California Constitution – Page 10

Frequently Asked Questions About California Bills

January 4, 2024 2:30 amJanuary 4, 2024 2:31 am

Do only urgency clause bills take effect immediately? Under Article IV, Section 8(c)(3) of the California Constitution, “statutes calling elections, statutes providing for tax levies or appropriations for the usual current expenses of the State, and urgency statutes shall go...

Frequently Asked Questions about Finding California Laws

January 3, 2024 2:45 amJanuary 3, 2024 2:46 am

Where are the three main sources of California laws? Like the federal government, California laws are found in three places: the State Constitution, statutes (the Codes), and regulations (the Titles). What is the hierarchy of laws in California? It is...

Frequently Asked Questions about California’s Balanced Budget Requirement

December 10, 2023 9:07 am

Did California always have to adopt a “balanced budget”? Probably, because prior provisions of the California Constitution were interpreted to require a balanced budget, at least to require the Governor to submit a balanced budget to the Legislature by January...

Frequently Asked Questions about California’s Judicial Branch

November 23, 2023 6:53 amNovember 27, 2023 11:05 am

What does the California Constitution, in Article VI, Section 1 provide? It says that the judicial power of the state is vested in the Supreme Court, courts of appeal, and superior courts, all of which are courts of record. What...

Some Types of Bills Require Specified Statements

November 1, 2023 2:45 amNovember 1, 2023 2:46 am

Urgency statutes, fiscal emergency statutes, and local or special statutes utilize explanatory statements. Of course, I would like to see more bills contain explanatory statements. Nonetheless, only two of these three types of measures are actually required to do so...

Who Should Make Statements in California Bills?

October 18, 2023 6:24 amOctober 18, 2023 6:24 am

Who should make statements in California bills? I hope the answer is obviously the Legislature. The lawmaking power is granted to the California Legislature by Article IV of our state Constitution. What form should these statements take? Findings and Declarations...

A Look Back at the California Legislature on March 16, 2020 during the COVID-19 Pandemic

September 8, 2023 3:54 pm

You may recall Monday, March 16, 2020. It was the day the Legislature passed legislation to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, and then recessed for six weeks before returning to Sacramento. I wanted to revisit the day to note the...