GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1993

S	1 

SENATE BILL 1092

Short Title:  Computer Legal Research.	(Public)
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Sponsors: Senators Martin of Guilford; Sands, Winner of Buncombe, Soles, Kerr, Hartsell, Folger, Marshall, Ballance, Johnson, Allran, Odom, Gulley, Daniel, and Seymour.
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Referred to:  Rules and Operation of the Senate.
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May 10, 1993

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT DIRECTING THE GENERAL STATUTES COMMISSION TO STUDY ISSUES RELATING TO COMPUTERIZED LEGAL RESEARCH OF GENERAL LAW AND ADMINISTRATIVE RULES, INCLUDING THE PROBLEM OF INCORPORATING DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE WHICH CANNOT BE SEARCHED IN THE DATABASE.
Whereas, G.S. 164-13(a)(3) directs the General Statutes Commission to make a continuing study of all matters involved in the preparation and publication of modern codes of law; and
Whereas, modern codes of law, to meet emerging technology that now is or will soon be in the hands of the bar, must be available on computerized databases; and
Whereas, case law allows incorporation by reference of other documents in legislative enactments and in administrative rules; and
Whereas, incorporation by reference is largely a tool to allow avoidance of hard publication of lengthy documents, which may have graphic as well as text material; and
Whereas, legal researchers using computerized databases of statutes and administrative rules often do not have access to these secondary documents; and
Whereas, technology exists to allow adding these secondary documents to the computer databases at far less relative cost than printing them at length; and
Whereas, the whole issue of access and publication of computer databases needs to be debated; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  The General Statutes Commission shall study:
(1)	Technology concerning computer access to the General Statutes and administrative rules; and
(2)	The feasbility, costs, and benefits of incorporating in the computer databases documents incorporated by reference in the primary material.
Sec. 2.  The General Statutes Commission shall report its recommendations to the General Assembly no later than January 1, 1995.
Sec. 3.  This act is effective upon ratification.