Tutorial Start               History FAQs

The bill I am researching is from 2003.  Where do I go from here?

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

· First, use the online search to find the bill history page.  To search, choose the type of legislation you are researching. (Assembly Bill, Senate Concurrent Resolution, etc.) and then type the bill number in the box provided.  The bill history page tracks the bill chronologically through the legislative process and includes links to committee hearings, bills and amendments (see below), Journal entries (see below), and floor votes.  Print this page.

If you are at one of the libraries linked to above, another way to do this is to look up the bill in the Assembly History or Senate History volume for the appropriate year.  The History will also show the chronology for the bill, including which committees held hearings, but will not include the hearing dates.  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 bill summary available for your bill. The Summary of Legislation includes only enacted bills. You can do this online using the search or by checking the index in the back of the printed publication. (If you are using the search to look for a specific bill, use the following format: Senate Bill 1.)

· Third, find the committee minutes.  You can do this online, using the links to the committee hearings provided on the bill history page mentioned above.  Most exhibits referred to in 2003 committee minutes are available electronically, and are linked from within the online version of the committee minutes. (Longer exhibits may be incomplete.)  Request exhibits from the Research Library, 775-684-6827 or by email, or view the exhibits on microfiche.  When requesting exhibits from the Research Library, please cite house, committee, hearing date, bill number, and exhibit letter.  Photocopy charges apply.

If you are at one of the libraries linked to above, 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.  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 microfiche 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 for any reference to your bill in the Journals.  You can do this online for both the Assembly and Senate, using the dates linked in the chronology on the bill history page mentioned above.  Click on the date, and then choose either the Assembly Journal or Senate Journal.  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.”

If you are at one of the libraries linked to above, you can 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. 

· 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.  Links to the all the versions of the bill are available on the bill history page mentioned above.

If you are at one of the libraries linked to above, the enrolled version is found in the Statutes of Nevada.  Introduced bills and reprints will not be available at all the libraries, 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?