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A lot of / some of this is rooted in the fact that state legislatures pass acts, but we want to deal with codes. An act might change the law in several differe
by singleshot_ 2y ago
A lot of / some of this is rooted in the fact that state legislatures pass acts, but we want to deal with codes.
An act might change the law in several different “places.” Maybe there’s a criminal statute, a modification to a sentencing law, and a new addition to a statute of limitations. If you look at the -“act, you see all these changes in one block of text, in sort of a different-like format.
But when you look at the code you realize the statute of limitations is hundreds of pages away from the criminal statute, which are in different titles or articles or what-have-you. What happened?
Well, someone painstakingly started with the first act passed by the legislature and applied every additional and change set forth in each act, keeping a numbering system intact, until they got to the law today. Their work is copyrighted, even if the acts themselves weren’t.
I would not take every word of this comment as gospel in every state, but nevertheless I hope it promotes either understanding or further discussion.
(To be clear I believe parent understands all my thoughts already and am not trying to convince that author).
- tomwhipple 2y agoIn Minnesota, the Office of the Revisor of Statutes does this. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/ https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/. I have to imagine most states have a similar function. The point being that it is a public agency and its work product should be accessible to the public.