California Legislature – Page 103

What Does a Bill Propose to Do to a Law?

March 11, 2022 7:52 amMarch 11, 2022 11:19 am

Bills in the California Legislature can do one of three things or a combination of those three: Add a statute; amend a statute; or, repeal a statute. Bills can be found at the following website: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/ This website is maintained...

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...

California’s Retroactive v. Prospective Legislation

March 8, 2022 6:49 amMarch 8, 2022 6:56 am

In most instances, legislation applies prospectively, meaning after the law has been enacted and takes effect. Nonetheless, there are times when the Legislature desires statutes to be applied retroactively, and sometimes they also specify a prospective application date. The following...

Required Reports to the California Legislature

March 7, 2022 9:37 amMarch 7, 2022 6:54 am

On occasion, bills in California require a report to be provided to the Legislature or legislative committees. In those cases, there are required laws about how and where those reports are submitted. The laws are contained in the California Government...

Modernizing California Statutes

March 6, 2022 8:20 amMarch 6, 2022 8:27 am

As new legislation is considered in the California Legislature, it is incumbent on the attorneys in the Office of Legislative Counsel to update and modernize state statutes. There are examples of this ongoing effort throughout California bills and is an...

For First Time in Several Years Joint Rules Set to Be Adopted by California Legislature

March 4, 2022 10:00 amMarch 4, 2022 10:28 am

For the first time in several years, the California Legislature is poised to adopt Joint Rules which are binding on the Assembly and Senate. Normally, the Joint Rules are adopted at the beginning of each two-year Session, just as the...

Citing Statutes and Court Decisions in California Legislation

March 1, 2022 6:17 amMarch 1, 2022 6:38 am

On occasion, bills in the California Legislature must cite statutes or court decisions and there are rules that the Office of Legislative Counsel follows in drafting legislation. Examples of each type of citation include the following: How California legislation cites...