legislation – Page 5 – California Globe

Some Types of Bills Require Specified Statements

November 1, 2023 2:45 amNovember 1, 2023 2:46 am

Urgency statutes, fiscal emergency statutes, and local or special statutes utilize explanatory statements. Of course, I would like to see more bills contain explanatory statements. Nonetheless, only two of these three types of measures are actually required to do so...

Frequently Asked Questions about the Legislative Process in California

October 26, 2023 2:45 amOctober 26, 2023 6:31 am

For those not familiar, I put together the following questions and answers for those queries that are most often posed regarding the legislative process in California. When does the Legislature’s regular session convene? At noon on the first Monday in...

Sponsoring a Bill in the California Legislature

October 19, 2023 2:45 amOctober 19, 2023 6:55 am

By Ray LeBov and Chris Micheli While supporting or opposing a bill, or multiple bills, can often be a difficult task for a lobbyist, having a client who is the sponsor of a bill can be even more challenging. Why? Because...

California State Capitol dome shines against blue sky

Why Do Tax Statutes Use Different Repeal Language?

October 16, 2023 2:49 pmOctober 16, 2023 5:20 pm

As readers know, the California Legislature occasionally places “sunset dates,” or “repealers,” in a bill so that the enacted statute will be repealed as of a specified date. This is usually accomplished by the following provision: This section shall remain...

Drafting a Study Bill

October 15, 2023 9:00 amOctober 15, 2023 9:00 am

Several times per Session, there are bills in the California Legislature to require a study be conducted. Some of these bills are very short, such as this example from a 2023 Session bill: The State Department of Public Health shall...

Different Forms of Mandate Disclaimers

October 11, 2023 4:04 pmOctober 11, 2023 4:04 pm

Bills in the California Legislature can impose a state-mandated local program, which potentially requires reimbursement by the State of California to local agencies and school districts. The California Constitution requires the State to reimburse local agencies and school districts for...

Contingency Language May Not Save Your Bill

October 8, 2023 2:16 pmOctober 8, 2023 2:16 pm

In recent years, particularly the past two, bills in the California Legislature contain language that makes them become operative upon a budget appropriation or an appropriation contained in a separate bill. This has been done primarily to get past the...