Legislative tracing

Aargh. Legislative tracing is VERY difficult. I have a new found respect for the CRS and the staffers on Capitol Hill. This is definitely yet another job to cross of the list!

Seriously, though – Margaret Clark was FABULOUS. I had begun the tracing before leaving for ALISE and also worked on it over the weekend when I got back, but like Nicole said, there was a lot of wheel spinning and very little progress. Margaret really helped me know WHERE to look for WHAT, an invaluable bit of information for this assignment. I have used THOMAS before so I already knew it would be cumbersome, and I have used WestLaw and Lexis/Nexis before, but not to this degree. I definitely liked Lexis the best of all the databases. I was especially excited to find the CFR in Lexis/Nexis Academic. Way to go Lexis!

Meanwhile, after doing all that (and some of you know exactly what “all that” was since you were forced to sit next to me or take my phone calls while I worked on it – thank you, BTW), I still have NO CLUE how on Earth GPEA made it into the emergency appropriations bill of 1998 since I could not find any place where the text of GPEA was inserted, not until the bill was already signed into law. Oh, the mysteries of the Federal government.
Not looking forward to doing this again for the final project…just kidding, you know I love a challenge. :)

References

Clark, M. (2009). Federal statutory research and legislative history [PowerPoint presentation]. Tallahassee, FL: Florida State University College of Law Research Center.

Government Paperwork Elimination Act. (2006). 44 U.S.C. § 3504. Retrieved January 27, 2009 fro Lexis/Nexis Congressional.