California Legislative Session

How Prevalent Are Double-Jointing Amendments?

October 22, 2025 2:00 pmOctober 22, 2025 2:01 pm

How prevalent are double-jointing amendments? At the end of a California Legislative Session, Capitol observers will hear about the need to have “chaptering out amendments” adopted. However, that is not the correct term to use. “Chaptering out” is the problem...

How Many Bills Could We See in the 2026 Session?

October 21, 2025 2:00 pmOctober 21, 2025 2:01 pm

As we know, last December, the California State Assembly and Senate, in their respective house rules, reduced the limit on bill introductions by legislators for the biennium session. How will these limits impact 2026 bill introductions in the California Legislature?...

A Quick Look at the Last Part of the California Legislative Session

August 17, 2025 2:47 amAugust 17, 2025 2:48 am

What generally happens in the last part of the California Legislative Session? The final weeks of the Legislative Session are a proverbial sprint to the finish line. Policy committees have finished the bulk of their work, but many bills still...

A Quick Look at the Middle Part of the California Legislative Session

June 25, 2025 6:15 amJune 25, 2025 6:16 am

What generally happens in the middle part of the California Legislative Session? Immediately after the house of origin deadline, the budget deliberations are in full swing and bills must quickly be considered in the second house. The first half of...

How Often Does the Legislature Express Its Opinion?

October 20, 2024 5:10 pmOctober 20, 2024 5:10 pm

There are three types of measures used in the California Legislature: bills, constitutional amendments, and resolutions. There are also three types of resolutions: house, concurrent, and joint. While some resolutions are used to elect officers and adopt rules, the vast...

A Look Back at Bill Introductions in the California Legislature

September 19, 2024 2:30 amSeptember 19, 2024 2:31 am

Over the past decade, the California Legislature, and its 120 legislators, introduce between 1,900 and 2,500 bills per year, each year of the 2-year legislative sessions. While fewer than 50 additional bills get introduced after the deadline (e.g., due to...

Frequently Asked Questions about the Middle Part of the Legislative Session

June 20, 2024 2:30 amJune 20, 2024 2:31 am

What generally happens in the middle part of the California Legislative Session? Immediately after the house of origin deadline, the budget deliberations are in full swing and bills must quickly be considered in the second house. The first half of...