In the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, a slip law is an individual
Act of Congress
An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by the United States Congress. Acts may apply only to individual entities (called Public and private bills, private laws), or to the general public (Public and private bills, public laws). For a Bill (law) ...
which is either a
public law (Pub.L.) or a
private law
Private law is that part of a civil law legal system which is part of the ''jus commune'' that involves relationships between individuals, such as the law of contracts and torts (as it is called in the common law), and the law of obligations ( ...
(Pvt.L.). They are part of a three-part model for
publication
To publish is to make content available to the general public.[Berne Conve ...](_blank)
of
federal statute
In the law of the United States, the Code of Laws of the United States of America (variously abbreviated to Code of Laws of the United States, United States Code, U.S. Code, U.S.C., or USC) is the official compilation and codification of the ...
s consisting of slip laws,
session law
Session laws are the collection of statutes enacted by a legislature during a single session of that legislature, often published following the end of the session as a bound volume. The United States Statutes at Large are an example of session ...
s, and
codification. Session laws are compiled into the ''
Statutes at Large'' (Stat.), and codification results in the
United States Code (U.S.C.).
Public and private laws are prepared and published by the
Office of the Federal Register
The Office of the Federal Register is an office of the United States government within the National Archives and Records Administration.
The Office publishes the ''Federal Register'', ''Code of Federal Regulations'', ''Public Papers of the Presid ...
(OFR) of the
National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...
(NARA).
At the end of a Congressional session, slip laws are compiled into the ''
Statutes at Large'', which are called "session laws", published by the
Government Printing Office
The United States Government Publishing Office (USGPO or GPO; formerly the United States Government Printing Office) is an agency of the legislative branch of the United States Federal government. The office produces and distributes information ...
(GPO).
Today, most of the public laws, but not private laws, are drafted as amendments to the
United States Code.
See also
* ''
United States Statutes at Large
The ''United States Statutes at Large'', commonly referred to as the ''Statutes at Large'' and abbreviated Stat., are an official record of Acts of Congress and concurrent resolutions passed by the United States Congress. Each act and resolutio ...
''
* ''
United States Code''
References
{{reflist
Further reading
"Slip Laws"from ''Federal Statutes: A Beginner's Guide'' at the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
External links
Public and Private Laws(1995–present) at Govinfo (U.S. Government Publishing Office)
Public Laws(1951–present) at
Congress.gov
Private Laws(1951–present) at Congress.gov
American legal terminology
Legal research
Statutory law
United States federal legislation