Legislative History Research

Included in our legislative history materials are step-by-step instructions for how perform research and useful collections containing session laws, introduced bills, legislative journals, and more.

Start by taking advantage of our how-to guides:

The Territorial Legislature is examined in George H. Kelly’s Legislative History Arizona 1864-1912. Spanning the years between the creation of the Territory to Arizona’s admission as a state, the work includes profiles of early leaders, maps of the Territory, and a description of the work of the Territorial Legislature.

The period of Statehood through 1966 is analyzed in The History of the Arizona State Legislature 1912-1966 by J. Morris Richards. This narrative of the work of the Arizona Legislature from Statehood through 1966 summarizes major legislation considered by each Legislature. It includes political development of the issues, the roles of prominent figures of the day, floor speeches, and news reports.

You may also find these links to be helpful:

  • Introduced Bills of the Territory of Arizona includes bills introduced in the Territorial Legislature between 1899 and 1909
  • The Session Laws of the Territorial Legislature includes laws adopted by the Legislative Assembies of the Territory of Arizona from 1864 to 1909.
  • Arizona Session Laws are a resource for tracking how laws have changed over time and for determining the bill number for the legislation that initiated the changes
  • The Journals of the Senate record the proceedings of each session of the Arizona Senate, including the Governor's Opening Message to the Legislature, disposition of bilss, votes, and veto messages.
  • The Journals of the House of Representatives record the proceedings of each session of the Arizona House of Representatives, including the Governor's Opening Message to the Legislature, disposition of bills, votes, and veto messages.
  • Historic Election Materials include publicity pamphlets from 1912 to the present, Folletos de Publicidad desde 1980 hasta el presente, and the Official Canvass from 1906 to the present.
  • State Agency Histories are summaries of the legal authority, funciton, and history of agencies, boards, and commissions of Arizona state government.
  • The Arizona legislative bill drafting manual is the manual of form and style for the preparation of bills and other legislative proposals. In Arizona, all legislation and legislative proposals are drafted by attorneys on the Arizona Legislative Council staff.
  • The Arizona legislative manual is a detailed description of the Arizona Legislature and explanation of the legislative process, prepared by the Arizona Legislative Council staff.
  • The Legislative summary: Arizona State Senate is an overview of legislation passed during the session, prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff analysts, support staff, and interns.
  • The Summary of Legislation from the House of Representatives is an overview of legislation passed during the session, prepared by nonpartisan House staff analysts, suppor staff, and interns.
  • Legislative Council wrote this helpful Digest of Laws that cross-references enacted legislation by statutory section and provides other helpful information.
  • The Historic Arizona Statutes collection includes statutes from Territorial days and statutory codes enacted before the adoption of the Arizona Revised Statutes.