graduate Library Stacks as J
87.M5b; Law Library in MICH.COLL.
- Bound within two years after close of session
- Indexes House and Senate bills by subject and Senate
bills by sponsor
- Gives status of House and Senate bills in the
Senate
- Status Table, 1975 to 2002
- Doc. Cen. KFM 4512.
A32 - Ref. and in Law Libray MICH.COLL. (1964-)
- Indexes House and Senate bills by subject category
and sponsor
- Gives status of bills in both houses
- Current
- Michigan Legislative Information, 1997+
- Find Bill: locate bills by bill number, subject category, or sponsor
- Links to bill text, status, and Journals (Adobe Acrobat format)
- The telephone number for current bill status is (517)
373-0630
- State
Capital Universe (UMich Only)
- Full text of bills since 1991 and bill status since 1990
- Law Library has copies, 1931- in MICH.COLL.
- Michigan Legislative Information, 1997+
- Find Bill: locate bills by bill number, subject category, or sponsor
- Links to bill text, status, and Journals (Adobe Acrobat
format)
- State
Capital Universe (UMich Only)
- Full text of bills since 1991 and bill status since 1990
- File folders containing correspondence and
related documents which request the Legislative Service
Bureau to draft a particular bill
- File arranged by bill request number, a number which appears
in the lower corner of the printed text of the bill
- Subject index is maintained on cards
- Last one to four years at the Legislative
Service Bureau
(517-373-0170)
- Available for public use at the Legislative Service Bureau
after the bill has been introduced.
- House and Senate meeting schedules for the upcoming weeks
- Includes subject or bill and meeting room
- Testimony before a House or Senate committee
on the impact of a bill
- Beginning 2007, the most committees have
selected testimony available on their web sites
- Most hearings NOT published
- Published Hearings
- Connect to MIRLYN-Web
for hearings within the University of
Michigan Library system
- Consult Michigan Documents, 1967-
- Doc. Cen. Z 1223.5. M5 M62 with some issues only available on
microfiche
- Use to identify hearings available at the Library of Michigan
- Library of
Michigan Online Catalog
- Most comprehensive index of state government publications
- Unpublished Hearings
- House
- Most committees keep tapes (speakers unidentified)
and some keep transcripts for the past ten years
before sending them to the State Archives
- Accessible to public for on-site use
- Contact committee chairperson via Clerk of the House
(517-373-0135) for current material
- Contact the State Archives (517-373-1408) for
transcripts and tapes, 1965-90. State
Archives Reference Services
- Senate
- Existence of tapes or transcripts depends entirely
on the committee
- Accessible to public for on-site use
- Contact committee chairperson via the Secretary of
the Senate (517-373-2400) in order to
use
- Some materials, 1979-90, in the State Archives
(517-373-1408).State
Archives Reference Services
- Discusses apparent problem and how the bill
addresses it, pros and cons, organizations which support or
oppose it
- There may be several analyses of one bill, but not every
bill is analyzed
- Prepared by the House Legislative
Analysis Section and Senate Fiscal Agency
- Web Versions
- House Legislative Analyses
- Full-text copies are available under bill number in the Michigan
Legislature web site beginning 1995
- Senate
Fiscal Agency Reports
- Analyses of bills before the current legislative session
- For the text of all bill analyses since 1995, search for the
bill number on the
Michigan
Legislature web site
- Legislative
Analyses (Mich. Dept. of Labor and Economic Growth)
- Full text of selective analyses within the department's purview, 1996+
- Includes insurance, real estate, accounting, partial-birth abortions
- Printed Versions
- Law Library has 1973- in MICH.COLL.
- State Archives (517-373-1408) has 1954-70.
State
Archives Reference Services
- Library of Michigan (517-373-1300) has 1969+ and
State Law Library (517-373-0630) may have additional
analyses not available at the Law Library. These analyses
may be used at the above libraries.
- The Senate Fiscal Agency (517-373-5383) or House
Fiscal Agency (517-373-8080) can also be contacted for current
analyses
- Committee's recommendation on the passage of a
bill with a record of its members' voting. Very brief.
- Available to the public; may be photocopied
- Official copy kept in the office of the committee
chairperson
- After the close of the session, the official copy is filed
with either
- Clerk of the House (contact House Committee Office,
517-373-0015)
- Secretary of the Senate (517-373-2400)
- The official copies are
available through 1990 at the State Archives
(517-373-1408). State
Archives Reference Services
- Occasionally agencies in the Executive Branch
issue reports related to bills
- Connect to MIRLYN
for reports within the University of
Michigan Library system
- Consult Michigan Documents, 1967-
- Doc. Cen. Z 1223.5. M5 M62 for hearings available at the Library of Michigan
- Library of
Michigan On-Line Catalog
- Most authoritative listing of Michigan government publications
- Indexed by author, title, subject, and keyword
- Floor Calendars, 1997+
- Recent floor calendars are available through Michigan Legislative Information
- Searchable session schedules since 1997 also available
- Discussion on the floor of the House or Senate
regarding the passage of a bill
- Only available on tape recording
- Speakers ar unidentified on tape recording
- Most discussion occurs in committee rather than on the
floor
- House
- Transcripts for 1968-90 at the State Archives (517-373-1408).
State
Archives Reference Services. Contact
the Clerk of the House,
517-373-0015, for permission to use the 1988+ transcripts.
- Senate
- Contact the Senate
Majority Leader through the Clerk of the Senate
(517-373-2400) for permission to use the current session's
transcripts
- A record of action taken on legislative
matters
- The House and Senate Journals do NOT
include
debates but may include a Legislator's explanation of a "no" vote
- Michigan Legislative Information, 1997+
- House Journals and Senate Journals available in
Adobe Acrobat format
- Searchable by date with additional links from the bill status section of the web site
- Includes proceedings, roll call votes, and occasionally the text of a bill but not the debates
- Bound edition
- Published about two years after close of
session
- Indexes bills by subject and sponsor
- Provides status table
- House Journal in Graduate Library Stacks as J 87.M5c and also in
Law Library MICH. COLL.
- Senate Journal in Graduate Library Stacks as J 87 .M5b and also in Law
Library MICH. COLL.
- Current Daily Edition
- House Journal in Doc. Cen. J 87 .M5c and also in Law Library MICH. COLL.
- Senate Journal in Doc. Cen. J 87 .M5b and also in Law Library MICH. COLL
- Current Journals have no indexes
- Use Status Tables as an index (Doc. Cen. KFM
4215.A32 - Ref. ; Law Library in MICH.COLL.
- Michigan Votes
- Search for votes on legislation since 2003 by state Senator or
Representative and subject
- Search results include the legislator's position, the final
disposition of the bill, and links to votes by all legislators for that
bill
- Also includes and index to bills since 2003
New Laws
- Definition: Current Enrolled Bills
- Text of bill as passed by both houses of
the Legislature and sent to the Governor for a
signature)
- Only official copy of law until the session laws are
bound
- Enrolled Bills, 1997+
- Text is available through the Michigan Legislature web site
- Search by sponsor, bill number, subject or category
- Links to the enrolled text are found under the bill status
- There is a separate listing of current enrolled bills
- Paper copy in the Law Library's Government
Documents Office
- West's Michigan Legislative Service
- Has texts of new Michigan laws
- Cumulative index throughout year
- Documents Center KFM
4225 .W51 - Ref. and Law Library
Session Laws
- Definition: Session Laws
- The text of laws as passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor
- They are usually compiled at the end of the year
- Public and Local Acts
- Annual compilation of the texts of laws,
published two years after the close of the session
- Subject index in each volume
- Updated by Enrolled Bills
- Doc. Cen. K .M62 A2 - Ref.; Law
Library in MICH.COLL.)
- Available from the Michigan
Legislature beginning 1997
Codifications
- Definition: Classified subject arrangement
of existing law in force
- Michigan
Compiled Laws
- Official edition of codified laws
- Searchable by full text, statute, popular name, and MCL number
- The lastest printed edition (1979) is in the Doc. Cen. KFM 4230.
1979 A24 and Law Library
- Michigan Legislature
web site has list of MCL numbers modified by public act beginning 1997
- Updated by Michigan Public and Local Arts and West's
Michigan Legislature Service
- Michigan Compiled Laws Annotated
- Laws in force annotated with court decisions
- Similar to Michigan Statutes Annotated
- At Law Library
- Michigan Statutes Annotated
- Laws in force annotated with court interpretations
- Bound volumes at Law Library are frequently revised
- Kept up-to-date by annual pocket supplements
- Current year updates, in a looseleaf binder, include
the texts of recently passed laws
- Also available on Academic Universe (UMich Only)
- Academic
Universe/LEXIS (UMich Only)
- State codes (laws-in-force) appear under Legal
Research
- Source is Michigan Statutes Annotated
- Choose state and then state code
- Sample Search
Legal Research/State Codes/Michigan/Code
medicaid w/5 fraud
- State Capital
Universe (UMich Only)
- Index and full text of Michigan Statutes
Annotated
- Annotations include links to relevant court decisions
- Also has Martindale-Hubbell Law Digest, which
provides easy indexing to laws across all states
Individual Laws
- Assessing the New
Federalism
- State data base includes statistics and law tracking for the 50
states and D.C.
- Fiscal, economic, demographic data
- Information about income security, health, employment, housing, and
child welfare programs
- EXAMPLE: State Data Base - Use Online - Begin -
Health Insurance/Proceed - Minimum Group Size/Proceed - All Years - for
state laws on minimum size of group health insurance coverage
- Family Law in
the 50 States (American Bar Association)
- Tables comparing alimony, custody criteria, child support, grounds
for
divorce, property division, third party visitation and guardianship in
the
50 states
- Law
About...
(Cornell Law School)
- Comprehensive guide to federal and state laws and regulations
arranged
by subject category
- Browsable by broad or narrow subject category and searchable by
keyword; subjects include bankruptcy, adoption, divorce, criminal
procedure, etc.
- Sample information for each topic includes federal laws,
regulations,
and major court decisions; New York law; tables comparing laws of the 50
states; additional legal material on the web
- Legal
Definitions
- Legal definitions provided by Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney
- Detailed court and criminal terms from a Michigan perspective
- Selected
Acts (State Legislature)
- Internet version of the most frequently-requested Michigan laws
- Available in pdf or text format
- Selections include child custody, the lemon law, open meetings act,
stautory will, truth in lending, and whistleblower
protection
Individual
Acts by Subject
Original written by Grace York in 1987 with assistance from
the late David L. Angus, Emelyn B. House,
Peter M. Kempel, Michigan Legislative Service Bureau, Rosemary C. Sarri, Gertrude Stolper, and Charles B. Wolfe
Updated by Ursula Arnold, Documents Assistant, May 2004
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/michleg2.html
The Regents of the University of
Michigan. All Rights Reserved
Since March 10, 1996 this page has been accessed 
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INTRODUCTION