Free lunch newspaper's estimate that the saloon keepers fed 60,000 people a day and that this represented a contribution of about $18,000 a week toward the relief of the destitute in Chicago. In 1896, the New York State legislature passed the Raines law which was intended to regulate liquor traffic. Among its many provisions, one forbade the sale of liquor unless accompanied by food; another outlawed the free lunch. In 1897, however, it was amended to allow free lunches again. Free lunch A free lunch is the providing of a meal at no cost, usually as a sales enticement to attract customers
Law of New York (state) and concurrent resolutions proposing amendments to the state or federal constitutions of each legislative session are called session laws and published in the official "Laws of New York". The codification of the permanent laws of a general nature are contained in the "Consolidated Laws of New York". New York uses a system called "continuous codification" whereby each session law clearly identifies the law and section of the "Consolidated Laws" affected by its passage. Unlike real codes, the "Consolidated Laws" are systematic but neither comprehensive nor preemptive, and reference to other laws and case law is often necessary. There also exist