CHAPTER 11. PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION
OF FINAL ENACTMENTS
LAWS, DIGESTS AND COMPILATIONS Sec.
11.1. Digests and indices.
11.2. Statutes at Large.
11.3. Smith’s Laws of Pennsylvania.
11.4. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes.
11.5. Laws of Pennsylvania.
11.6. Slip laws.
11.7. Enrolled bill.
FUNCTION OF AGENCIES
11.11. Department of State.
11.12. Legislative Reference Bureau.
11.13. Legislative Data Processing Center.
11.14. Legislative Printing Clerk.
11.15. Department of General Services.
EDITING AND PRINTING
11.21. General requirement.
11.22. Corrective errors in statutes.
11.23. Authority to correct errors in statutes.
11.24. Notation of corrections.
11.25. Procedure for editing and correcting errors.
11.26. Supplying section headings for Constitution.
11.27. Supplying or changing numbering in Constitution.
11.28. Form of amendatory statutes.
DISTRIBUTION
11.31. Slip laws.
11.32. Laws of Pennsylvania.
11.33. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes.
LAWS, DIGESTS AND COMPILATIONS
§ 11.1. Digests and indices.
(a) Robert’s Digest of British Statutes. ‘‘Robert’s Digest of British Statutes (2nd Ed. 1847)’’ is an unofficial publication setting forth those English statutes in force in Pennsylvania as determined by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in its report issued December 14, 1808 (3 Binney’s Reports 599) as directed by the General Assembly pursuant to the act of April 7, 1807 (P. L. 63, Ch.99). These statutes were enacted during the years 1225 through 1738.
(b) Duke of York’s Book of Laws. The charter to William Penn and the laws of the Province of Pennsylvania passed between 1676 and 1700 are contained in the 1879 publication entitled ‘‘Duke of York’s Book of Laws 1676-1682, Charter and Laws of the Province of Pennsylvania 1682-1700,’’ compiled and published under authority of the act of June 12, 1878 (P. L. 203, No. 233).
(c) McKinney’s Digest of Laws. ‘‘McKinney’s Digest of the Laws of Pennsylvania (1841)’’ contains the Constitutions of the United States and Pennsylvania and a digest of the laws of a public and permanent nature from 1700 through 1840.
(d) Beitel’s Digest of Titles to Corporations. Digest of Titles to Corporations (2nd. Ed. 1874)’’ contains an index to certain local and special laws from 1700 to 1873 including acts declaring rivers and creeks to be public highways and acts relating to real estate and title hereto.
(e) Price’s Index to Local Legislation. ‘‘Price’s Index to Local Legislation in Pennsylvania (1894)’’ contains an index to local and special laws from 1700 to 1892 including titles of corporations organized by special laws.
§ 11.2. Statutes at Large.
(a) Prior to 1700. The act of March 2, 1970 (P. L. 77, No. 35) authorized and empowered the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to edit and publish a volume, numbered one, of the Statutes at Large of Pennsylvania, to include the charters and laws of Pennsylvania enacted prior to the year 1700 as well as introductory and explanatory materials necessary to an understanding of this early body of statutes; said volume to be substantially in accordance with the plan announced by the commissioners who compiled the later volumes of the Statutes at Large. This volume has not been published.
(b) 1700 and later. Volumes II through XVIII of the Statutes at Large, published under the authority of the acts of May 19, 1887 (P. L. 129, No. 70) and July 25, 1913 (P. L. 1273, No. 782), contain the laws from 1700 through 1809. The act of May 15, 1929 (P. L. 1763, No. 571), authorized the publication of volumes XIX and XX which were never published.
§ 11.3. Smith’s Laws of Pennsylvania.
Volumes 1 through 4 of ‘‘Smith’s Laws of Pennsylvania,’’ republished in 1810 under statutory authority, contain the laws from 1700 through 1808. This is the recognized official law from 1700 through 1801. Marked copies of volumes 1 through 3 are contained in the Bureau library. Volumes 5 through 7 contain the laws from 1809 through 1822.
§ 11.4. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes.
From 1975, laws that were enacted as amendments to the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes are printed in a separate official publication and are legal evidence of the laws contained therein, including the Constitution of Pennsylvania.
Notes of Decisions Official Publications of State Statutes and Amendments
The official publications of state statutes and statutory amendments are the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes and Pennsylvania Pamphlet Laws, prepared by the Legislative Reference Bureau and are the legal evidence of the laws contained therein; unofficial statutory compilation by commercial publisher has not, by law or practice, become the official version. Appeal of Tenent HealthSystems Bucks County, 880 A.2d 721, 725 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2005)
§ 11.5. Laws of Pennsylvania.
From December 1, 1801, to the present time, the official law is contained in the Laws of Pennsylvania, commonly referred to as the pamphlet laws. Early in the History of Pennsylvania, ‘‘slip’’ laws were bound in ‘‘pamphlet’’ form and these volumes were referred to as the ‘‘Pamphlet Laws.’’ The Laws of Pennsylvania contain:
(1) Laws.
(2) Appropriation acts.
(3) Joint resolutions.
(4) Reorganization and supplemental assistance plans.
(5) Vetoes.
(6) Various resolutions, certifications, proclamations and documents required by law.
§ 11.6. Slip laws.
Following enactment, laws are first printed as separate documents commonly referred to as slip laws. This is the official law until the Laws of Pennsylvania are published. The earliest laws were written on individual pieces or ‘‘slips’’ of paper, hence the name ‘‘slip’’ laws.
§ 11.7. Enrolled bill.
Prior to the printing of the slip laws, the enrolled bill filed in the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth is the official law.
FUNCTION OF AGENCIES
§ 11.11. Department of State.
The Department of State records all laws and appropriations following their final enactment and, as soon as possible thereafter, transmits a verification to the Bureau.
§ 11.12. Legislative Reference Bureau.
The Bureau edits and corrects bills prior to the printing of slip laws, obtains approvals required by law for corrections and transmits the corrections to the Legislative Data Processing Center for typesetting. The slip laws, Pamphlet Laws and Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes are printed under contracts entered into by the Bureau which also arranges for their distribution and sale.
§ 11.13. Legislative Data Processing Center.
The Legislative Data Processing Center edits the bills stored in its system, inserts the corrections submitted by the Bureau and prepares typeset copy for offset printing.
§ 11.14. Legislative Printing Clerk.
The Legislative Printing Clerk in the General Assembly delivers the typeset copy for the slip laws to the printing contractor and receives printed copies and distributes them to the Bureau, Senate and House of Representatives.
§ 11.15. Department of General Services.
The Department of General Services distributes laws in accordance with the approved distribution list provided by the Bureau. The Department of General Services also sells remaining copies to the public.
EDITING AND PRINTING
§ 11.21. General requirement.
The Director of the Bureau, as soon as any bill becomes law, prepares the same for printing, causes the same to be printed immediately, and collates with and corrects the proof sheets by the original rolls. He also has the statutes printed and indexed in book form as the Laws of Pennsylvania as early as possible succeeding each regular session of the General Assembly for distribution in accordance with law. In addition, the official publication of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes is printed and distributed periodically as necessary.
§ 11.22. Corrective errors in statutes.
(a) Official provisions. The following errors may be corrected in any statute finally enacted providing such correction does not in any manner affect or change the meaning, intent or substance of the statute:
(1) Technical defects in form.
(2) Misspelled words and typographical errors.
(3) Plural or singular number or past, present or future tense where another should be used.
(4) Clearly unintentional omission or addition of a word.
(5) Use of a word where it is clear another word was intended.
(b) Unofficial provisions. The following provisions may be added to, changed or omitted from any statute finally enacted:
(1) Preambles.
(2) Tables of contents.
(3) Summary analysis.
(4) Major subdivision headings.
(5) Section and minor subdivision headings.
(6) Cross reference descriptions.
(7) Source notes and parallel tables.
(c) Changes in form and style. The Director of the Bureau, in editing and preparing statutes for printing in the Laws of Pennsylvania or the official publication of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, may, in a manner that will not affect or change the meaning, intent or substance of such statute and, unless otherwise provided in this subsection, without obtaining the approvals or making the notations otherwise required:
(1) Renumber major subdivisions, sections and minor subdivisions to eliminate duplicate numbers.
(2) With approvals required for other corrections, rearrange or transfer major subdivisions, sections and minor subdivisions to conform to requirements established under 1 Pa.C.S. Ch. 3 (relating to format of the Consolidated Statutes).
(3) Insert or change instructions and references in sections of amendatory statutes to conform to the provisions amended or affected.
(4) Insert or change reference numbers and the form of citations or references to Federal or State constitutions, statutes or regulations to conform to renumbered or revised provisions or to requirements established under 1 Pa.C.S. Ch. 3.
(5) Substitute the proper major subdivision, section or minor subdivision number and related references for the terms ‘‘this act,’’ ‘‘the preceding section,’’ and the like.
(6) Strike out or insert figures and symbols where they are merely a repetition of or have the same meaning as written words and vice-versa.
(7) Change capitalization for the purpose of uniformity or style.
(8) Insert a symbol for the word ‘‘section’’ and vice-versa.
(d) Constitutional provisions. The Director of the Bureau, in editing and preparing the Constitution of Pennsylvania and its amendments for printing in the Laws of Pennsylvania or the official publication of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, may make corrections and changes under this section in the same manner and subject to the same requirements applicable to statutes.
Cross References This section cited in 101 Pa. Code § 11.23 (relating to authority to correct errors in statutes); and 101 Pa. Code § 11.24 (relating to notation of corrections).
§ 11.23. Authority to correct errors in statutes.
The Director of the Bureau, in editing statutes, has authority, with the approval of the President pro tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Office of Attorney General, to correct errors in the original copy of a statute, as filed in the Department of State. Approvals are not required for changes made pursuant to § 11.22(b) or (c) (relating to corrective errors in statutes).
§ 11.24. Notation of corrections.
Whenever corrections are made in a statute, a notation is made on the original copy by the Director of the Bureau, together with his signature, followed by the approval and signatures of the President pro tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Attorney General or his deputy. Except in the case of changes made pursuant to § 11.22(b) or (c) (relating to corrective errors in statutes), a notation of such corrections is also printed in the slip laws and Laws of Pennsylvania as footnotes to the statutes on which the corrections were made.
§ 11.25. Procedure for editing and correcting errors.
The Editing Section of the Bureau, under the supervision of the Director and Assistant Director and in consultation with the Legislative Printing Clerk and Legislative Data Processing Center, in editing final enactments for printing, conforms to the following procedure:
(1) Check a copy of the final enactment for errors.
(2) When required, prepare a correction sheet and transmit it to the proper authorities for approval.
(3) Forward the final enactment, together with any corrections, to the Legislative Data Processing Center for preparation of typeset copy for the slip law.
(4) Check the proof of the typeset copy of the slip law and submit corrections to the Legislative Data Processing Center for revisions and return to the Editing Section.
(5) Transmit original or revised proof of slip law to the contractor for printing.
(6) Upon approval of the Director or Assistant Director, release the slip law for final printing and distribution.
(7) Check the proofs of pages of the Laws of Pennsylvania prepared by the printing contractor against the slip laws prior to final printing.
§ 11.26. Supplying section headings for Constitution.
The Director of the Bureau, with the approval of the Office of Attorney General, may prepare and promulgate an appropriate heading for any section of the Constitution which was heretofore or may hereafter be adopted without a section heading. The section heading is published in the next available volume of the Laws of Pennsylvania.
§ 11.27. Supplying or changing numbering in Constitution.
Whenever an amendment of an article or of a section of the Constitution is adopted without specifying an article or section number, or whenever any amendment is adopted bearing a number which conflicts with the number of another article or section of the Constitution, the Governor may, by proclamation, specify a number for the article or section having no number or change the number of any article or section which bears a number which conflicts with the number of another article or section of the Constitution, or renumber the articles of the Constitution or the sections of an article. The proclamation is published in the next available volume of the Laws of Pennsylvania.
§ 11.28. Form of amendatory statutes.
(a) General. The Director of the Bureau, in printing amendatory statutes, causes to be printed the section or part of the statute only as reenacted. Except as provided in subsection (b), in the section or part of the law reenacted, the Director causes to be printed between brackets, the words, phrases or provisions of the existing statute, if any, which have been eliminated by the adoption of the amendment, and causes to be printed in italics all new words, phrases or provisions, if any, which have been added to the statute by the passage of such amendment.
(b) Consolidated Statutes. In printing as much of any statute as adds an entire title, part, article, chapter or other major subdivision to the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, the Director causes such addition to be printed in Roman type without italics.
DISTRIBUTION
§ 11.31. Slip laws.
(a) Number printed. Slip laws are printed in 2,500 copies unless additional copies are ordered.
(b) Free distribution. The Department of General Services mails, without charge, one copy of each slip law to each prothonotary, to each law judge of the courts and to every county law library of this Commonwealth.
(c) Sale. The Department of General Services mails to any person, upon payment of the proper amount, one copy of each slip law enacted during any legislative session. All moneys received are paid into a restricted receipt account in the General Fund for the use of the Bureau.
(d) Duty of prothonotaries. The prothonotaries of the several counties file and keep in their offices, in such manner that they may be accessible to the public during the office hours of the prothonotaries, slip laws of the statutes enacted at each session of the General Assembly, as such slip laws are furnished to them in accordance with law, until the statutes of such session as printed in the Laws of Pennsylvania are generally available.
§ 11.32. Laws of Pennsylvania.
(a) Number printed. The Laws of Pennsylvania are printed in 3,000 copies unless additional copies are ordered.
(b) Free distribution. Copies of the Laws of Pennsylvania are distributed, without charge, as follows:
(1) Senate of Pennsylvania:
(i) Senators, 20 copies.
(ii) Secretary of the Senate (Library), 150 copies.
(2) House of Representatives:
(i) Representatives, 5 copies.
(ii) Chief Clerk of the House, 100 copies.
(3) Legislative Reference Bureau, 100 copies.
(4) Commonwealth officers and agencies:
(i) Governor, 1 copy.
(ii) Lieutenant Governor, 1 copy.
(iii) Heads of Commonwealth agencies, 1 copy.
(iv) Legal offices of Commonwealth agencies, 1 copy.
(v) Law libraries of Commonwealth agencies, 1 copy.
(5) Law libraries and other libraries:
(i) Federal court libraries, 1 copy.
(ii) Pennsylvania appellate court libraries, 1 copy.
(iii) County law libraries, 1 copy.
(iv) Pennsylvania law school libraries, 1 copy.
(v) Depositary libraries designed by State Library, 1 copy.
(vi) Library of Congress, 1 copy.
(c) Sale. The remaining copies are sold by the Department of General Services. All moneys received are paid into a restricted receipt account in the General Fund for the use of the Bureau.
§ 11.33. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes.
(a) Number printed. The Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes are printed in 2,000 copies unless additional copies are ordered.
(b) Free distribution. Copies of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes are distributed, without charge, as follows:
(1) Senate of Pennsylvania:
(i) Senators, 1 copy.
(ii) Secretary of the Senate (Library), 50 copies.
(iii) Chief Clerk of the Senate, 1 copy.
(2) House of Representatives:
(i) Representatives, 1 copy.
(ii) Chief Clerk of the House, 50 copies.
(3) Legislative Reference Bureau, 100 copies.
(4) Commonwealth officers and agencies:
(i) Governor, 1 copy.
(ii) Lieutenant Governor, 1 copy.
(iii) Heads of Commonwealth agencies, 1 copy.
(iv) Legal offices of Commonwealth agencies, 1 copy.
(v) Law libraries of Commonwealth agencies, 1 copy.
(5) Law libraries and other libraries:
(i) Federal court libraries, 1 copy.
(ii) Pennsylvania appellate court libraries, 1 copy.
(iii) County law libraries, 1 copy.
(iv) Pennsylvania law school libraries, 1 copy.
(v) Depository libraries designated by State Library, 1 copy.
(vi) Library of Congress, 1 copy.
(6) Judicial officers:
(i) President judge of each judicial district, 1 copy.
(ii) District justices, 1 copy.
(iii) Other judges and judicial officers, upon request, 1 copy.
(c) Sale. The remaining copies are sold by the Department of General Services or, under special circumstances, by the Bureau. All moneys received are paid into a restricted receipt account in the General Fund for the use of the Bureau.
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