California Legislature – Page 74

Guidelines for Drafting Bill Titles

February 12, 2023 8:08 amFebruary 12, 2023 8:12 am

Drafting a bill’s title is an important task for legislative lawyers. In California, there is the constitutional single-subject rule and so the title of the bill needs to ensure compliance with that requirement. In other words, the title needs to...

CDC Adds COVID-19 Vaccine to ‘Routine’ Childhood Immunization Schedule

February 10, 2023 4:18 pmFebruary 11, 2023 11:06 am

Just in time for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s long-awaited end to his Covid emergency powers February 28th, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Thursday updated recommendations to childhood immunization schedules, including the addition of COVID-19 shots and boosters for...

Guidelines for Drafting Bill Summaries

February 10, 2023 7:16 amFebruary 10, 2023 7:19 am

An important task for the legislative lawyer is to draft bill summaries. In general, a bill summary should be brief, but easy to read and understand. It should provide a succinct, clear, and accurate synopsis of the major points of...

Legislative Findings and Declarations Versus Intent Statements in California Legislation

February 6, 2023 6:35 amFebruary 6, 2023 6:42 am

In reading bills in the California Legislature, you may encounter findings and declarations, or intent statements, or a combination of the two. Which should be given greater weight by the courts? Or are they of equal weight? Does it matter...

Drafting Checklist for Creating a New Entity in California

February 5, 2023 8:39 amFebruary 5, 2023 8:45 am

When drafting a bill to create a new entity or commission in California law, the following are some of the component parts of that legislation: Membership and Qualifications. A committee should be composed of an odd number of members to...

Legislative Terms Compared

February 4, 2023 8:08 amFebruary 4, 2023 8:12 am

In reviewing the bill drafting manuals of the majority of states that publish them, I have read about some of the terms used in these other states, and the comparable term used in the California Legislature. California calls it a...

Saving v. Grandfathering Clauses

January 31, 2023 7:04 amJanuary 31, 2023 7:09 am

What is the difference between a saving clause and a grandfathering clause? They are both types of transitional provisions found in legislation. A saving clause is generally used to retain an existing right or authority that would otherwise be affected...