other states and information upon legal and economic questions shall be classified and catalogued in such a way as to render the same easy of access to members, thereby enabling them better to prepare their work. It shall be the duty of the legislative librarian to assist in every way possible the members of the legislative assembly in obtaining information and in the preparation of bills. The legislative reference librarian collects information on subjects that are likely to come up for consideration when the legislature convenes. This information consists of pamphlets prepared by students of and specialists in each subject; of reports of commissions, of investigating committees, bureaus and other bodies that have conducted inquiries in specialized fields; of reports of departments of state and municipal governments that have had charge of the enforcement and administration of laws dealing with specified subjects; and of discussions from current newspapers. This material is classified and condensed for use by the legislator. Much of the time of the legislative reference librarian is also given to bill drafting. PUBLICATIONS Bulletin No. 1.— Bismarck, N. D., 1910 Contents. No. 1. Permanent state tax commissions, a comparative digest No. 2. No. 3. Budgetary laws; comp. by I. A. Acker. 1912. 20 p. Widows' pension laws; comp. by I. A. Acker. 1914. 29 p. Ohio: State Board of Library Commissioners: Legislative Reference Department. The Legislative Reference Department of Ohio was organized in 1910 as a part of the state library, in accordance with an act approved May 13, 1910.1 The act of January 31, 1913,2 amending the original act, made it a separate department with a director in charge, but under the direction and supervision of the State Board of Li brary Commissioners. The director is appointed by this board and is required to be an expert in political science, economics and public law. His duty is "to collect and compare the laws of this and other states pertaining to any subject upon which he may be requested to report by the governor or any committee or member of the general assembly; to collect all available information relating to any matter which shall be the subject of proposed legislation of the general assembly; to prepare or advise in the preparation of any bill or resolution when requested to do so by the governor or by any member of the general assembly; to preserve and collate all information obtained . . . ; to collect such books, pamphlets, periodicals, documents and other literature as may be of use to the general assembly or other state officials." He is also required to keep a file, with index, of documents and reports of all of the states, bills and resolutions, etc. He is authorized to employ the necessary clerks and draftsmen. PUBLICATIONS Ohio canals, by C. B. Galbreath. 1911. Initiative and referendum by C. B. Galbreath. 1911. 79 p. Nomination and election of United States senators, by C. B. Galbreath. 1911. 15 p. Ohio constitutional conventions, by C. B. Galbreath. 1911. Public service commission laws; a comparison of the laws of New York, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Maryland, by John A. Lapp. 1911. 18 p. Record of bills and resolutions introduced in the 79th General assembly of Ohio. 1911. Regulation of public utilities; a comparison of the New York and the Workmen's compensation or insurance against loss of wages arising Civil service laws of Ohio. Comp. by Legislative reference department. Published by direction of Board of library commissioners. 1915. 70 p. Report of the Committee for an investigation of finances of municipalities. Bulletin of the Ohio Legislative reference department. Feb. 3, 1915. 41 p. incl. tables. Road laws of Ohio, comp. by Legislative reference department. Published by direction of Board of library commissioners of Ohio. 1915. xxxix, 335 p. Laws of Ohio relative to legal advertising. 1916. Finances of Ohio cities, debt and taxation. Bulletin of the Ohio Legislative reference department. Columbus, 1917. 81 p. incl. tables. The Leg Pennsylvania: Legislative Reference Bureau. islative Reference Bureau of Pennsylvania, as at present constituted, was authorized by an act of April 27, 1909,1 as amended by the acts of April 21, 1911,2 and May 14, 1915.3 The bureau was established primarily for the use and information of the members of the General Assembly, the heads of the several departments of the state government, and such other citizens of the commonwealth as may desire to consult the same. Under the act creating the bureau it becomes the duty of the director and his assistants, upon request, to aid and assist the members of the General Assembly, the Governor, and the heads of the departments by advising as to bills and resolutions, and also to draft the same into proper form for presentation to the legislature. The bureau is also required to furnish to the members of the General Assembly, the Governor and the heads of the departments, full information upon all matters of public interest. It may neither urge nor oppose legislation nor suggest any bills for introduction. The purpose and aim of the bureau in the drafting of bills is to pay particular attention to the form, to make them readable and easily understood, to look into their constitutionality, both as to form and substance and their effect upon existing legislation. The bureau keeps a file and index of the bills introduced at each session. The bureau prepares from time to time and publishes bulletins, pamphlets and circulars containing information collected by the bureau and such compilations of the laws of the state and of other states as are deemed of service to the state government. An act approved May 20, 1913, directed the bureau to examine the entire statute law of the commonwealth and to ascertain what laws and parts of laws have been repealed or which have become obsolete; and to prepare, for adoption or rejection by the General Assembly, compilations, by topics, of the existing general statutes. Subsequent acts approved May 14, 1915 [Public Laws, 194] and May 3, 1917 [Public Laws, 87] authorized the bureau to continue this work. PUBLICATIONS Bill drafting, by James McKirdy, assistant director. Harrisburg. 1912. 22 p. "A paper read at the annual meeting of the National association of state libraries, held at Ottawa, June, 1912," p. 5. "List of works," p. 17-23. Constitution of Pennsylvania, analytically indexed, and with index of prohibited legislation. 1912. 118 p. Liquor laws of Pennsylvania. Comp. by James McKirdy, assistant director. Harrisburg, C. E. Aughinbaugh, printer to the state, 1912. I p. 1., 46 p. Comprises only the general laws relating to the sale of liquors. Special legislation in Pennsylvania, by James McKirdy, assistant director. Harrisburg, C. E. Aughinbaugh, printer to the state of Pennsylvania, 1912. 12 P. Preliminary draft of a bill codifying the existing general laws relating to boroughs. 1914. 286 P. Revised draft. 1915. 288 p. Preliminary draft of a bill codifying the existing general laws relating to corporations. 1914. 382 p. Revised draft. 1914. 380 p. Preliminary draft of a bill consolidating the existing general laws relating to boroughs. 1914. 242 p. Preliminary draft of a bill consolidating the existing general laws relating to taxation. 1914. 252 p. Report on the codification of the statutes. John N. Moore, director. Harrisburg, W. S. Ray, state printer, 1915. 12 p. A compilation of the laws relating to the Board of public charities, with important provisions of the laws relating to the several state institutions and the rules and regulations of the Committee on lunacy, indexed. Prepared by John H. Fertig, esq., and Frank M. Hunter, esq., under the direction of James N. Moore, director. 1916. 260 p. A compilation of the laws relating to juvenile courts and dependent, neglected, incorrigible and delinquent children. Prepared by John H. Fertig and S. Edward Hannestad, under the direction of James N. Moore, director. Harrisburg, Pa., W. S. Ray, state printer, 1916. 112 p. Compilation of the general laws relating to townships. Legislative reference bureau. Prepared by John H. Fertig, esq., and Frank M. Hunter, esq., under the direction of James N. Moore, director. Harrisburg, Pa., W. S. Ray, state printer, 1916. 322 p. Constitutions of Pennsylvania. Constitution of the United States, analytically indexed and with index of legislation prohibited in Pennsylvania. Prepared by John H. Fertig, esq., and Frank M. ARTICLE Watts, I. A. Work in the Pennsylvania legislative reference bureau. Law library journal, Jan., 1917, v. 9: 139-46. Rhode Island: State Library: Legislative Reference Bureau. This bureau is a branch of the Rhode Island State Library. It has its origin in an act approved April 23, 1907,1 which was amended by an act of April 30, 1908.2 As amended, the law provides that "there shall be in the state library, under the direction of the state librarian, a legislative reference bureau, which shall collect, arrange, and place on file, books, pamphlets, and other material relating to legislation, which shall prepare abstracts of laws in other states, and which shall present such other information as may be useful and necessary to the general assembly in the performance of its legislative duties." The state library is operated primarily as a legislative library while the legislature is in session. There have been segregated from the main collection, for quick reference, the important books and pamphlets bearing on legislative questions and to these have been added other legislative reference material, all classified and indexed according to approved legislative reference bureau methods. The appropriations of the bureau have been increased from time to time to meet the needs of the service. No provision has been made for the employment of draftsmen either under the legislature or under the legislative reference department of the state library. The state librarian and his assistants, however, render in an unofficial way, such assistance as they can in preparing bills for introduction. While there has never been authority granted for this purpose, the burden of this work has been placed upon the state library. During 1917, the library prepared for the legislature 547 acts, resolutions, petitions and memorials. 'Rhode Island, Acts, 1907, No. 1471, p. 93. |