Legal Definitions - legislative intent

Definition: Legislative intent refers to the plan or purpose that the lawmakers had in mind when they passed a law. It is also known as the intention of the legislature, congressional intent, or parliamentary intent.

Legislative intent can be determined by examining the language of the law itself, as well as the context in which it was passed. This can include looking at the legislative history, such as committee reports, floor debates, and other documents that shed light on the lawmakers' intentions.

For example, if a law is passed to address a specific problem, such as pollution in a particular area, the legislative intent would be to reduce or eliminate that pollution. If a court is called upon to interpret the law, it would look to the legislative intent to determine how the law should be applied in a particular case.

Another example of legislative intent might be a law that is passed to protect consumers from fraudulent business practices. The legislative intent would be to ensure that consumers are not taken advantage of by unscrupulous businesses. If a court is asked to interpret the law, it would look to the legislative intent to determine whether a particular business practice is fraudulent or not.

In short, legislative intent is an important factor in interpreting laws and understanding the purpose behind them.