General Legislation Data

New records are periodically added to the SCLD. These records are abstracts of individual legislative measures, including enacted laws, adopted resolutions, or—rarely—ballot measures:

Enacted Law

Laws are considered "enacted" after passing in both the House and Senate (except in Nebraska, which has a unicameral legislature) and being signed into law by the governor, or voted into law by an override vote of the governor's veto. In the SCLD, an original bill and all subsequent amendments, if any, are grouped together into a “stream” of related laws.

Adopted Resolution

Resolutions generally state the position of the legislature on a particular issue and do not carry the force of law. They are considered "adopted" after passage by the chamber in which the resolution was introduced. In states with bicameral legislatures (i.e., a House and a Senate), "joint" resolutions are passed by both the House and Senate.

Ballot Measure

Ballot measures are voter-approved initiatives that carry the force of law.

Each general legislation record provides an abstract of the provisions associated with the measure and information about its enforcement, if applicable. Some records contain in the Notes fields additional clarifying information not included in the law itself.