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Frequently Asked Questions About the Minnesota Legislature

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Laws, Statutes and Rules

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1. What is a law?

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2. What are statutes?

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3. What is a rule?

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4. What is an act?

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5. How do laws, statutes, and rules differ?

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6. How can I find the law on a particular subject?

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7. When do new laws go into effect?

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8. Where do I find Minnesota Statutes and Session Laws?

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9. How do I retrieve past Minnesota statutes?

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10. What are the official versions of Minnesota laws, statutes and rules?

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11. How do I cite Minnesota's legal sources?

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12. When are the numbers assigned to the sections of the statutes?

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13. How do I read the statutes? What do the italicized numbers at the end of a section mean?

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14. Where can I buy Minnesota Laws, Statutes, or Rules?