The following resources are available to research legislative history and intent in Maryland:

Laws of Maryland

Known also as the "Session Laws," the Laws of Maryland are published at the end of each annual session and special session. Printed are the final versions of the bills that are passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor or that become law constitutionally. The title and body of the published chapters reflect the final form of any amendments (language added or stricken in the legislative process) as well as enacting and effective date clauses, preambles, and other uncodified provisions.

Journals

The Journal of the House of Delegates and the Journal of the Senate are the official publications of the Maryland General Assembly. These journals, published after each regular and special session, contain committee recommendations on bills, floor amendments, bill history and summary, floor roll call votes, and action on any motion. The journals do not contain transcripts of floor proceedings.

Committee Files

I. 1975-Present

The Legislative Services Library is the repository for House and Senate committee files for bills introduced in the General Assembly since 1975. In general, the files for the two most recent sessions are retained by the respective committees.

The committee files may typically contain the following information:

copies of various versions of bills amendments committee bill analyses and floor reports lists of witnesses at bill hearings copies of written testimony correspondence regarding bills other documentation compiled by the committee Attorney General letters of advice and bill review letters fiscal notes indicating impact on State/local revenue and   expenditures bill drafting materials committee and floor votes

The files are arranged chronologically by House and Senate bill number; therefore, a single source of legislative history for a section of the Annotated Code of Maryland that has been amended multiple times over the years is not available. The files must be reviewed individually by identifying the enacted chapter numbers at the end of each statute section and by referring to the Laws of Maryland or the annual Synopsis of Laws to determine the specific bill number(s) for the desired chapter(s).

Currently, Michie's Annotated Code of Maryland is being recodified. The code's publisher, Lexis Publishing, in the recodified articles indicates the former designation from the 1957 edition and its supplements, but does not specify the historical chapters for the previous section(s). The superseded volumes and supplements of the 1957 code must be reviewed to identify original source law and any amendments.

The committee bill files are being microfilmed and duplicate microfilm reels are deposited with the following libraries:

Maryland State Law Library

University of Maryland Law Library

University of Baltimore Law Library

Attorney General's Library

Baltimore County Circuit Court Library

II. Pre-1975

Legislative history prior to 1975 is extremely limited. Available materials include the following:

Selected committee bill files for 1968-1974

Bill drafting files for 1973-1975

Legislative Council Report to the General Assembly for 1941-1976 (known as the "Blue Books," the reports include the recommended bills of the Legislative Council for the upcoming session, actual minutes, and committee or special reports. For the years 1965-1976, the Library is the repository for some of the items referenced in the minutes.)

Audiotaped Committee Hearings and Floor Proceedings

Starting with the 1992 session, the Senate began audiotaping its committee and floor proceedings. Beginning with the 2004 session, the Senate utilizes a digital recording format. Committee hearings and floor proceedings are now reproduced on data CDs playable on a compute or DVD or CD player that supports the MP3 format. Computer software, such as Windows Media Play, will open the data files and play the CDs. Audiotape copies for the 1992-2003 sessions and data CDs for post-2003 sessions are available through Library and Information Services for the fees listed below. The recorded data may also be reviewed at Library and Information Services by appointment. Additionally, the audio portions of current Senate and House floor proceedings are available on the MGA Web site.

Miscellaneous Resources

Committee interim reports, commission or task force    reports, and assorted background materials in the    Library's collection

Newspaper clipping files: Since the late 1960's, Library staff has reviewed and clipped editions of the Baltimore Sun, the Washington Post, regional Maryland newspapers, and other newspapers of interst. Items selected for the files primarily focus on issues before the General Assembly and related federal, State, and local government topics.

Fees

Duplication fees for photocopies are 15 cents per page. Fees for audiotapes are $5 per 90-minute cassette
and $7 per CD.