About Session Laws
The chronological arrangement of laws enacted by the Washington Legislature and signed into law by the Governor are called session laws. When you need read the text of a law as it was originally enacted, consult the session laws, also called the Laws of Washington.
Bluebook citation: <year> Wash. Sess. Laws <page number>
Washington Office of the Reporter of Decisions Style Sheet citation: Laws of <year>, ch. <number>
Online Sources
- Session Laws [Washington Office of the Code Reviser]PDF documents. Covers 1854 to date.
- Session Laws of Washington Territory [HeinOnline]
Covers 1854 to 1888. - Washington Historical Enacted Legislation (Session Laws) [Westlaw]Covers from 1988 to the year before the current year.
- Advance Legislative Service [Lexis Advance]Updated daily when the Legislature is in session. Covers 1989 to date.
Print Sources
- Session Laws of the State of WashingtonCall Number: KFW25 .A22 at Reference Area & Compact StacksPublication Date: 1890 -Laws enacted in chronological order. Commonly referred to as the Laws of Washington.
- Acts of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of WashingtonCall Number: KFW25 .A22 at Reference Area & Compact StacksPublication Date: 1855 - 1888Laws enacted in chronological order.
Indexes
Indexes are useful when you don't have a citation to a particular chapter number and a search fails to retrieve the correct citation.
In the Laws of Washington, the last volume for each two-year legislative session includes a subject index.
- Index to the Laws, Memorials and Resolutions Passed by the Washington Territorial Legislature, 1853-1887Call Number: KFW40 .I63 1993 at Reference AreaPublication Date: 1993