Office of the Revisor of Statutes (Minnesota)

Office of the Revisor of Statutes (Minnesota)
Agency name	Office of the Revisor of Statutes (Minnesota)
Formed	1851
Preceding1	Territorial Revisor of Statutes
Jurisdiction	Minnesota
Headquarters	Saint Paul, Minnesota
Employees	approx. 30–50
Budget	state-appropriated
Chief name	Revisor of Statutes
Parent agency	Minnesota Legislature

Office of the Revisor of Statutes (Minnesota) is the state agency responsible for drafting legislative language, preparing codified statutes, and publishing official legal texts for Minnesota. The office serves as a central legal editorial and drafting resource for the Minnesota Legislature, legislative committees, and state agencies, providing annotated statutory compilations, session laws, and official codifications. It operates at the intersection of legislative procedure, statutory compilation, and public legal information.

History

The office traces institutional roots to early territorial law codification efforts following the Minnesota Territory establishment and subsequent Minnesota statehood in 1858, evolving from duties assigned under territorial and state statutes to a professionalized editorial office. During the Civil War era contemporaneous with figures like Alexander Ramsey and events such as the Dakota War of 1862, state legislative growth increased demand for systematic statutory publication, prompting successive revisions under early Revisors. Twentieth-century developments paralleled administrative reforms associated with governors including J. A. O. Preus and Orville Freeman, and postwar expansion akin to state modernization seen during the administrations of Harold Stassen and Elmer Benson. Major codification milestones occurred alongside nationwide legal publishing advances exemplified by the practices of the Library of Congress and state revisor offices such as California Legislative Counsel and New York Legislative Bill Drafting Commission. Later legal reforms and continuity were influenced by judicial interpretations from the Minnesota Supreme Court and legislative sessions convened at the Minnesota State Capitol.

Organization and Responsibilities

The Revisor heads a staff organized into drafting, editorial, publication, and information-technology units located near the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The office’s responsibilities include statutory drafting for legislators and committees, preparing the official Minnesota Statutes, publishing the Laws of Minnesota (session laws), maintaining annotations, and providing research support akin to services offered by agencies such as the Congressional Research Service and the American Law Institute. The Revisor’s authority derives from statutes enacted by the Minnesota Legislature and is exercised in concert with clerks of the Minnesota Senate and the Minnesota House of Representatives, administrative law bodies like the Office of Administrative Hearings (Minnesota), and executive offices including the Office of the Governor of Minnesota. The office liaises with county courts, municipal codifiers such as the Minneapolis City Council and the Saint Paul City Council, and legal publishers, while adhering to standards shaped by organizations like the American Bar Association.

Legislative Drafting and Publication

The Revisor provides bill-drafting services for state legislators, caucuses, and legislative committees during regular legislative sessions and special sessions held at the Minnesota State Capitol. Drafting follows statutory directives and precedents established in the Minnesota Statutes, integrating amendments passed as session laws in the Laws of Minnesota. The office prepares engrossed and enrolled bills for presentation to the Governor of Minnesota and maintains records tied to legislative procedural landmarks such as the passage of the Minnesota Human Rights Act and budgetary measures overseen by the Minnesota Department of Management and Budget. Publication tasks include producing official compilations comparable to the federal United States Statutes at Large and coordinating distribution to libraries including the Minnesota Historical Society and academic institutions like the University of Minnesota Law School and Hamline University School of Law.

Technology and Digital Services

The office has implemented digital publishing platforms, searchable databases, and online annotation tools to disseminate the Minnesota Statutes and session laws, paralleling digital initiatives by the Library of Congress and state counterparts such as the Texas Legislative Reference Library. Technological upgrades have integrated content management, hypertext linking, and secure document archives used by legislators, attorneys, and the public, and interfaces support interoperability with legal research services like HeinOnline and university repositories including the William Mitchell College of Law collections. The Revisor collaborates with state IT authorities, including the Minnesota IT Services (MNIT), to ensure data integrity, accessibility under standards similar to those promoted by the National Information Standards Organization and compliance with open records practices exemplified by the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.

Notable Publications and Projects

Major outputs include the official codification series, the annual compilation of the Minnesota Statutes, and the session law volumes titled the Laws of Minnesota, along with legislative journals and bill histories. Special projects have included comprehensive restatements, recodification initiatives, annotated compilations used by the Minnesota Judicial Center and law libraries at Macalester College and St. Olaf College, and collaborative undertakings with the Minnesota State Law Library to index historic statutes and public acts. The office has produced topical code reorganizations affecting areas overseen by agencies such as the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Minnesota Department of Education, and the Minnesota Department of Health, and has supported high-profile legislative reforms on subjects aligned with statutes like the Minnesota Environmental Policy Act and the Minnesota Human Rights Act.

Oversight, Legal Authority, and Accountability

Statutory authority for the Revisor is defined by laws enacted by the Minnesota Legislature and interpreted by the Minnesota Supreme Court and lower courts. Oversight mechanisms include legislative appropriations committees, administrative audits by the Office of the Legislative Auditor (Minnesota), and transparency obligations enforced through the Minnesota Data Practices Act and public-records statutes. The Revisor operates within a framework of professional legal ethics observed by members of the Minnesota State Bar Association and is subject to judicial review in disputes over statutory meaning adjudicated in courts such as the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Accountability also arises from interactions with civic institutions including the Minnesota League of Cities, the Association of Minnesota Counties, academic reviewers at the University of Minnesota, and public-interest organizations active in state policy debates such as the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy.

Category:Government of Minnesota Category:State agencies of Minnesota Category:Legal research