California Legislature – California Globe

California Bills: Introduced Versus Enacted

October 4, 2026 2:00 pmOctober 4, 2026 2:01 pm

I am often asked about the number of bills that get introduced each year in comparison to the number of bills that actually get to the Governor’s Desk, and then the number of bills that ultimately get signed into law...

Bills Taking Immediate Effect in California

October 4, 2026 9:57 amOctober 4, 2026 9:57 am

Article IV of the California Constitution deals with the Legislature and the legislative process in this state. The Legislature enacts statutes by passing bills. Bills that are enacted in California, per the state Constitution, generally take effect on January 1...

How Prevalent Are Policy Statements in Statute?

October 4, 2026 2:28 amOctober 4, 2026 2:29 am

Readers of bills and statutes will regularly come across legislative statements, such as paragraphs that usually begin with either “It is the intent of the Legislature to …” or “The Legislature finds and declares that …” On other occasions, readers...

Additional Categories of Bills Over the Past Few Sessions

October 3, 2026 11:47 amOctober 3, 2026 11:47 am

I have compiled a chart from the past eighteen years of the California Legislature and the number of bills each 2-year Session under 9 categories out of the number of bills introduced that session. The following is the chart and...

2026 Session Governor Bill Signing Messages

October 2, 2026 1:50 pmOctober 2, 2026 2:39 pm

Like governors before him, Governor Gavin Newsom on occasion includes a “signing message” with bills that he has signed. Although only veto messages are specified in the California Constitution, governors have historically used signing messages to express their intent or...

Why Might a Bill Be Referred to More than One Committee?

September 27, 2026 2:30 amSeptember 27, 2026 2:31 am

Bills in the California Legislature are referred to at least one policy committee in each house, and just over 80% of those bills also get re-referred to the respective Appropriations Committees for a hearing on the fiscal impacts. In some...

How to Read a Bill in the California Legislature

September 23, 2026 2:00 pmSeptember 23, 2026 2:01 pm

This article is intended to provide one pathway to follow in reading a bill in the California Legislature. There are naturally several ways of doing so and many bill readers develop their own style or approach of doing so. The...