Legislative History: New York State and Federal at NYPL: About

Legislative history consists of documents generated by a legislature in the course of passing a piece of legislation. Often the goal is "legislative intent," the legislature's reasons for passing the legislation, which sometimes has persuasive authority in court. Depending on the jurisdiction, this can consist of many documents. Since the the documents address the legislation as a whole, they may or may not pertain to any particular provision within the law. This guide will focus on New York State and Federal materials available at the New York Public Library.