California bills – Page 3 – California Globe

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

Appropriating Funds or Not in California Bills

March 16, 2022 6:55 amMarch 16, 2022 6:56 am

California bills can and do appropriate monies from the General Fund or special funds. In other bills, appropriations are specifically not made, even though they may otherwise be required by existing law. Subject to an appropriation in the annual Budget...

A sea of empty desks inside the California State Assembly

Should California Bills Use ‘Includes’ or ‘Means?’

March 10, 2022 9:19 amMarch 10, 2022 9:22 am

When attorneys in the Office of Legislative Counsel are drafting bills for California legislators, they often delete the word “includes” and substitute it with the word “means.” Why is that being done by these legislative lawyers? The following example comes...

Interesting Sections of California Bills

February 8, 2022 11:30 amFebruary 8, 2022 11:24 am

Over the years, I have come across some provisions of California legislation that appear at least inconsistent with general drafting norms. This statement is not meant to be a criticism of either a bill’s author or the bill drafter; it...

State-Mandated Local Programs in California Legislation

October 25, 2020 8:27 amOctober 25, 2020 1:46 pm

You may have noticed while reading a California bill that, at the end of the Legislative Counsel’s Digest, there are four “keys,” which identify the vote required for passage of the bill, whether the bill contains an appropriation, whether the...

Are Legislative Findings and Declarations Necessary in Legislation?

October 11, 2020 8:15 amOctober 12, 2020 11:12 am

On occasion, when we review California bills, we come across legislative findings and declarations in these measures. Why are they used and are they necessary? There are basically two schools of thought among bill drafters. But first, what are they?...