Q: What’s the difference between statutes and a state’s administrative codes (or rules)? A: As mentioned above, state statutes are state laws passed by the legislature. A state’s administrative codes, on the other hand, are created by an office or agency of the state under authority granted by the legislature.

Thus, the best way to refer to a provision compiled in a non-positive title of the U.S. Code is by the provision of the underlying statute, while also including a parenthetical or footnote cite to the U.S. Code. The statute is the law that Congress enacted and it is the legal evidence of the law.

Public laws are designed to affect the general public while private laws are passed to meet the special needs of an individual or group. Only public laws become part of the statutory code, the U.S. Code. Both will appear in separate series in the session laws, the U.S. Statutes at Large.