Tennessee State Library and Archives: Legislative

Legislative History and Recording

Legislative Recording Program

In 1955 the Tennessee State Library & Archives began audio recording the floor sessions of the Tennessee General Assembly. Over a period of years the program gradually expanded and by the late 1980s TSLA included the standing committees of the General Assembly. This recording has now become a year-round process as many of the legislative committees currently meet 12 months of the year. In addition, recordings of various special committees have been added to the audio archive, creating a unique resource of primary materials.

Legislative Recording Process

The recordings are made by the staff of a section of the Technical Services Office of the Tennessee State Library & Archives. Recorders set up the equipment, record the meetings, and create a ‘log’sheet for each audio tape. The logs have a brief description of the material on the tape, which includes bill numbers, names of person speaking & an indication of the subject discussed. After a meeting has been recorded, the original materials are duplicated, the originals stored and the duplicates placed in the Public Services Section of TSLA. Any request to have a meeting recorded must be directed to, and scheduled by, the Legislative Recording Program Coordinator, who can be reached at 615-741-2561.

Researching Legislative History and Intent

There are no materials with which to research legislative intent for any legislation enacted before 1955. Legislation enacted after 1955 may be discussed on the audio tapes contained in the TSLA audio archive. To search the audio archive, the staff of the Legislative History office of Public Services needs the following information:

Public Act number and the year or
Bill numbers and the year

The Public Act numbers & year can be found in the last few sentences in the last paragraph of the section of the relevant part of the Tennessee Code Annotated. If you need assistance to locate this information, call Legislative History staff at 615-741-1549 or email at lht.tsla@state.tn.us .

Once Legislative History staff has the above information, staff can check dates of bill action to determine if audio tapes are available for those dates & then retrieve the appropriate audio tapes and log sheets. Depending on the complexity of the specific information request, staff research can take as little time as an hour or two or as long as several days. When the research is completed, library clients can request copies of the tapes and logs or can come into the library and use them here.

It is best to place your initial order by phone, email or fax because of the length of time the research may take. Staff will notify you when the research has been completed and the various materials involved have been gathered together. At that time you can decide whether you wish to come into the library to use the materials or you wish copies made. Legislative History’s telephone number is 615-741-1549, email address is lht.tsla@state.tn.us and fax number is 615-532-2472.

Please note that there are no print transcripts available for the audio tapes. Clients wishing transcripts of the tapes must either make them themselves or hire someone to do so.

There is an audio tape listening area available for library clients. The recordings made after 1987 were made at half-speed and those log sheets have ‘count’ numbers that can make listening/searching faster and more efficient if the library’s listening equipment is used. When copies of these post-1987 tapes are made they are re-formatted for listening on conventional tape players & the ‘count’ numbers on the log sheets are no longer compatible. Listening on the library’s equipment can greatly speed research time.

Fees

There is an initial research fee, which is payable in advance. If copies of tapes are needed there is an additional charge for those, which is also payable in advance. The number of tapes involved in any given question cannot be determined until the initial. For specific information about any of the charges involved or about methods of payment, please call the Legislative History staff at 615-741-1549 or email at lht.tsla@state.tn.us .

Certification of Materials

If needed, library staff can certify both copies of audio tapes and/or any print materials. There is an additional fee for doing this of $5 per item. If you think this may be needed, please say so when the initial copy order is placed, as we cannot certify after-the-fact anything that has left the library. If you decide at a later date that you need items certified that you have already received, we will have to charge you for the order a second time and re-copy all the materials.

Public Acts of Tennessee

The text of Public Acts passed by the Tennessee General Assembly since 1997 is posted on the web site of the Tennessee Department of State. For Acts passed prior to 1997, check with your local public or university library or call or email the Tennessee State Library & Archives at 615-741-2764 or lht.tsla@state.tn.us .

Tennessee Rules and Regulations

The current Tennessee Rules & Regulations are posted on the web site of the Tennessee Department of State and are updated monthly. For copies of superseded Rules for the years 1976 through the present, call or email the Tennessee State Library & Archives at 615-741-2764 or lht.tsla@state.tn.us

Hours of Operation

The Legislative History Office of the Tennessee State Library & Archives is open Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 4:30 PM. The Tennessee State Library and Archives is open Monday through Saturday 8 AM to 6 PM. Legislative History clients are welcome to leave a voice mail message on the 615-741-1549 telephone number 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but the messages will only be responded to during the usual business hours of the office.

Links

Resource Guide

Legal & Legislative Materials Available @ TSLA

Updated November 19, 2008