Legislative Counsel – Page 2

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...

Drafting Legislative Counsel Digests

January 26, 2023 9:18 amJanuary 26, 2023 9:21 am

The purpose of the Legislative Counsel’s Digest, according to the Office of Legislative Counsel, is to summarize the effect of the proposed bill on current law. It is obviously prepared by the Office of Legislative Counsel and provides a brief...

What Are the Department of Finance’s Required Reports to the Legislature?

December 9, 2022 7:08 amDecember 9, 2022 7:12 am

California Government Code Section 13308 requires five reports to the Legislature that must be submitted by the Director of the Governor’s Department of Finance (DOF). The state Constitution only requires the Governor to submit his or her budget within the...

Which Legislative Rules Apply / Do Not Apply to Special Session Bills?

November 29, 2022 4:36 pmNovember 29, 2022 4:42 pm

As the California Legislature plans to convene a soon-to-be-proclaimed special (or extraordinary) session on December 5, 2022, the following is a list of most rules that special session bills are or are not subject to: A special session bill is...

What Happens to the Technical, Nonsubstantive Changes Proposed in a Vetoed Bill?

September 19, 2022 2:02 pmSeptember 19, 2022 2:08 pm

In many bills that reach the Governor’s Desk, there are technical, nonsubstantive changes that are made to existing statutes that are already being amended by the particular bill. In other words, in addition to the substantive changes being proposed by...

Why Is a Supplemental File Used in the California Legislature?

September 17, 2022 7:49 amSeptember 17, 2022 7:52 am

The agenda for the California Legislature is contained in the Assembly Daily File and the Senate Daily File. But, during the last day or two prior to the final adjournment of the legislative session, a “supplemental file” is required when...

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

What Is the California Legislative Index?

September 5, 2022 7:01 amSeptember 5, 2022 7:05 am

There are a number of important legislative publications, including the Legislative Index. According to the Office of Legislative Counsel, which produces the legislative publications, the Legislative Index is a compilation of all legislative measures for the current Legislative Session in...