Chris Micheli – Page 307 – California Globe

Why California Bills Do Not Use And/Or

October 7, 2022 6:35 amOctober 7, 2022 6:42 am

While legal language often includes the use of the term “and/or,” this term is not used in California statutes nor in the drafting of bills in this state. While lawyers may use and/or in contracts, court pleadings, and even some...

Eliminating Legalese in California Statutes

October 6, 2022 3:01 pmOctober 6, 2022 3:08 pm

As part of the efforts to update and modernize California’s 29 Codes that contain over 155,000 statutes, the Office of Legislative Counsel is removing “legalese” from those statutory provisions. What do we mean by legalese? According to the dictionary, legalese...

What Is a ‘Saving Clause’ in California Legislation?

October 6, 2022 5:45 amOctober 6, 2022 5:53 am

On a few occasions each Session, a bill will contain a “saving clause,” which is sometimes referred to as “grandfathering.” While some states refer to it as a “savings” (plural) clause, the generally-accepted term is “saving” (singular). Saving clauses are...

A sea of empty desks inside the California State Assembly

What Is a ‘Heading’ in California Law?

October 5, 2022 4:15 pmOctober 5, 2022 3:51 pm

On occasion, while reading bills in the California Legislature, you may run across a section of the bill that adds or amends “the heading” of a chapter or title, for example. What is the heading? The heading is the name...

Intriguing Timing Definitions in Statute

October 5, 2022 6:19 amOctober 5, 2022 6:33 am

In reviewing the hundreds of bills that made it to the Governor’s Desk this Session, one of those bills had several interesting definitions. Each definition related to the effective date of the act (i.e., the statutory scheme that was enacted...

Flagging Certain Items When Searching Bills

October 4, 2022 4:08 pmOctober 4, 2022 4:10 pm

When searching for relevant bills in the California Legislature, there are a number of possible “flags” that can be used to search. And, there are obviously a number of ways to search for bills. The following are initial items: Bill...

What Is a Code Maintenance Bill?

October 4, 2022 7:16 amOctober 4, 2022 7:23 am

Several times per year, the Office of Legislative Counsel drafts a “code maintenance bill.” What is that and what is its purpose? A floor analysis described this type of bill as follows: This bill is the annual maintenance of the...