structure of legislation

The second category that I looked 
into:

 

Structure of 
Legislation

 

http://www.congressionaldebate.org/tutorials/writing-legislation

 

Capitalizing the 
words “WHEREAS” and “RESOLVED” in resolutions, and “SECTION” in bills, as well 
as inverse-indenting each clause or section helps to distinguish between ideas 
and concepts. Conventions for written structure of legislation differ in various 
leagues and regions. The suggestions herein are based on a synthesis of the 
various formats, as well as format used by the U.S. Congress....

 

WHEREAS, 
<shortdesc>[Statement of problem in one brief 
sentence]</shortdesc>
; and WHEREAS, [Scope of problem].
; and 
WHEREAS, [Impact and harms]
; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by [legislative 
body] here assembled that:
[Recommendation, call for action]
; and, be it 
FURTHER RESOLVED, that [optional further recommendation].
Introduced by 
[sponsor(s)]

 

http://pmc.princeton.edu/writeabill.php

 

Title
Some 
metadata for <prolog> (bill number, type of legislation (bill, resolution 
[various types of resolutions]).
Preamble: Whereas [justification for 
government action]
Body: 
  Section (one or more): [Idea for 
implementation]
    Subsection (zero or more): [further detail 
and clarification (definitions, etc.) ]
Enactment: [date when 
effective]

 

Enactment Clause: 
This is the final section of the bill (and can be labeled as a section as 
normal). EACH BILL MUST HAVE AN ENACTMENT CLAUSE!! The enactment clause tells 
your fellow congressmen when your bill will take effect if passed. It may 
specify a future date (September 30, 2005) or a certain number of days following 
the passage of the bill (60 days after passage). Enactment dates within 30 days 
of passage are used for EMERGENCY legislation only. Enactment dates more than 90 
days after passage is used for most legislation and is the enactment period for 
normal legislation.

 

Example bills and a 
template at this site.

 

http://www.moyig.org/documents/Bill%20Writing%20Guide.pdf
Not 
very specific about structure. Some example bills at
http://www.moyig.org/about/documents.php

 

http://abacus.bates.edu/bcsg/legislation/howtowrite.html

 

The body of a piece 
of legislation consists of two major parts: (1) Reasons why this legislation is 
necessary; and (2) Actions that should be taken due to those reasons.
The 
first part of the body consists of "whereas" clauses which outline the 
arguments, facts, and circumstances supporting the action to be taken. Each 
"whereas" clause except the last, ends in ";". The next-to-last clause ends in 
"; and".
The last "whereas" clause ends in ": Now, therefore, be it". This 
leads into the second part of the body, which begins with "Enacted," (for Bills 
and Executive Appointments) or "Resolved," (for Resolutions).
Following this 
phrase are sections which describe what is being enacted or resolved. Each 
section ends with ";". The next-to-last section ends with "; and", and the last 
ends with ".". Section numbers may be used, but are not always necessary.
The 
final part of a piece of legislation are the signers. 

 

http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/help/Main_Body_and_Schedules.htm
http://www.lawcom.govt.nz/UploadFiles/Publications/Publication_39_102_R35.pdf 
(NZ prescription)