Skip to Main Content

Law

Tracking Legislation (State and Federal)

Statute Law

"A law enacted by a legislative body - such as the United States Congress, or a state senate. Statutes are the primary source of law in the United States, and typically authorize an administrative agency (such as the Federal Communications Commission, or the Securities Exchange Commission) to adopt rules pursuant to the Statute. Rules are more specific laws that arise from the Statute."  Wex

United States

Public and Private Laws.  U.S. Government Printing Office.  Public and private laws are also known as slip laws. A slip law is an official publication of the law and is competent evidence admissible in all state and Federal courts and tribunals of the United States. Public laws affect society as a whole, while private laws affect an individual, family, or small group. After the President signs a bill into law, it is delivered to the Office of the Federal Register (OFR), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) where it is assigned a law number, legal statutory citation (public laws only), and prepared for publication as a slip law. Private laws receive their legal statutory citations when they are published in the United States Statutes at Large.  This site provides access to public and private law from the 104th Congress (1995-1996) to the present.  Includes search option.

United States Statutes at Large.  U.S. Government Printing Office.  The United States Statutes at Large, typically referred to as the Statutes at Large, is the permanent collection of all laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress. The Statutes at Large is prepared and published by the Office of the Federal Register (OFR), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Under the provisions of 1 U.S.C. 112, the printed edition of the Statutes at Large is legal evidence of the laws, concurrent resolutions, proclamations by the President, and proposed and ratified amendments to the Constitution.  This site provides access to the Statutes at Large from 1951 to 2012.  Includes search option.

Complete Collection of United States Statutes at Large.  Constitution Society.  The Constitution Society, a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting principles of constitutional republican government, provides PDF copy of the Statutes at Large, from 1789 to the most recent published volume. The Statutes at Large is the permanent collection of all laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress.

United States Code.  U.S. Government Printing Office. The United States Code is the codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. It is divided by broad subjects into 50 titles and published by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives. The U.S. Code was first published in 1926. The next main edition was published in 1934, and subsequent main editions have been published every six years since 1934. In between editions, annual cumulative supplements are published in order to present the most current information. Users can access the U.S. Code by publication year.  Includes search option.

United States Code.  Office of the Law Revision Counsel. U.S. House of Representatives. Current edition of the U.S. Code.

United States Code Service. USCS.  Available via Nexis Uni. WSU ONLY ACCESS. Annotated version of the U.S. Code that contains notes following each section of the law, which organize and summarize court decisions, law review articles, and other authorities that pertain to the code section, and may also include uncodified provisions that are part of the Public Laws.

Washington State

Session Laws.  Washington Office of the Code Reviser.  Washington State Legislature.  The chronological arrangement of laws enacted by the Washington Legislature and signed into law by the Governor are called session laws. When you need read the text of a law as it was originally enacted, consult the session laws, also called the Laws of Washington.  Covers 1854 to present.

Revised Code of Washington.  Washington State Legislature.  The Revised Code of Washington (RCW) is the compilation of all permanent laws now in force. It is a collection of Session Laws (enacted by the Legislature, and signed by the Governor, or enacted via the initiative process), arranged by topic, with amendments added and repealed laws removed. It does not include temporary laws such as appropriations acts.  Includes search option.

Annotated Revised Code of Washington.  Available via Nexis Uni. WSU Only Access.  Contains the current laws of Washington State, arranged by title (subject), with references to court opinions, law review articles, and Attorney General opinions.

Other States

State Statutes and Codes. Legal Information Institute.  Cornell Law School.  Provides links to U.S. state legal materials.

State Codes.  Available via Nexis Uni. WSU Only Access. 

WSU Libraries, PO Box 645610, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99164-5610, 509-335-9671, Contact Us