Geaux Gov! Louisiana Government Search Engine:
Louisiana Legal Resources
REMINDER: ***For historical or older government and legal information, the print sources may help you more than the online sources!***
Court Cases
Internet Site: http://www.findlaw.com/11stategov/la/courts.html or for Louisiana Supreme Court Case opinion decisions, go to http://www.lasc.org/opinion_search.asp
For historical Louisiana Supreme Court materials, see the Historical Archives of the Supreme Court of Louisiana digital collection.
Online Database: Go to the library homepage, click on "Find Journal Articles", find and click on LexisNexis Academic and then click on the "Legal" tab and click on "Federal & State Cases". Go to the drop-down menu next to "Sources" and select "LA Federal & State Cases Combined". Enter your keywords or case name, etc. and hit the search button to see your results.
Print Source: Louisiana Cases (Ref KFL47 .A34) has opinions of appellate courts and the Louisiana Supreme Court. It updates the Southern Reporter, 2d Series (Ref KF135 .S8 S612 and Ref KFL47 .A34) and is shelved with it. Louisiana Digest 2d (Ref KFL57 .L67) has cases arranged by topic and is useful for finding citations for cases in Louisiana Cases and in Southern Reporter.
Laws (Statutes)
Internet Site: Web Portal to the Louisiana State Legislature http://www.legis.state.la.us has Louisiana Law (Constitution, Civil Code, Code of Civil Procedure, Code of Criminal Procedure, Revised Statutes, etc.) Click on “Louisiana Laws” on the left side.
Online Database: Go to the library homepage, click on "Find Journal Articles", find and click on LexisNexis Academic and then click on the "Legal" tab and click on "Federal & State Codes". Go to the drop-down menu next to "Sources" and select "LA - Louisiana Statutes, Constitution, Court Rul...". Enter your keywords or case name, etc. and hit the search button to see your results.
Print Source: Louisiana Statutes Annotated, located in the Reference area of the 1st floor, (Ref KFL30.5 .W4) contains the same information as the internet site listed above. To find a particular statute, use the subject indexes shelved at the end of this set. Older statutes can be found in Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 (Ref KFL30.5 .W4 A2 1950). State of Louisiana: Acts of the Legislature (Ref KFL15 .A22) is a chronological arrangement of the laws passed by each session of the legislature, and it is updated by Louisiana Session Law Service (Ref KFL25 .W4). Louisiana Acts of the Legislature from 1950 to the present can also be found in the 4th floor Louisiana Government Stacks (Y 1.1/:). Older Louisiana Acts of the Legislature since 1812 can be found in the Archives & Special Collections Department on the 1st floor (KFL 15 .A22).
Regulations (Administrative Law)
Internet Site: Louisiana Administrative Code http://doa.louisiana.gov/osr/lac/lactitle.htm are the regulations adopted or amended by Louisiana state agencies.
Louisiana Register http://www.doa.louisiana.gov/osr/reg/register.htm are state agency rules and regulations as they go through the formal rulemaking process.
Print Source: Louisiana Administrative Code and Louisiana Register are also available in print in the Government Documents Department on the 4th floor. Ask for assistance!
How do I compile a Louisiana legislative history?
Legistlative History: The record of all legislative actions occurring in order to pass a bill (to make a bill become an "Act", aka a "Law").
The steps taken in this procedure include: bill introduction, committee hearings, floor debate, amendments (committee and floor) to the bill, enrollment, action taken by the governor (veto, enactment, without action, or approval), and the assignment of an act number.
In order to obtain the legislative history of a section from the Louisiana Revised Statutes, an article from a particular code (Children's Code, Civil Code, etc.), or an act, you must know the original bill number and sesion of the legislature in which it was enacted.
Statutes and codes are available in print and online via the Louisiana Legislature's website. Locate the statute or code article and check the end notes at the bottom of the section paragraphs. An act number will be listed after most sections of the law (i.e. Acts 1986, No. 697).
Searching Online:
1. To find a statute or code article online, go to www.legis.state.la.us and find the maroon navigation bar at the top of the screen. Click on "Search". This will take you to a screen where statutes and codes can be retrieved by number (i.e. R.S. 17:222, CCP 3939, etc.) or by keyword.
2. To follow the legislative history online, begin again at www.legis.state.la.us and look for "Session Info" on the navigation menu at the top of the screen.
3. After clicking on "Session Info," select the legislative session in which the act was passed (1997-present).
4. Under the title "Bill Search for the (year) Session" bar, click on the first pull-down box (which has the letters "HB" as default) and select the word "Act." Put in the act number you wish to research and then click on the box marked "View" next to "View a Specific Instrument."
5. The next screen will show a one line description of the act, the original House or Senate Bill number, the final status of the instrument, and a menu below. Click on the word "History" on the blue hypertext menu below. The History is a line by line record of the bill, from last action to first.
6. The History show dates of action, the Journal pages where action is recorded, whether the instrument was amended in committee or on the floor, a vote tally, the act number, and the effective date.
7. The screen with the blue hypertext menu also has an "Amendments" link as well. This selection will have the text of every adopted committee amendment for the instrument as well as every proposed floor amendment, whether it passed or failed.
Searching the Print Sourcess:
1. To follow the legislative history using printed sources, begin with the statute or code article notes at the end of a section that lists the act number and year of the legislative session in which it was enacted.
2. Consult the corresponding year's Resume (4th Floor, LL 1.8a:1957-present). The Resume numerically lists each act that passed in a given legislative session, along with a digest and the original House or Senate bill number.
3. With the original House or Senate number from the Resume, consult that year's Legislative Calendar (4th Floor, House Calendar Y 1.7c: or Senate Calendar Y 20.7e:). The Legislative Calendar provides a chronological history of each instrument. One can find dates of action, Journal pages where actions are recorded, whether the instrument was amended in committee or on the floor, a vote tally, the act number, and the effective date.
4. The House and Senate each keep their own separate Journals (4th Floor, House Journal Y 10.7: or Senate Journal Y 20.7: and holdings vary, 1920s-present). The Journals are arranged chronologically by the days in which the legislature met while in session. The information contained in the Journal is arranged in the order in which action was taken on the House or Senate floor. If the action was the adoption of an amendment, the entry will provide the text of that amendment. If a vote on the floor of either house was a record vote, the entry will provide a roll call list with the vote of each member. Votes on final passage on the floor of each house are record votes. Committee votes are not record votes. The reports of legislative committees are noted in the Journals, but the vote on reporting each instrument is noted only by the number of votes for and against, and not by roll call.
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