Bills Containing a Local Mandate in California

Article IV of the California Constitution deals with the Legislature and the legislative process in this state. The Legislature enacts statutes by passing bills. Bills that are enacted in California, per the state Constitution, may impose a mandate on local agencies or school districts. If so, then the state is generally required to reimburse those agencies or districts for the costs of the new or expanded program.

In addition to this constitutional requirement, there are detailed reimbursement provisions in the Government Code and, ultimately, the reimbursement decision and amount are determined by the Commission on State Mandates by way of a petition filed by those agencies or districts.

So, how many bills each year contain a state-mandated local program? The following chart provides this data:

Session Years	Bills that Contain a Local Mandate
2025 – 26	1,359
2023 – 24	1,420
2021 – 22	1,316
2019 – 20	1,281
2017 – 18	1,223
2015 – 16	1,115
2013 – 14	1,022
2011 – 12	963
2009 – 10	981
2007 – 08	1,152
2005 – 06	1,122
2003 – 04	580
2001 – 02	705
1999 – 2000	573