152 



National Resources Committee 



haulin<r and ivvision with a view to its simplification 

 and making it conl'orm better to existing conditions 

 and needs; and there is scarcely a State in the Union 

 the taxation system of which is held to be satisfactory. 

 The problems presented are ones of great complexity 

 raid involve many conflicting interests. The subject 

 is thus particularly one which should be subjected to 

 intensive study by a body of men possessing special 



technical competence and divorced from political pres- 

 sure. Functioning along the lines of the British Eoyal 

 Commission, such a body could make an investigation 

 comparable to tliat of the National Monetary Commis- 

 sion of 1908 and produce a report that could not fail 

 to be of great aid to Congress and the State legislatures 

 m framing revenue legislation and in preparing the 

 public for the acceptance of such legislation. 



IV. LEGISLATIVE STAFF AGENCIES 



With the constantly broadening field to be covered by 

 legislation, and the increasing complexity of the sub- 

 stantive content of such legislation, all modern legisla- 

 tive bodies have felt the need of supplying themselves 

 with permanent agencies to aid them in the perform- 

 ance of their duties. Especially is this so in the case 

 of American legislative bodies where, due to the system 

 of separation of powers of which they are a part, the 

 Executive does not, as in the case of parliamentary, 

 responsible governments, participate directly in the per- 

 formance of the legislative function. In response to 

 appreciation of this need, the National Congress and 

 the State legislatures have created agencies known as 

 legislative reference services, legislative counsel or bill- 

 drafting services, revisors of statutes, legislative coun- 

 cils, and auditors of public accouiits, though few, if any, 

 have created all these agencies. 



Legislative Reference Services 



Intelligent legislation requires not only the exercise 

 of sound judgment, but the possession on the part of 

 legislators of detailed data regarding political, eco- 

 nomic, and social conditions and institutions, a knowl- 

 edge of existing provisions of law, and information 

 regarding the legislation of other jurisdictions and the 

 manner in which such legislation has operated in prac- 

 tice. Only in comparatively small degree do the mem- 

 bers of our legislative bodies have this information. 

 The most feasible way in which this lack can be met is 

 through the legislature providing itself with a staff 

 agency to which it can look for securing the data of 

 which it has need. 



Starting with New York in 1890, the great majority 

 of the States have provided themselves with an agency 

 of this kind, the movement for this establishment being 

 greatly stimulated by the successful operation, under 

 the leadership of Charles McCarthy, of the Wisconsin 

 Legislative Reference Bureau inaugurated in 1901. A 

 list of these services now in existence follows : ** 



« E'or tliis Ust the author is Indebted to The Book of the. States, pub- 

 lished by the Ameriian Legislators' Association and the Council of State 

 Governments, vol. II, 1937. 



AUihuina: Department of archives and history. 



Arizona: Stato library, law and legislative reference library. 



Arkansas: State historical commission, legislative reference 

 bureau. 



California: State library, law and legislative reference section. 



Colorado: Attorney general's office, legislative reference office. 



Connecticut: State library, legislative reference department 



Florida: State library. 



(Jcoriiia: State library, legislative reference department. 



Idaho: State law library- 



Illinois: Legislative reference bureau. 



Indiana: Department of law, legislative bureau. 



loica: State law library, law and legislative reference depart- 

 ment. 



Kansas: I>egislative council. 



Kentucky: State library. 



Louisiana: Library commission. 



Maine: State liluary, legislative reference bureau. 



Manjhmd: Departineut of legislative reference. 



Massacluisetts: Legislative reference division. 



Michigan: Legislative reference department. 



Minnesota: State law library. 



Mississippi: State library. 



Missouri: Library commission. 



Montana: State law library, legislative reference bureau. 



Nchraska: Board of university regents, legislative reference 

 bureau. 



Nciv Hampshire: State library, legislative service. 



New Jersey: State library, legislative reference department. 



New York: State library, legislative reference section. 



North Carolina: Department of the attorney general, legis- 

 lative reference library. 



Ohio: I.«gislative reference lioard, legislative reference bu- 

 reau. 



Oklahoma: State library. 



Oregon: State library. 



Pennsylvania: Legislative reference bureau. 



Rhode Island: State library, legislative reference bureau. 



South Carolina: State library, legislative reference section. 



South Dakota: State department of history. 



Texas: State library, legislative reference division. 



Vermont: State library, legislative reference bureau. 



Virginia: Governor's office, division of statutory research and 

 drafting. 



Washington: State library. 



West Virginia: Department of archives and history. 



Wisconsin: Free library commission, legislative reference 

 library. 



Wyoming: State library. 



These agencies vary considerably in their character, 

 resources, and fnnctions. In some cases, little more 



