Okay, let’s break down the United States Statutes at Large, Volume 108. Since you’ve provided a publication date and time, I’ll focus on what this volume represents and how to understand the information within it. I’ll also explain how to access and utilize the Statutes at Large, even though I can’t directly show you the content of Volume 108 itself.
Understanding the United States Statutes at Large
The United States Statutes at Large (often shortened to “Stat.”) is the official record of laws and concurrent resolutions passed by the United States Congress. Think of it as the chronological compilation of everything Congress officially enacts into law.
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What it Contains: It contains the full text of:
- Public Laws: These are laws that affect the general public. Most of the Statutes at Large consists of Public Laws.
- Private Laws: These are laws that affect specific individuals, organizations, or entities. These are less common than public laws.
- Concurrent Resolutions: These are statements of opinion or policy adopted by both houses of Congress (Senate and House of Representatives). They don’t have the force of law.
- Reorganization Plans: Plans created by the President to reorganize executive departments and agencies.
- Presidential Proclamations: Official declarations by the President, often related to national holidays, commemorations, or other matters of public interest.
- Proposed Constitutional Amendments: Resolutions proposing amendments to the Constitution.
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Organization: The Statutes at Large are organized chronologically by Congress and session. Each Congress lasts for two years and is divided into two sessions (one session per year). Therefore:
- “103rd Congress, 2nd Session” refers to the second year of the 103rd Congress. The 103rd Congress took place in 1993-1994.
- “Volume 108” is simply the 108th volume of the Statutes at Large to be published. Each volume can cover multiple congressional sessions.
- Public Laws are numbered sequentially, starting with “Public Law 103-XXX” (where XXX is the number of the law). Similarly, Private Laws are numbered “Private Law 103-XXX”. The 103 refers to the congress number.
Key Information about Volume 108 (103rd Congress, 2nd Session)
Given that it covers the 2nd Session of the 103rd Congress (1994), Volume 108 would contain the laws passed during that year. While I can’t list all the laws, here are some potential key topics/examples of what might be included (based on general historical context – remember, I can’t directly access the content):
- Federal Budget and Appropriations: Annual appropriations bills to fund various government agencies and programs would certainly be included. These are often large and complex.
- Healthcare Legislation: The 1990s saw ongoing debates about healthcare reform.
- Environmental Regulations: Laws related to clean air, water, endangered species, or other environmental issues.
- Criminal Justice Legislation: Changes to criminal laws, sentencing guidelines, or law enforcement procedures.
- International Trade Agreements: Any trade agreements ratified by Congress during that period.
- Defense Spending: Authorizations for military spending and defense programs.
- Amendments to Existing Laws: Many laws in the Statutes at Large are amendments to previous laws, updating or modifying them.
- Federal Lands: Laws concerning the management and use of federal lands.
Accessing and Using the Statutes at Large (and finding Volume 108)
The United States Statutes at Large is a public document and freely available online. Here’s how to find it:
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GovInfo.gov (the official source): This is the official website of the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO). This is the BEST place to start.
- Go to: https://www.govinfo.gov/
- In the search bar, type: “United States Statutes at Large”
- You can refine your search by Congress, Session, or Volume number.
- Look for the “Browse” option and navigate to “Statutes at Large” then to “Volume 108”.
- You can download the volume in PDF format.
- Alternatively, in the search bar, you can input “STATUTE-108” to directly reach the volume.
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Legal Research Databases (Westlaw, LexisNexis): These commercial legal databases also contain the Statutes at Large. However, they require a subscription. They offer powerful search and analysis tools, but are usually only available to lawyers, legal professionals, and students.
How to Read and Understand a Law in the Statutes at Large
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Citation: Each law is cited by its Public Law (or Private Law) number and the volume and page number in the Statutes at Large. For example, “Public Law 103-123, 108 Stat. 1234” means Public Law number 123 passed by the 103rd Congress, found in Volume 108 of the Statutes at Large, starting on page 1234.
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Components of a Law: A law typically includes:
- Short Title: A common name for the law (e.g., “Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990”).
- Enacting Clause: The formal statement that the law is being enacted (“Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled…”).
- Sections: The law is divided into numbered sections.
- Definitions: A section that defines key terms used in the law.
- Substantive Provisions: The main body of the law, which creates rights, imposes duties, or establishes programs.
- Amendments to Existing Laws: If the law amends a previous law, it will specify which sections of the previous law are being changed.
- Effective Date: The date on which the law takes effect.
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Interpreting a Law: Legal interpretation can be complex. Courts often interpret laws to resolve ambiguities or to apply them to specific cases. This often involves:
- The plain language of the statute: What the law literally says.
- Legislative history: The records of congressional debates, committee reports, and other documents that shed light on the intent of Congress when it passed the law.
- Case law: Previous court decisions interpreting the same or similar laws.
Important Considerations:
- The Statutes at Large is NOT the United States Code. The Statutes at Large is a chronological record. The United States Code (U.S.C.) is a subject-matter arrangement of the general and permanent laws of the United States. It’s organized by topic (e.g., Title 15 is Commerce and Trade, Title 26 is Internal Revenue). Laws in the Statutes at Large are eventually incorporated into the U.S. Code, but only if they are considered to be of a general and permanent nature. The U.S.C. is updated regularly.
- Amendments and Repeals: Laws can be amended or repealed by subsequent legislation. Therefore, it’s essential to check for any amendments or repeals to a law you are researching. Legal research databases and the U.S. Code provide tools to track these changes.
In summary, the United States Statutes at Large, Volume 108, is a snapshot of the laws passed by Congress in 1994. It’s a primary source of U.S. law, and you can access it for free on GovInfo.gov. Remember that legal research can be complex, and consulting with a legal professional is always a good idea for specific legal questions.
United States Statutes at Large, Volume 108, 103rd Congress, 2nd Session
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The following question was used to generate the response from Google Gemini:
At 2025-05-21 15:00, ‘United States Statutes at Large, Volume 108, 103rd Congress, 2nd Session’ was published according to Statutes at Large. Please write a detailed article with related information in an easy-to-understand manner. Please answer in English.
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