§ 301. Arrangement.
§ 302. Section headings.
§ 303. Cross references between provisions of the Consolidated Statutes.
§ 304. References to other statutes.
§ 305. Re-use of section numbers.
§ 306. Bills to amend the Consolidated Statutes.
(a) Titles and major subdivisions.- This act consists of titles subdivided into parts, articles, chapters and such other major subdivisions as may be required for clarity of expression and uniformity of style.
(b) Chapters.- The principal subdivisions of a part, or of a title that is not divided into parts, of this act are chapters, comprising the sections relating to the part or title, as the case may be, embraced in the heading of the chapter. Chapters of this act are identified by Arabic numerals beginning with each title.
(c) Sections and minor subdivisions.- Sections of this act are identified by Arabic numerals beginning with each title. Chapters shall consist of no more than 99 sections. The last two digits in the section numbers shall indicate the sequence of sections within a chapter, and the digit or digits preceding such digits shall indicate the number of the chapter. A section of this act is subdivided into subsections, paragraphs, subparagraphs and such other minor subdivisions as may be required for clarity of expression and uniformity of style.
Each section of this act shall be given a brief descriptive heading immediately preceding the body of the section. The headings of sections may be referred to as catchlines. In printing this act and its amendments the Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau shall substitute a symbol for the word "Section" preceding the digits of a section number in each catchline. Subsections may also have headings for convenience. Subsection headings shall not be set out on separate lines.
When reference is made in this act to a provision contained in any other section or sections of the same title such provision shall be identified without specifying the number of the title in which it appears. When reference is made in this act to a provision contained in any section or sections of this act appearing in a different title the short form of citation specified in section 102 of this title (relating to citation of Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes) shall be used. A cross reference description based on the section heading or headings of the provisions cited shall be inserted immediately following the first occurrence of the citation in the section and following any reoccurrence of the citation which is preceded in the same section or relevant part thereof by a citation to a different section of this act. Where required for clarity in the case of cross references to subsections or other parts of a section, the cross reference description shall be based on the subject matter of the subsection or other part thereof referred to.
(a) Method and scope of reference.- Acts of the General Assembly shall be referred to generically in this act as statutes and, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, such term when used in this act shall be deemed to be also a general reference to the provisions of this act.
(b) Form of citation.- Without prejudice to any other form of citation, any statute, except a provision of this act, shall be cited in this act by reference to its date of enactment, the special session number, if any, the page and act number, if any, assigned in the Laws of Pennsylvania and its statutory short title, or popular name, if any, otherwise a brief summary of its title.
A section number shall not be re-used for a different subject, except in a bill to revise a part, article, chapter or other major subdivision of this act.
(a) Conformity with requirements of chapter.- Bills to amend this act shall be drafted to conform with the structure of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, as provided in this chapter.
(b) Bureau to insure conformity of bills.- The Legislative Reference Bureau shall insure that all bills to amend this act conform with the requirement of subsection (a) of this section and other requirements established by the bureau pursuant to this section. Agencies and persons submitting re- quests for bills to amend this act shall allow the bureau sufficient time to make the necessary review and revision prior to final drafting of the bill by the bureau and shall, upon request or pursuant to requirements established by the bureau, submit copies or information for preparation of tables of contents, source notes and parallel tables for the use or information of the bureau, the General Assembly, governmental agencies and the public.
(c) Bureau to determine form of bill and title changes.- In drafting bills requested by members of the General Assembly or other duly authorized agencies and persons, the bureau shall determine whether the bill shall be drafted in the form of an amendment to this act or in the form of an original enactment or amendment to another statute and shall draft the bill according to such determination. The bureau shall also determine whether the number or name of a title established under this act shall be changed and whether titles shall be added or deleted. This subsection shall not authorize the bureau to refuse to draft a bill in a manner expressly insisted upon by a member of the General Assembly nor shall it be construed as prohibiting the enactment of a law the form of which is contrary to the determination or advice of the bureau.
(d) Bureau may adopt regulations and initiate amendments.- The Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau may adopt and enforce rules, regulations, instructions and forms to carry out the powers and duties of the bureau under this act or other statute and the bureau may, from time to time, upon its own initiative, draft amendments to this act for consideration by the General Assembly.
(e) Validity of law unaffected by nonconformity.-No law or any part thereof shall be invalid because it is not enacted in conformity with this title or requirements established pursuant to this section.
The complete Pennsylvania Statutes are not yet available on the web. However, selected portions have been made available and can be accessed by CLICKING HERE. These statutes, though available instantaneously over the web, may not be the current law. Court decisions overturning them, later statutes amending them, and a host of other factors come into play when interpreting them. They are provided here as a resource. They should provide some information about the state of the law. However, a competent lawyer, who from other sources will research the law to insure what is current, should always be employed in matters of importance.