Chris Micheli – Page 266 – California Globe

Drafting Criminal or Penal Statutes

December 8, 2020 2:55 amDecember 8, 2020 5:55 am

Drafting criminal or penal code statutes is an important undertaking for any bill drafter because of the consequences for those who violate such statutes and because courts strictly construe these types of statutes. As a result, those who draft criminal...

California State Assembly nearly empty except for a few folks in the balcony.

Assembly Modifies Its Internal Rules

December 7, 2020 3:58 pmDecember 7, 2020 7:19 pm

On the day of its Organizational Session, December 7, the California State Assembly adopted along a party-line vote House Resolution (HR) 1 by Assembly Member Ken Cooley. HR 1 contains the Assembly Rules (AR) for the 2021-22 Legislative Session. The...

Transitional versus Savings Provisions: What Is the Difference?

December 7, 2020 2:16 amDecember 7, 2020 10:55 am

One area of bill drafting is the use of transitional and savings provisions. What are the differences and how are they used? The Graduate Diploma in Legislative Drafting from Athabasca University provides some helpful guidance to bill drafters. All transitional...

A sea of empty desks inside the California State Assembly

How Do We Prepare to Amend or Repeal Statutes?

December 6, 2020 2:31 amDecember 7, 2020 10:56 am

Like other forms of drafting legislation, in preparing to amend or repeal existing statutes, there are several steps for the bill drafter to take. In this regard, helpful guidance is provided by the Graduate Degree in Legislative Drafting from Athabasca...

California’s Small Business Hiring Credit Taking Applications

December 1, 2020 11:15 amDecember 1, 2020 11:17 am

At the end of the 2020 Legislative Session, Senate Bill (SB) 1447, jointly authored by Senators Steve Bradford and Anna Caballero, as well as Assembly Member Sabrina Cervantes, was passed and signed into law to create a tax credit for...

When Does Prop. 22 Take Effect?

November 13, 2020 2:15 amNovember 17, 2020 12:28 pm

With the adoption of Proposition 22 by the statewide electorate on November 3, questions have arisen regarding when the measure’s numerous provisions take effect. While Prop. 22 does not have a section specifying effective and operative dates, there are dates...

The Connection Between Judges and Bill Drafters

November 10, 2020 6:29 amNovember 11, 2020 6:13 am

What is the connection between how judges interpret statutes and how statutes are drafted by legislative counsel? In broad terms, it is “literalism” versus “purposive” approaches to interpreting statutes. Literalism is generally defined as the interpretation of words in their...