Using Legislative History
The term “legislative history” can mean two different things. First, “legislative history” refers to the chronological progress of a bill through the legislative process from its introduction to its enactment into law. In the legal field, however, “legislative history,” also often refers to the collection of documents that are created during that process. Judges and attorneys often turn to these documents to try to determine why the legislature enacted a particular law or to aid in the interpretation of a portion of the law. This process of using legislative history to interpret a law is often referred to as finding the “legislative intent” behind the law.