TITLE 67

STATE GOVERNMENT AND STATE AFFAIRS

CHAPTER 5

ENACTMENT AND OPERATION OF LAWS

67-509.  Publication of legislative journals and session laws — Distribution and report. (1) On the first legislative day or as soon thereafter as the speaker shall have been elected, it shall be the duty of the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives each to appoint a printing committee for his body whose duties shall be, in addition to its duties prescribed by the rules of said bodies respectively, to immediately meet in joint session and to provide for the publication and distribution of the journals of the two (2) houses of the legislature. All costs incurred in publishing the journals shall be a proper charge against the legislative account, unless an appropriation for such purpose has been made.

(2)  The joint printing committee of the senate and house of representatives shall exist to print, publish, and distribute the session laws. The joint printing committee will consist of the printing committees of each house. The chairmen of the respective judiciary and rules committees, or their designee, will chair their house’s printing committee and cochair the joint printing committee.

(3)  Prior to the final adjournment of the first regular legislative session, the joint printing committee must meet and determine the proper method of printing and preserving the session laws of the first and second regular legislative session. The committee may also meet if it deems it necessary during the second regular session. If the recommendation from the meeting during the first regular legislative session changes during a meeting of the second regular legislative session, a new report as provided in subsection (5) of this section must be submitted for consideration. The joint printing committee must give consideration to the cost, accessibility, and preservation of the session laws. The joint printing committee will provide sufficient physical copies of session laws.

(4)  The published session laws must include the bills, concurrent resolutions, joint resolutions, petitions and memorials enacted or adopted during the legislative session. In addition, the session laws must include amendments to the constitution adopted at the preceding general election, and bills, concurrent resolutions, joint resolutions, and memorials enacted or adopted during an intervening extraordinary session of the legislature. The published session laws must include a title page, a table of contents, certificate pages, tables of amended and repealed statutes, an index of contents, and a list of each member of the senate and house of representatives.

(5)  Prior to the final adjournment of the first regular legislative session, the printing committee of each house must meet jointly to consider the proper method to print and preserve the session laws. The joint printing committee will prepare a brief written report of its recommendations, which written report must be delivered to the judiciary and rules committees of the senate and the house of representatives. The written report must include the projected cost to implement its recommendation, together with a distribution list of persons that will be provided printed volume(s) of the session laws. If the written or amended report is rejected by the legislature by concurrent resolution, the joint printing committee will meet to reconsider its recommendations. If the written or amended report is not rejected, the joint printing committee will enter into an agreement(s) that is substantially consistent with its written or amended report to print, publish, and deliver the session laws, which costs will be paid from the legislative account.

History:

[(67-509) 1907, p. 327, sec. 1; am. R.C., sec. 70; reen. C.L., sec. 70; C.S., sec. 112; am. 1921, ch. 5, sec. 1, p. 6; am. 1931, ch. 8, sec. 1, p. 12; I.C.A., sec. 65-509; am. 1935, ch. 43, sec. 3, p. 79; am. 1965, ch. 17, sec. 1, p. 29; am. 1971, ch. 19, sec. 1, p. 33; am. 1977, ch. 232, sec. 1, p. 687; am. 2018, ch. 236, sec. 3, p. 555; am. 2021, ch. 166, sec. 1, p. 469.]