Tutorial Start               History FAQs

The bill I am researching is from the time period 1965-1983.  Where do I go from here?

(You will need to go to a library to complete your research.  Here is a list of libraries with the necessary materials.)

· First, look up the bill in the Senate History or Assembly History volume for the appropriate year.  The History will show the chronology for the bill, including which committees held hearings.  Copy the chronology.  This will act as a guide when compiling your history, and as a table of contents to the finished product.

· Second, check to see if there is a Summary of Legislation available for your bill.  The Summary of Legislation includes only enacted bills, and the first edition was produced by the Research Division in 1975.  Check the index in the back of the publication.

· Third, find the committee minutes.  Keep in mind that not all standing committees kept minutes from 1965 through 1973.  The Assembly adopted a standing rule in 1973 to maintain the minutes of standing committee meetings.  The Senate adopted a similar rule in 1975.  Here is a chart showing which legislative committee minutes are available on microfiche.  The minutes will be on microfiche and arranged by session year, house, committee and then date.  The first page of fiche for each committee includes an index of all measures heard by the committee.  Look up your bill and note the dates (or page numbers in the older indices).  Select the fiche labeled with the corresponding dates and scan through the minutes for discussion on your bill.

Watch for mention of exhibits (Exhibit M, for example), copies of which will be at the end of that meeting’s minutes.  Also keep in mind that the committee will sometimes close the hearing on a bill (stop talking about it), open the hearing on another bill (start talking about something else), and then reopen the hearing on the original bill later in the meeting.   To be thorough, scan through all of the discussion.

· Fourth, look up your bill in the Assembly Journal and Senate Journal.  Each Journal has an index of bills, referring you to the pages where your bill is mentioned or acted upon.  In the Journal you will find any amendments made to the bill, votes on the Assembly or Senate floor, and legislator comments if the legislator asked to have his/her comments entered into the Journal.  If the legislator did not ask to have the comments entered, the Journal will simply read, “Remarks made by Senator X.”

· The final step is to copy all the versions the bill went through during the process:  the introduced version of the bill, any reprints (redrafts) if the bill was amended, and the enrolled (final) version of the bill.  The enrolled version is found in the Statutes of Nevada.  Introduced bills and reprints will not be available at all the libraries linked to above, or may only be available for a certain date range.  Please check with the staff of the Library to see what they have on hand. 

What else might I need to know, or where else might I look?