FW ECOL 515: Natural Resources Policy (Fall 2024) : Federal laws

Federal laws go through three phases of publication. each phase has a different citation format.

1. Shortly after Congress passes a law, it is first published as an individual slip law.
   1. A citation to a slip law looks like this: P.L.95-623
   2. You're most likely to see these citations in regulatory or legislative histories.
2. After a Congressional session, the slip laws are accumulated chronologically in the Statutes at Large, which contain the text of all public and private laws (and joint and concurrent resolutions passed during each single-year congressional session.
   1. A citation to a law in the Statutes at Large looks like this: 92 Stat 3752
3. Then laws are incorporated into the current body of law, called the United States Code (U.S. Code). The electronic version of the U.S. Code is updated and published each year.
   1. A citation to the U.S. Code looks like this: 16 USC 1532(16)

 

United States Code

A citation to the United States Code looks like this:  16 USC 1532(16)

Component of the citation	16	USC	1532	(16)
What the component means	Title (the USC is divided into topical areas called "titles;" each title is assigned a number).  A title can be published across several volumes.	United States Code	Section	Subsection

Where to find the U.S. Code

United States Code (Hein)

• Subscription database; available on- and off-campus to UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff.
• Contains all editions, from 1925-26 to 2018.
• Can search by citation, browse by title or edition, or search the text by keyword.

"United States Code" collection in Govinfo.gov

• Available FOR FREE to the general public.
• Contains editions of the Code from 1994 to present.
• The US Code is one title/collection in the larger Govinfo.gov database.  To search just the US Code, from the Govinfo.gov main page:

1. Click the advanced tab above the search box.
2. Click the box next to United States Code under Refine by Collection.  You will have to scroll down the list a ways.
3. Type a search term in the second box under Search In.
4. Click Search.

• You can also search by citation.  From the Govinfo.gov main page:

1. Click the Citation tab above the search box.
2. Click Select a Collection and select United States Code.
3. Click Select Year and select the edition of the U.S. Code your citation is from.
4. Click Select Title number and select the title number of the U.S. Code your citation contains.
5. Skip Select Type.
6. Click in the box that says number and type the section number.
7. Click Search.

• Help for using the United States Code from Govinfo.gov

 

Slip Laws (in Regulatory Insight or Legislative Insight)

In regulatory histories in Regulatory Insight and legislative histories in Legislative Insight, there will likely be links to the laws in their "slip law" forms.

When Congress passes a law, it is first published in “slip” form, as a stand-alone publication.

A citation to a slip law looks like this:  P.L.95-632
 

Component of the citation	P.L.	95-	632
Component means	Public Law	Congress that passed the law (table converting Congress numbers to years)	Chronological numbering of law (632nd law passed by the 95th Congress)

Other places to find public laws (slip laws)

If you don't see a link to a public law in Regulatory Insight or Legislative Insight, you can check...

"Public and Private Laws" collection in Govinfo.gov

• Available FOR FREE to the general public.
• Official electronic version, from the Government Publishing Office.
• Covers 104th Congress (1995-96) to present day.
• "Public and Private Laws" is one collection in the larger Govinfo.gov database.  To search just Public and Private Laws, from the Govinfo.gov main page:

1. Click the advanced tab above the search box.
2. Click the box next to Public and Private Laws under Refine by Collection  You will have to scroll down the list a ways.
3. Type a search term in the second box under Search In.
4. Click Search.

• You can also search by citation.  From the Govinfo.gov main page:

1. Click the citation tab above the search box.
2. Click Select a Collection and select Public and Private Laws.
3. Click Select Type and select Public or Private, depending on which kind of law you're searching.
4. Click Select Congress and select the Congress that passed the law.
5. Click in the box that says number and type the number of the law.
6. Click Search.

• Help for using the Public and Private Laws from Govinfo.gov
   

Statutes at Large

A few years after each congressional session, the slip laws are accumulated chronologically in the Statutes at Large. Statutes at Large contains the text of all public and private laws, joint and concurrent resolutions passed during each single-year congressional session. 

A citation to a law in the Statutes at Large looks like this: 92 Stat 3752
 

Component of the citation	92	Stat	3752
What the component means	Volume number	Statutes at Large	Page number

Where to find Statutes at Large

Hein Online U.S. Statutes at Large

• Subscription database; available on- and off-campus to UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff.
• Can search the full text of laws (use the box at the top of the screen) or browse by volume, public law number, or popular name.
• Covers 1789-2016 (114th Congress).

"Statutes at Large" collection in Govinfo.gov

• Available FOR FREE to the general public.
• Official electronic version, from the Government Publishing Office.
• Covers 1951-2013 (113th Congress).
• Statutes at Large is one title/collection in the larger Govinfo.gov database.  To search just Statutes at Large, from the Govinfo.gov main page:

1. Click the advanced tab.
2. Click the box next to Statutes at Large under Refine by Collection.  You will have to scroll down the list a ways.
3. Type a search term in the second box under Search In.
4. Click Search.

• You can also search by citation.  From the Govinfo.gov main page:

1. Click the citation tab above the search box.
2. Click Select a Collection and select Statutes at Large.
3. Click Select Volume and select a volume.
4. Click in the box that says number and type the page number.
5. Click Search.

• Help for using the Statutes at Large from Govinfo.gov

The U.S. government has created several guides explaining (briefly) how laws are made:

•  How Laws Are Made, from USA.gov
• How Laws Are Made (aka Tracking a Bill From Beginning to End) from Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government: a bit more detailed description of the process.
• Ben's Guide also has a glossary called How Laws are Made: The Language of the Law.