Author: Chris Micheli
Chris Micheli is an attorney and lobbyist with Snodgrass & Micheli, LLC, as well as an Adjunct Professor at McGeorge School of Law.
How Do We Prepare to Amend or Repeal Statutes?
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
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?
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
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...
Writing Sentences in Legislative Measures
With the legislative drafter, compiling sentences for a complete legislative measure takes a good amount of work. Putting these sentences together will give effort to the proposed statute. What form can these sentences take? Well, there are many according to...
Role of Legislative Counsel in Initiatives
Many do not realize that the highly trained attorneys in the California Office of Legislative Counsel will draft an initiative for the statewide ballot. Under existing law, attorneys in the Legislative Counsel Bureau will assist in the preparation of an...