New York State Legislative History
New York State legislative materials available are limited; little is published and disseminated. The primary, and often only, source for New York State legislative history at NYPL is the Legislative Bill Jacket, which contains a miscellany of documents, most importantly the Sponsor's Memorandum.
See more discussion of Bill Jackets at NYPL here.
Bill Jackets are keyed to session laws, cited by year and chapter number (e.g. L.1993, c. 662). If you are working from a code citation (McKinney's Consolidated Laws), see "Credits" or "History Note" at the end of the code section, which will cite the session law establishing the law, and any subsequent amendments. From WestLaw:
Legislative Bill Jackets
Once the session law citation has been determined, you can obtain the Bill Jacket by year. They are kept at the library on microfilm, microfiche, or CD-ROM, depending on year, and can be requested in the Main Reading Room.
| Years | Call Number |
| 1905, 1921 - 58 | *ZAN-T654 [Microfilm] |
| 1959 - 74* | *XLE-318 [Microfiche] |
| 1975 - 82 | *ZAN-T654 [Microfilm] |
| 1983 - 2001 | *XLE-318 [Microfiche] |
| 2002-2006 | *WSC-4886 [CD-ROM] |
Bill Jackets between 1905 and 1921 were destroyed in a fire, and are not available. Bill Jackets for the following are also not available:
1959, chap 651
1960, chap. 23, 864
1961, chap. 429, 431-450
1965, chap. 160-161, 163, 167-175, 396-397, 572, 593, 636, 721, 742, 896, 905
1966, chap. 71, 98, 99, 206, 274
1967, chap. 559, 771 (part), 790, 798 (part)
1972, chap. 837
1973, chap. 11?
1974, chap. 62
Bill Jackets, Online Sources:
- New York State ArchivesBill Jackets since 1995.
- New York State Library Digital CollectionsSome Bill Jackets from years prior to 1995 are available.
Other Sources:
The sponsor's memorandum and the Governor's approval memorandum can also be found in McKinney's Session Laws of New York (see below) and the New York State Legislative Annual.
Session Laws:
When a bill is passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor, it is published as a "session law," and is cited by year and chapter number (as discussed above). You may need to consult New York State session laws to read the legislation as passed, or see amendments and track changes to a law.
Session Laws in Print at the Library:
- Laws of the state of New York / passed at the ... session of the Legislature byCall Number: JBM 17-204; XWZ (New York (State). Statutes, Laws)Publication Date: 1777-
- New York consolidated laws service. Session laws byCall Number: JLM 80-545Publication Date: 1978-2006
Session Laws Online:
- Laws of New York State - leginfo.state.ny.usText of session laws of 1995 and later can be found here. Select "Chapter No." in the first pull down menu, enter the chapter number, and select the year. Check the "Text" box. Click "Search."
Other Resources:
Online:
- The Legislative History of a New York State Law: A Tutorial and Guide to Library SourcesThe New York State Library provides this more extensive tutorial, with references to additional materials at the State Library.
- Legislative History Research Guide : New York State Legislative ResearchProvided by Pace University. Includes additional sources; some may not be available at NYPL.
Book:
- Legislative Intent in New York State : Materials, Cases and Annotated Bibliography byCall Number: JBF 15-363Publication Date: 2001