Overview of the California Assembly Rules

On the first day of the start of each two-year legislative session, the Assembly adopts rules for its internal procedures. For the 2021-2022 Session, the Standing Rules of the Assembly are contained in House Resolution 1 (Cooley). The following are all of those rules:

1 – Assembly General Officers

2 – Hours of Meeting

3 – Speaker to Call Assembly to Order

4 – Rollcall and Quorum

5 – Organization of Assembly

6 – Adoption of Standing Rules

7 – Suspension of Rules

8 – Amending Standing Rules

10 – Mason’s Manual

11 – Standing Committees

11.3 – Open Meetings

11.4 – Conference Committee Meetings

11.5 – Assembly Investigating Committees

12 – Membership of Standing Committees

13 – Committee on Rules

13.1 – Organization of Party Caucuses

14 – Powers of the Committee on Rules

14.5 – Subcommittee on Harassment, Discrimination, and Retaliation Prevention and Response

15 – Committee on Rules

15.5 – Operating Fund Report

15.6 – Independent Audit of Operating Funds

15.7 – Performance Audit

16 – Rules Committee Resolutions

17 – Assembly Operating Fund

18 – Expenditures

20 – Rules and Regulations Governing Committees

21 – Fees for Witnesses

22 – Assembly General Research Committee

22.5 – Assembly Legislative Ethics Committee

23 – Printing of Committee Reports

24 – Assembly Employees

25 – Public Legislative Meetings

26 – Duties of the Speaker

27 – Funerals and Other Ceremonies and Events

28 – Selection of Officers

29 – Duties of the Speaker pro Tempore

29.5 – Duties of the Assistant Speaker pro Tempore

30 – Majority Leader

31 – Caucus Chairpersons

32 – Chief Clerk

33 – Sergeant at Arms

34 – Filling Interim Vacancies—Assembly Elected Officers

35 – Authority for Printing

36 – Ordering of Printing

37 – Printing Assembly History and Legislative Handbook

37.5 – Transmittal of Assembly Joint Resolutions

40 – Order of Business

41 – Pledging of Allegiance to the Flag

42 – Reading and Correcting Journals

43 – Presentation of Petitions

44 – Messages from the Governor

45 – Messages from the Senate

45.5 – Presentation of Guests or Memorials in the Assembly

46 – Bills Defined

47 – Introduction and Reference of Bills

47.1 – Bills Authored by a Former Member

49 – Limitation on the Introduction of Bills

51 – Reference of Bills to Committee

51.5 – Spot Bills

52 – Delivery of Bills to State Printer

53 – Resolutions

54 – Resolutions by Member

55 – Standing Committee Rules

56 – Meetings of Standing Committees and Subcommittees

56.1 – Setting and Hearing Bills in Committee

56.5 – Committee Analyses

56.6 – Committee Consultants: Floor Analyses

56.7 – Consent Calendar

57 – Committee Quorum

57.1 – Reconsideration

58 – Bills Reported Back to Assembly

58.2 – Appropriations Suspense File

58.5 – Voting in Committee

59 – Subject Matter of Bill Recommended for Interim Study

60 – Committee Chairperson as Author

61 – Reports of Committees

62.5 – Constitutional Amendments

63 – Daily File

64 – Copies of Bills for Action on Floor

66 – Second Reading of Bills

66.6 – Bills Requiring General Fund Appropriation

67 – Committee Amendments and Coauthors

68 – Author’s Amendments

68.1 – Rules Committee Author’s Amendments

68.5 – Vote on Passage of Bill as Amended

68.6 – Bill Analysis Prior to Third Reading

68.7 – Analysis of Conference Committee Amendments

68.8 – Printing of Conference Committee Reports

68.9 – Conference Committee: Substantial Policy Change

69 – Amendments from the Floor and Coauthors

69.1 – Consideration of Political Reform Act Bills

69.2 – Consideration of Bills Amending the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act

69.5 – Electronic Distribution of Bills, Conference Reports, Amendments, and Analyses

70 – Consideration of Bills Re-referred to Committee

71 – Uncontested Bills

73 – Consideration of Concurrent and Joint Resolutions

74 – Adoption of Resolutions

75 – Printing of Resolutions

76 – Internet Publication Prior to Final Passage of Senate Bill

77 – Concurrence in Senate Amendments

77.1 – Digest of Bills Amended in Senate

77.2 – Substantially Amended Bills

78 – Inactive File

79 -Engrossing and Enrolling Bills

80 – Precedence of Motions During Debate

81 – Questions of Order Decided Without Debate

82 – Appeal from Decision of the Speaker

83 – Speaker Explains Order of Business

84 – To Adjourn

85 – To Recess to a Time Certain

86 – To Lay on the Table

87 – The Previous Question

88 – Motion to Set Special Order

89 – Motion to Postpone to a Time Certain

90 – Motion to Postpone Indefinitely

91 – Motion to Amend

92 – Amendment to be Germane

93 – Consideration of Motions

94 – Motions in Writing

95 – Withdrawal of Motions

96 – Motion to Withdraw or Re-refer Bills

97 – Re-reference of Measures on File

98 – Bills Stricken from File

99 – Motion to Rescind Action or Expunge Record

100 – Reconsideration of Vote

101 – Call of Assembly

102 – Division of Question

104 – Members Voting

105 – Ayes and Noes

106 – Voting and Vote Changes

107 – Tie Vote

108 – Order in Speaking to Questions

108.1 – Rules of Decorum

109 – Motions

110 – Leave of Absence

111 – Personal Privilege

112 – Objection to Reading of Any Paper

113 – Members at Chief Clerk’s Desk

114 – Members Called to Order for Transgressing Rules

115 – Committee of the Whole

116 – Use of Assembly Chamber

117 – Use of Assembly Facilities: Smoking

117.5 – Telephones and Electronic Communications

117.7 – Meeting of the Assembly: Firearms

118 – Persons Admitted to Floor of the Assembly

118.1 – Floor Attire

119 – Qualifications and Elections of Members

120 – Compensation and Expenses of Member Convicted of Felony

121 – The Seal of the Assembly

122 – Agency Reports: Electronic Copies