Frequently Asked Questions About the Minnesota Legislature

See the sample citations below, which are followed by notes on formatting.

Constitution:

Minn. Const. art. IV, sec. 8

Minn. Const. art. IV, sec. 8, online. Accessed August 19, 2016.

Statutes:

Legislative citation

Minnesota Statutes 2015, section 3.302, subdivision 3

Minnesota Statutes 2015, section 3.302, subdivision 3, online. Accessed August 19, 2016.

Court citation

MINN. STAT. 3.302 (2015)

MINN. STAT. ANN. 3.302 (2015)

Session Laws:

Legislative citation

Laws of Minnesota 1988, chapter 469, article 1, section 1

Laws of Minnesota 1988, chapter 469, article 1, section 1, online. Accessed August 19, 2016.

Laws of Minnesota 1985, 1st Spec. Sess. chapter 13, article 1, section 61

Court citation

1988 Minn. Laws xxx (note: xxx is a page #)

Minnesota Rules:

Legislative citation

Minnesota Rules 2015, part 1400.2070, subpart 2, item C

Minnesota Rules, part 1400.2070, subpart 2, item C, online. Accessed August 19, 2016.

Court citation

MINN. R. 1400.2070 (2015)

Bills:

Minn. S.F. 123 art. 4, sec. 5. (2015), online. Accessed August 19, 2016.

House and Senate Journals:

Minn. Sen. J., 89th Leg., Reg. Sess. xxx (2016) (note: xxx is a page #)

Minn. H.J., 89th Leg., Reg. Sess. xxx (2016) (note: xxx is a page #)

Audio or Video of Legislative Floor and Committee Hearings:

Floor debates

Minn. Sen., Floor Debate, 89th Minn. Leg., Reg. Sess. (May 23, 2016), available at: http://mnsenate.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2 (audio)

Minn. Sen., Floor Debate, 89th Minn. Leg., Reg. Sess. (May 23, 2016), available at: http://mnsenate.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=1 (video web media)

Minn. H., Floor Debate, 89th Minn. Leg., Reg. Sess. (May 22, 2016, part 2), available at: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/htv/archivesHFS.asp?ls_year=89 (video web media)

Committee hearings

Minn. Sen., Hearing on S.F. 2374 before the Sen. Comm. on Taxes, 89th Minn. Leg., Reg. Sess. (April 5, 2016), available at: http://mnsenate.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=1 (video web media)

Minn. H., Hearing on H.F. 3594 before the H. Comm. on Taxes, 89th Minn. Leg., Reg. Sess. (April 21, 2016), available at: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/cmte/archiveAV/cmtearchives.aspx?comm=89023&ls_year=89 (video web media)

Materials from committee minutes

The example is a Senate Counsel Bill Summary.
Minn. Sen. Judiciary Comm., 75th Minn. Leg., Summary of S.F. No. 2017, at 2 (Mar. 5, 1988) (report by Senate Counsel Allison Wolf)

Notes on formatting:

In some instances, two citation formats are listed:

1. Legislative: as cited by the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes or on the Minnesota Legislative website
2. Legal court citation: as cited in legal citation manuals. Legislative hearing cite formats are taken from a citation manual (tapes) and the Mitchell Hamline Law Review (web archive).

If you consult Minnesota's legal materials online, cite them in a way that makes that clear. A citation to online material will usually include three elements:

1. The ordinary, official citation
2. The word "online." (You don't need to include the full URL.)
3. The access date, which is the latest date when the text appeared online in the form you cite.
   
   For example, a complete citation of Minnesota Statutes, section 3.302 consulted online looks like this:
   Minnesota Statutes 2015, section 3.302, online. Accessed September 6, 2016.