Annotated Constitution

The Library of Congress' Congressional Research Service annotated the Constitution to include summaries of court cases and legislation that interpret the document.

• Constitution of the United States: Main Page (U.S. Government Printing Office)
  http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/index.html
  Law Library KF4527 .J39 1987
• U.S. Constitution Annotated (Cornell University.Legal Information Institute (LII))
  http://www.law.cornell.edu/anncon/
  

United States Code (USC)

USC is a subject arrangement of the laws reflecting all additions, deletions and revisions at the time of publication. The print edition is updated once every six years, with annual supplements that document current changes. Print editions are available at Lockwood Documents US Y1.2/5: and also in the Law Library. Several sources offer online access to the USC.

• USC via Congressional Universe (Lexis Nexis)
  http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/e-resources/cis.html (current UB username and password required)
  This edition of the USC is updated monthly. Under the "Laws" menu, options include either searching full text by keywords or searching by citation number.
• USC via GPO Access (US Government Printing Office)
  http://www.gpoaccess.gov/uscode/index.html (1994-present)
  Search all editions and supplements since 1994, or browse the 2000 edition.
• USC via the House of Representatives (Office of the Law Revision Counsel)
  http://uscode.house.gov/
  The Office of the Law Revision Counsel, the agency that prepares the US Code, recommends checking results against those found in the GPO Access version.
• USC via the Cornell Legal Information Institute
  http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/
  Browse the Code by title and section; or search the entire Code or a selected title. An additional feature links to statutes by popular names (http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/topn/).

Public Laws

Copies of Public Laws are available in both Lockwood Documents and the Law Library. Bills signed into law are first published as Slip Laws (Lockwood Documents US AE 2.110/2:). Lockwood Library discards slip laws after they are republished in the Statutes at Large (Lockwood Documents US GS 4.111: 1894-1983 & US AE 2.111: 1984-present). Several sources offer online access to slip laws.

• Public Laws via Congressional Universe (Lexis Nexis)
  http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/e-resources/cis.html (current UB username and password required)
  Select the Laws menu to access public laws from 1988 (100th Congress, second session) forward. Search either by keyword or number. (Number searches include Public Law number, Statutes at Large citation number, or enacted bill number).
• Public Laws via THOMAS (US House of Representatives)
  http://thomas.loc.gov
  Provides full texts of public laws from the 104th Congress (1995) to date. Laws enacted since the 93rd Congress (1973) are summarized.
• Public Laws via GPO Access (US Government Printing Office)
  http://www.gpoaccess.gov/plaws/index.html
  Search or browse for public laws from the 104th Congress (1995) to date.
• Legislative Histories for Public Laws (Lexis Nexis)
  http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/e-resources/cis.html (current UB username and password required)
  Legislative histories give chronological lists of actions on bills and cite publications associated with the bills. This information can be very important when determining Congressional intent. Search or browse legislative histories by selecting either the "CIS Index" or the "Laws" options.

 

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See A Research Guide to the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations by Richard J. McKinney for additional information about federal regulations. (http://www.llsdc.org/sourcebook/docs/fed-reg-cfr.pdf)

REGULATIONS.gov (Interagency program led by the US Environmental Protection Agency)
http://www.regulations.gov/
A central portal for US government regulations and rule making. Browse or search for information using basic or advanced menus. Related links lead to additional information.

Regulatory Resource Center (OMB Watch)
http://www.ombwatch.org/regresources
Provides background information for the lay person about the rule making process, commenting about regulations, and the Federal Register and the Unified Agenda.

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)

Contains the cumulative regulations in force at the time of publication. The 50 "titles" are updated on a rotating basis over a one-year period. The most recent print edition is in the Law Library. (Law Federal Core Collection US 005 A3). Consult the "Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)" home page for additional information. (http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/publications/code_of_federal_regulations.html) Online access to the CFR is from:

• CFR via Congressional Universe (Lexis Nexis)
  http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/e-resources/cis.html (current UB username and password required)
  Choose the "Regulations" option to search or browse the CFR.
• CFR via GPO Access (US Government Printing Office)
  http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html
  GPO Access provides access to all 50 titles of the CFR from 1996-present. Titles are updated throughout the year on a quarterly schedule. Users may browse or search the entire code or selected titles. Note: The text at this site is considered an official version of the CFR.

Federal Register

A daily newspaper that prints proposed regulations available for public comment; final regulations; agency notices; and Presidential Executive Orders. The current three years are available in Lockwood Library. (US AE 2.106:) The Law Library has paper and microform copies covering 1936-present. See "The Federal Register: What It Is and How to Use It" for additional information. (http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/tutorial/about_tutorial.html) The Federal Register is online at:

• Federal Register via Congressional Universe (Lexis Nexis)
  http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/e-resources/cis.html (current UB username and password required)
  Under the "Regulations" link, the full text of the Federal Register is available dating back to July 1, 1980. Keyword searching allows limitations by agency, type of action and/or date. Retrieval by CFR or FR citation number is also available.
• Federal Register via GPO Access (U.S. Government Printing Office)
  http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html
  Available from 1994-present, with the ability to search by keyword within selected sections of the publication.
• Federal Register via the Community of Science (Community of Science, Inc.)
  http://fr.cos.com/ (current UB username and password required)
  Available from 1995-present, with powerful search ability and the option to browse the current issue.

Unified Agenda

The Unified Agenda (also known as the Semi-Annual Regulatory Agenda) is published in the Federal Register, usually during April and October each year, to fulfill the requirement that agencies describe the regulatory actions they are developing.

Unified Agenda via GPO Access
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/ua/index.html
The full text is searchable from 1994-present, and browseable from 2002-present.

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The Federal Regulatory Directory (Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, updated irregularly) summarizes activities of the major federal regulatory agencies. (LOCKWOOD KF5406 .A15 F4 most recent in Reference; LAW General Collection KF5406.A15 F4 most recent in Reference)

Selected key regulatory sites include:

• Consumer Product Safety Commission
  http:www.//cpsc.gov
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  http://www.epa.gov/
• Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) (US Department of Labor)
  http://www.osha.gov/
• Referral Guide: Other Federal And State Agencies Dealing with Workplace Issues (US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB))
  http://www.nlrb.gov/nlrb/employee/referral.asp
  Lists common workplace problems providing links to agencies that deal with these issues. Topics include discrimination; minimum wages; child labor; unpaid wages; pensions; workplace safety; government employment; and wrongful discharge.

 

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Gibson's New York Legal Research Guide. 3rd ed. Buffalo, NY: William Hein and Company, 2004.
Law Reference Desk KFN5074 .G53 2004 (also in Law New York Alcove, Law Reference, Law Archives, and Law General Collection)
The following chapters pertain to laws, legislation, and regulations:

• Chapter 3: State Legislation: Revisions and Compilations of New York Legislation from 1638-1950.
• Chapter 4: State Legislation: Consolidated Laws, Unconsolidated Laws, and Other Legislation.
• Chapter 9: Administrative Codes, Rules, and Regulations.
• Chapter 10: Administrative Decisions, Opinions and Rulings, and Documents of the Governor.
• Chapter 11: Local Legislation.
• Chapter 12: Indian Law.

Guide to New York State Agency Rules & Regulations (New York State Governor's Office of Regulatory Reform)
http://www.gorr.state.ny.us/gorr/Reg_Guide.html
Links to state agencies that publish regulations.

Laws of the State of New York (New York State. Legislative Bill Drafting Commission).
Law New York Core Collection US/N7 002.5 N46
Reproduces the laws enacted in each year's legislative session. Arrangement is by "Chapter" numbers or law numbers.

McKinney's ... Session Laws of New York (New York State Legislative Service)
LAW New York Core Collection US/N7 002.5 N46
Reproduces enacted legislation, plus additional background information, such as memos prepared by the Governor, legislators, and agencies.

New York Codes, Rules and Regulations (NYCRR) (New York State. Department of State)
http://www.dos.state.ny.us/info/nycrr.htm
Reproduces unofficial copies of state agency regulations. Additional links provide access to the State Register, a rule making FAQ, and the New York State rule making manual.

New York State Laws (New York State Assembly)
http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?sl=0
Links to the New York State Constitution; New York State Consolidated Laws; and New York State Unconsolidated Laws.

New York State Legal Resources (University at Buffalo Law Library)
http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/law/guides_handouts/ub.html#ny
Links lead to legal resources owned by UB's Law Library.

New York State Register (New York State. Department of State. Office of Information Services).
Law Library General Collection US/N7 003.5 N533-current issues; earlier issues at LAW Koren MicFiche US/N7 003.5 N533 (1979+)
A weekly journal that reproduces proposed, emergency, and final regulations, and notices issued by New York State Agencies.

Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations, State of New York. Albany, NY: New York State. Department of State. Loose-leaf service updated regularly.
Law New York Core US/N7 003.5 N532.
A multi-volume compilation of rules and regulations and regulations issued by New York State agencies.

The Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York and the State Register: Their History and Use. Albany: New York State Library. Legislative and Governmental Services, 1984.
Ref KFN5074.C374 1984
Law Reference/Ref Desk KFN5035 .C37 1984
The Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York and the State Register are two significant sources for New York State rules and regulations. Author Robert Allan Carter describes and illustrates both titles.

Summary of Legislation (New York State. Senate. Research Service).
Lockwood NY LEG 963.4-3 SUMLE 1975-present
Summary of Legislation describes bills enacted into law; bills vetoed by the Governor; bills passed by the Senate; and constitutional amendments passed by both houses. Organization is by subject categories. The compilers present background information about the issues; summaries of the bills; bill numbers; and chapter or law numbers.

 

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State Government Resources (University at Buffalo Law Library)
http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/law/remotesites/states.html
Legal resources for the 50 states are in the University's Law Library. This guide provides recommended Internet links for researching the laws of other states. See also the guide to State Law Compilations (http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/law/remotesites/statecomp.html).

Tapping State Government Information Sources. Lori L. Smith, et al. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2003.
Lockwood Reference Z1223.5 .A1 T36 2003
A guide to locating government information from all 50 states, including legal materials.

 

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Canadian Law (University at Buffalo Law Library)
http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/law/remotesites/canadian.html
The University's Law Library houses Canadian legal resources. This page recommends government and non-government Internet resources.

Department of Justice Canada
http://canada.justice.gc.ca/en/index.html

Laws
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/index.html
Provides Canadian laws, regulations and selected annotated acts.

 

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Foreign & International Law (University at Buffalo Law Library)
http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/law/remotesites/foreign.html
Highlights the Law Library's foreign law collection and links to selected Web sites.

Global Legal Information Network (US Library of Congress)
http://www.glin.gov/
Reproduces laws, regulations, and judicial decisions, plus other legal resources, provided by nations and international agencies throughout the world. Information is in the original language with English summaries.

Law From Around the Globe (Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute)
http://www.law.cornell.edu/world/
Compiles guides to foreign and international law by individual country, geographic region, or subject area of law.

 

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