Assembly Bill 1787 aims to partially address the shoplifting problem in California. As many are aware, Proposition 47, the ballot measure approved by statewide voters in 2014, increased the threshold for shoplifting to remain a misdemeanor from $450 to $950....
A colleague raised an interesting question recently – can a budget trailer bill create a new executive branch state department or office? The reason that this is an intriguing question is because urgency statutes cannot “create or abolish any office.”...
Does the state Constitution provide when the California Legislature can meet in closed session? Yes, it does so in Article IV, Section 7(c). What does the California Constitution provide regarding closed session of the Legislature? There are specified instances, despite...
Assembly Bill 610 is pending on Governor Newsom’s desk. The bill would exempt several types of restaurants from last year’s landmark bill creating a Fast Food Council and increasing the minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 per hour...
What is a special order of business? The Office of Legislative Counsel defines “special order of business” as when, occasionally, a bill is of such importance that advanced notice is given about when it will be considered in the full...
What does Joint Rule 10.5 of the California Legislature’s Joint Rules provide? JR 10.5 specifies guidance to the Office of Legislative Counsel (OLC) when determining whether a bill should be “keyed” as a fiscal bill. The “keying” of a bill...
Does the Office of Legislative Counsel (OLC) draft initiatives? Yes, many do not realize that the highly trained attorneys in the California Office of Legislative Counsel may draft an initiative for the statewide ballot in certain circumstances. What is the...