1. As with Federal legislative history research, make sure you actually have to do the research. Have court opinions already discussed legislative intent and explored the legislative history? Has a law review article or some other secondary source discussed it?
2. If you must do New York legislative history, review this helpful legislative history tutorial and this legislative intent page from the New York State Library. See also the CUNY Law Library's page.
3. The most important piece of New York legislative history are Bill Jackets (or Veto Jackets) that are "files" for each laws that include documentation on the decision-making process such as memoranda and correspondence regarding the bill that became the law, including often a Sponsor's Memorandum that may provide crucial evidence of legislative intent. Here is a sample Bill Jacket for Chapter law 182 from 2005.
Where do you find Bill & Veto Jackets? The New York State archives has a digital collection that covers from 1995-2011 (here is the current page that is more attractive, but less useful as their old page here (fully functional courtesy of the Wayback Machine). There is also a separate location with older bill jackets here. Westlaw also has these from 1996 to 2014 which you may be able to find either under the "History" tab when looking at your statute or, less preferably, you can access the database of New York Bill Jackets.
If the Chapter law you are researching does not fall within those electronically available years you have several options.
- You may be able to find at least the Sponsor's Memorandum through either CLS Session Laws (on Lexis) or McKinney's (on Westlaw).
- Here at CUNY Law you can come to the library and take a look at the New York State Legislative Annual which includes some memoranda for most Chapter laws. Coverage is from 1946-2013.
Although for both of these options you will be getting something less than the Bill Jacket. If you really need the full Bill Jacket outside the digital coverage, you can either (1) take a field trip to NYPL's SIBL Library where they have collections of Bill & Veto Jackets back to 1920, with some coverage back to 1905 or (2) you can order photocopies from the New York State Archives (for a fee).
Finally, if you need in-depth legislative history research done quickly (and can pay an outside service), the New York Legislative Service is an option.
Finally, if you need in-depth legislative history research done quickly (and can pay an outside service), the New York Legislative Service is an option.