The California Legislature has a number of joint committees that are comprised of members of the Senate and Assembly and are intended to cover issues of mutual interest. The three main joint committees deal with legislative rules, the state budget...
Most Capitol observers are only aware of majority vote and 2/3 majority vote requirements for California legislation. However, there are actually several other categories of vote requirements on bills that come before the Legislature. The following are those categories and...
As one might contemplate, there are numerous obstacles to overcome during the legislative process in California. These are generally categorized as policy, fiscal and political obstacles that may have to be addressed as a bill travels through the legislative process....
To those who are not operating in or around the California State Capitol, “sponsored” bills are relatively unknown, but the media often focus on sponsored bills in a critical manner. To make matters confusing, in Congress, the term “sponsor” means...
Managing a successful government affairs program requires managing multiple component parts of an organization focused on advocating the interests of a company, labor union, or trade association. It is similar to being the campaign manager of a political campaign or...
Having worked in both Washington, DC and Sacramento, I am often asked about the differences in the two legislative processes. California’s Legislature is obviously based upon the federal legislative branch and, as you would expect, they share many things in...
The California Legislature conducts its business both in policy and fiscal committees, as well as on the Floors of the State Assembly and State Senate. Each house determines its own rules and specifies how business will be handled on their...