Minnesota Statutes Statutes, Construction (Ch. 645-648) § 645.31. Construction of amendatory and reference laws

Subdivision 1. Amendatory laws. When a section or part of a law is amended, the amendment shall be construed as merging into the original law, becoming a part thereof, and replacing the part amended, and the remainder of the original enactment and the amendment shall be read together and viewed as one act passed at one time; but the portions of the law which were not altered by the amendment shall be construed as effective from the time of their first enactment, and the new provisions shall be construed as effective only from the date when the amendment became effective. When an act has been amended “so as to read as follows,” or otherwise, a later reference to that act either by its original title or as it exists in any compilation of the laws of this state includes the act as amended.

Subd. 2. Adoption of law by reference. When an act adopts the provisions of another law by reference it also adopts by reference any subsequent amendments of such other law, except where there is clear legislative intention to the contrary.