Legal Research: Pennsylvania

 Session Laws

The Laws of Pennsylvania, sometimes called the "pamphlet laws," is the annual compilation of state acts arranged in chronological order by date of passage. Early compilations of session laws are sometimes referred to by the name of the compiler. Two often cited Pennsylvania compilations which include laws from the late 18th and early 19th centuries are Smith's Laws and Dallas' Laws. Every year either one or two volumes are published, depending on the amount of legislation passed. In the back of the last volume for each year one can find a simple subject index. Since the 1960's the bill number that was assigned to the legislation before passage has been printed at the top of the first page of each statute. The bill number is important in researching legislative history. The prime use for the session laws is in reconstructing the text of a statute at any point in time. By starting with an original enactment and cutting and pasting additions, amendments, and deletions one can determine the actual language in effect at any chronological point. Also included in these volumes are appropriation acts, veto messages, and reorganization plans.