FAQ

What is this?

This is a full conversion of the PDF of Senate Bill 744 into HTML, with hyperlinks and "hoverlinks." Links are to other parts of the document and to sections of the Immigration and Nationality Act (2011) The senate bill involved about 20,000 edits - done using a "mix of old and new" software engineering technique I call "flatlining" - to accurately convert the document into the HTML form you are using. The INA itself had over half a million edits to get it to this useful state.

Why have you just added social like buttons?

The interest in this document has come from two influential blog posts. I realized that there are probably many more people who want to read it and don't read the immigration law lawprofessors blog or the lexis community, so I've put the buttons on the page to help spread the word. Maybe each section needs a "like" and a "dislike" button? Only kidding. But maybe...

Why do you only have external links to the INA?

Because I have not processed other statutes. I created the online INA because I needed it. Do you need another statute?

Will you keep it up to date as amendments are introduced?

Yes. And if the authors want to send me the text of the amendments early, there won't be a delay in getting the changes in

Why doesn't X work?

Thanks for finding this problem. If you'd like to send me details I can fix it - my contact details are on my practice webpage. I do see some issues and try to correct then as soon as I can.

Why have you done this?

Because I find the traditonal bill format hard to read. I created the INA edition because I needed it. I am a new lawyer and was working through the ILRC practice guides and drowning in cross-references. With this edition I can flip back and forth from statute to practice guide PDF on my iPad. And work through the material.

Also it's a way for me to reach out to other lawyers with similar interests. And members of the public who are caught up in this web of legislation. I have really enjoyed the comments and feedback I have received so far.

Why have I only found this INA now?

Because the content isn't orginal - just the markup that makes it easy to read. And search engines don't pay attention to markup. So Google doesn't register it. It is visible now because a few kind people posted about it on their blogs and it has spread widely through word of mouth, twitter and facebook.

How can I help?

If you want to post a link the Senate Bill or the INA on your website, then people may still be able to find it once the "spread the word" effect has died down. And if you want to get back to it, you would be well advised to bookmark it.

Why have you only done the immigration statute?

Because that's what I use. And because it has so many cross-references that it is hard to read without the hoverlinks. Maybe there's another statute that could use this treatment?

What's the catch?

No catch. This is my "professional" site - where I put various law and software projects that I am working on, and my blog. The INA has been up on the internet for months because I needed it, and a few other people found it useful. But it isn't easily found through Google search.

Also there's no advertising.

Can I sponsor this site etc?

See above. There is no advertising. So the value you would get would be that you can #readthebill - or another statute /regulations that you need to work on everyday.