Chris Micheli – Page 253 – California Globe

The Use of Sunset Dates in California Legislation

November 4, 2020 6:14 amNovember 5, 2020 11:54 am

California, like most other states, uses sunset dates in legislation, which has the effect of making the law, once enacted, expire on a specified date. Unless the Legislature enacts another bill to either extend or eliminate the sunset date, the...

What is Gender-Neutral Legislative Drafting?

November 3, 2020 6:19 amNovember 5, 2020 11:55 am

Like many of the states, California has adopted and therefore requires the Office of the Legislative Counsel to draft measures (bills, resolutions, and constitutional amendments) in a gender-neutral manner. What does that mean? How does it work? Specific to California...

Trial Court Judge Rules Governor’s Executive Orders Are Limited in Scope

November 2, 2020 9:40 pmNovember 3, 2020 11:38 am

For those interested in the tensions between the legislative and executive branches of state government, today’s decision by a Sutter County Superior Court judge regarding Executive Orders (EOs) issued by Governor Newsom is an interesting case study based upon the...

Making Legislation More Readable

November 2, 2020 6:22 amNovember 2, 2020 6:27 am

One of the issues that is discussed in legislative drafting is how to make legislation more “readable,” meaning how to make the text of legislative measures easier to understand by those who are subject to the law or those who...

An Overview of Proposition 54 and Its Impact on California Government

November 1, 2020 7:30 amNovember 1, 2020 7:37 am

Proposition 54, which was enacted by the voters at the November 2016 general election, adopted constitutional and statutory changes dealing bill amendments and recordings of legislative proceedings. According to the Attorney General’s Ballot Summary, Prop. 54: Prohibits Legislature from passing...

Punctuation in California Legislation

October 31, 2020 8:13 amOctober 31, 2020 8:14 am

Are there rules of punctuation when drafting legislation? As a general rule, the answer is no because general rules of English grammar, including punctuation, usually apply to legislative drafting. However, there are some instances when special rules do apply, including...

Drafting Considerations for a California Legislative Constitutional Amendment

October 30, 2020 6:47 amOctober 30, 2020 6:54 am

In the California Legislature, there are constitutional amendments which can be introduced in either house. Constitutional amendments require a 2/3 majority vote in both the Assembly and Senate in order to be placed on the statewide ballot. According to the...