We get many questions about state and federal government. These questions can be about how to find specific publications, how to find a legislator, or about how government works. Here we hope you will find the answers you are looking for.
Don't see the answer you were looking for? Ask us a question at Ask a Librarian.
The answers provided come from government information professionals in New Mexico:
What is an Executive Order?
Executive orders are official documents, numbered consecutively, through which the President of the United States manages the operations of the Federal Government. The text of Executive orders appears in the daily Federal Register as each Executive order is signed by the President and received by the Office of the Federal Register
The text of Executive orders beginning with Executive Order 7316 of March 13, 1936, also appears in the sequential editions of Title 3 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). NOTE: The total number of Executive orders issued for each administration includes number-and-letter designated orders, such as 9577-A, 9616-A, etc.
This information is from FAQ' About Executive Orders
Where can I find Executive Orders?
Executive Orders can be found on the White House website. Executive Orders are arranged by the date they were issued.
After the President signs an Executive order, the White House sends it to the Office of the Federal Register (OFR).
Presidential Executive Orders of past presidents can be found at Executive Orders, 1993 to Present (from the Compilation of Presidential Documents)
Governors also issue executive orders. A collection of these are available onlilne (2003-present) from the New Mexico State Library.
What is a Presidential Memo?
A presidential memorandum is a type of directive issued by the president of the United States to cabinet secretaries to instruct them and/or delegate actions, practices, and policies of the various departments under the executive branch of the United States government. These have the force of law.
Where can I find Presidential Memos?
Presidential Memos can be found a the Federal Register Other Presidential Documents
Proclamations typically:
Where can I find Proclamations?
The President of the United States and state governors communicate information on holidays, commemorations, special observances, trade, and policy through Proclamations. After the President signs a Proclamation, the White House sends it to the Office of the Federal Register (OFR). State proclamations often go to the Secretary of State.
You can find proclamations from past and current presidents here.
Proclamations from the Governor of New Mexico can be found here.
"Administrative laws at the federal level are typically called rules (or regulations). Rules are promulgated to implement, interpret, or prescribe law or policy. The terms "rules" and "regulations" have the same meaning in the context of federal administrative law and are used interchangeably. Rules are published in two official sources: the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations." - Rules and Rulemaking
"Statutes, also known as acts, are laws passed by a legislature. Federal statutes are the laws passed by Congress, usually with the approval of the President. Federal statutes are published in three formats:
When a bill is passed it is included in the Laws of New Mexico for that year. It is presented as the bill was passed.
Laws can have parts that are added to or change different parts of the existing statutes. After a bill is passed it can be divided up into the areas of the statute it changes. This is called codifying. You can find the Annotated Statutes here.
Rules are created to implement the laws or let different agencies know what they need to do to make sure the law is followed.
New Mexico Rules Annotated (NMOneSource)