Legislative Counsel Archives

A Few More End-of-Session Legislative Process Items

August 29, 2021 2:40 amSeptember 1, 2021 11:43 am

In addition to those items found in my prior article, see “Some Frequent End-Of-Session Legislative Process Questions” on August 28, the following are a few more process items that often come up towards the end of the legislative session, which...

Some Frequent End-of-Session Legislative Process Questions

August 28, 2021 8:25 amAugust 28, 2021 8:28 am

With the end of the first year of the 2021-22 Legislative Session just two weeks away, we wanted to look at some of the most frequent legislative process questions that frequently arise. Although not exhaustive by any means, the following...

Role of Legislative Counsel in Initiatives

November 8, 2020 11:45 amNovember 8, 2020 11:56 am

Many do not realize that the highly trained attorneys in the California Office of Legislative Counsel will draft an initiative for the statewide ballot. Under existing law, attorneys in the Legislative Counsel Bureau will assist in the preparation of an...

What is Gender-Neutral Legislative Drafting?

November 3, 2020 6:19 amNovember 5, 2020 11:55 am

Like many of the states, California has adopted and therefore requires the Office of the Legislative Counsel to draft measures (bills, resolutions, and constitutional amendments) in a gender-neutral manner. What does that mean? How does it work? Specific to California...

The Anatomy a California Bill

October 26, 2020 6:21 amOctober 26, 2020 8:10 am

In the California Legislature, pursuant to Article IV, Section 8(b)(1), “the Legislature may make no law except by statute and may enact no statute except by bill.” As a result, a bill is what enacts a statute. The Legislative Counsel...

The Legislative Counsel’s Digest

September 12, 2020 7:46 amSeptember 12, 2020 7:51 am

All measures in the California Legislature prominently display the “Legislative Counsel’s Digest.” What is it? According to the Glossary provided by the Office of Legislative Counsel, the “Digest is prepared by the Legislative Counsel and it summarizes the effect of...

Considerations in Drafting California Legislation – Part I

April 27, 2020 6:22 amApril 27, 2020 6:28 am

There are numerous considerations in drafting legislation at the state or federal levels of government. There are several items that are useful to understand before undertaking the drafting of bills and amendments in the State of California. Before looking at...