[header] How to interpret statutes [title] Follow the plain meaning of the text. [step] The primary rule of statutory interpretation is to assume words and phrases have the same meaning a reasonable person would assume them to have. [substeps] If the statute makes sense on its face, you generally don't need to look any further. 
The other tools of statutory interpretation only apply to words and phrases that are ambiguous or could have several meanings. When you read the statute, avoid reading anything into it that isn't present in the language of the statute itself, or reading a word or phrase to imply something other than the plain meaning of the words themselves.