'We have too many laws'

I hear this all the time, and in a lot of ways, it's true. We still have a statute on the books that sets out the procedure for dismantling a still and directing the proceeds of the copper to the county road fund (and maybe it needs to remain on the books). Still, the Arkansas Code is a pretty small compilation relative to the other sets of state laws on my bookshelf. Our 55 volumes (41 for the West version) pale in comparison to the 186 volumes contained in the Texas set and 172 volumes in the Louisiana Civil Code and Statutes:



Speaking of the official publication of the Arkansas Code, the Code Revision Commission recently heard a sales pitch from both Thomson West and LexisNexis regarding the contract for the official volumes. I've used both and like the West version better, but more important to me is some publishers' routine insistence on splitting volumes for seemingly no other reason than to require private law firms, agencies, and law schools to purchase additional books to remain current. The commission will decide in March whether to to put the contract up for bids.