Michigan Legislative History: Other Sources of Information

Michigan Legislative Council

The Legislative Council is a bipartisan, bicameral body of legislators established in Article IV, Section 15 of the Constitution of Michigan.

The Constitution directs the legislature to appropriate funds for the Legislative Council's operations which include providing bill drafting, research, and other services to the members of the legislature. This site is designed to provide information about, and links to, the Michigan Legislative Council, its agencies, and the agencies it serves. 

Michigan and National Newspapers

Newspapers may contain background information on legislation:

• The Detroit News index is available from 1873-present at the Graduate Library.
• The New York Times is available from 1851-2009 in the Graduate Library.

Legal Journals

The Michigan Bar Journal and other law journals may contain discussions of pending or recently enacted legislation.

These journals are indexed in: 

• LegalTrac;
• Index to Legal Periodicals; and/or 
• Index to Legal Periodicals Retrospective.

Other Information

Other organizations may have information about a bill:

• Groups that lobbied for or against (info retained about bill),
• Legislators who sponsored (info, reports or press releases pertaining to a bill),
• State and local agencies that administer (rules, regs, policies, or guidelines that explain how the law has been interpreted).

Michigan Legislature—M.C.L. Tables
Michigan Compiled Laws Tables; PDF format; available for latest three legislative sessions..

Michigan Legislature—Public Act Tables
Public Act Tables from; PDF format; available 1998 to present.

Michigan Constitution
The text of the 1963 Michigan Constitution, searchable.

Limited to 1996-Present

MI Legislature Website

Legislative material including:

• MI Constitution
• MI Compiled Laws
• House Journal
• Senate Journal
• Bills
• Public Acts
• Resolutions
• Legislative Analysis
• Committee Records
• Fiscal Analysis

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