California Legislature – Page 50

Frequently Asked Questions about Courts Interpreting California’s Legislative Process

December 17, 2023 8:50 amDecember 17, 2023 8:50 am

The California Government Code, among other sources, provides a number of procedural rules for the State Legislature and the lawmaking process in this state. And a number of those statutory provisions have been the subject of litigation, so we have...

Frequently Asked Questions about Legislative Rules of Decorum

December 16, 2023 7:19 amDecember 16, 2023 7:19 am

Both the Assembly and Senate of the California Legislature, like other legislative bodies, utilize several rules, as well as customs and practices, for the purpose of ensuring that legislative deliberations and debate operate in a civil and orderly way. The...

Frequently Asked Questions about the Order of Bill Authors and Co-Authors

December 15, 2023 11:19 am

In the California Legislature, there is an order to listing a bill’s authors and co-authors and there are different types of co-authors. What do the Joint Rules provide? Joint Rule 10.7, titled “Heading of Bills,” provides the following: “10.7. A...

Frequently Asked Questions About California Legislative Ethics

December 14, 2023 9:05 am

Does the “revolving door” limitation apply to legislators and staff alike? Under Article IV, Section 5(e) of the state constitution, “The Legislature shall enact laws that prohibit a Member of the Legislature whose term of office commences on or after...

Frequently Asked Questions about General and Special Statutes

December 13, 2023 6:28 amDecember 13, 2023 6:28 am

What is a general statute? A general statute is essentially a law that pertains uniformly to an entire community or all persons generally. What is a special statute? A special statute is essentially a law that applies to a particular person, place,...

Frequently Asked Questions about ‘Plus Sections’ in California Bills

December 12, 2023 6:49 amDecember 12, 2023 6:49 am

What is a double-jointing plus section? This section is used to address when one bill would “chapter out” the language of a bill that amends the same code section if it got enacted earlier. What is an example of a...

Frequently Asked Questions about Digest Keys

December 11, 2023 2:52 amDecember 11, 2023 2:53 am

What are a California bill’s “Digest Keys”? These “keys” cover four areas and the keys are determined by the Office of the Legislative Counsel (OLC) for each bill that the office drafts. What do the Digest Keys look like? At...