legislation – Page 9 – California Globe

How to Draft a Spot Bill

October 19, 2022 9:58 amOctober 19, 2022 8:01 am

In the California Legislature, a “spot bill” is basically used as a placeholder for a future measure to be amended into the spot bill. Quite often, bills introduced in the California Legislature without substantive language in them are called “spot...

What Is Being Amended When a Bill Gets Amended Multiple Times?

October 19, 2022 2:48 amOctober 18, 2022 9:11 pm

When a bill is introduced and it adds a new code section, that new law is in regular font. When a bill is introduced and it amends an existing code section, the amended language is in italics. When a bill...

What Is the ‘Order of Enumeration?’

October 17, 2022 6:44 amOctober 17, 2022 6:49 am

Pursuant to Article IV, Section 9 of the California Constitution, there is a requirement for each bill to have a title. The constitutional provision states: “A statute shall embrace but one subject, which shall be expressed in its title. If...

Active v. Passive Voice in Legislation

October 13, 2022 3:26 pmOctober 13, 2022 3:33 pm

In California, bill drafters are instructed to use the active voice, rather than the passive voice. This is a change in the historical manner of drafting that previously included lots of passive voice language in state statutes. As a result,...

The Return of Carryover Bills

October 13, 2022 6:29 amOctober 13, 2022 6:36 am

Commonly referred to as “2-year bills,” a “carryover bill” is one that is introduced during the first year (the odd-numbered year) of the 2-year California Legislative Session that can be carried over into the second year (the even-numbered year). Article...

A Bill Can Be ‘Held’ by a Legislative Committee in Several Ways

October 11, 2022 4:30 pmOctober 11, 2022 4:34 pm

In the California Legislature, a bill can be “held” in three distinct ways, which seems rather odd because it would appear that the end result is the same – the bill is not moving forward from the policy or fiscal...

California State Assembly nearly empty except for a few folks in the balcony.

What Are the Two Types of Author’s Amendments?

October 11, 2022 6:13 amOctober 11, 2022 6:19 am

A bill author can amend his or her bill in two different instances. These are called “author’s amendments” and they can occur before formal committee or floor action, or during those times. The first type of author’s amendment occurs before...