Legislative Counsel’s Digest

Describing a Spot Bill

December 9, 2024 2:30 amDecember 9, 2024 2:31 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. Bills introduced in the California Legislature without substantive language in them are called “spot bills.” These...

How to Read a California Bill Analysis

December 28, 2023 2:30 amDecember 28, 2023 2:31 am

As you might think, there are several different types of bill analyses used in the California Legislature. First, there are committee and floor analyses of bills. Second, at the committee level, there are analyses prepared by the policy and fiscal...

Four Questions to Ask When Reading a California Bill

December 26, 2023 2:30 amDecember 26, 2023 2:31 am

While there are several tips for reading and understanding what a bill in the California Legislature proposes to do, the key is to review the main sections of the bill which contain the substantive changes in the law. There are...

Frequently Asked Questions about the Legislative Counsel’s Digest

December 7, 2023 6:54 amDecember 7, 2023 6:54 am

What is the “Legislative Counsel’s Digest”? According to the Glossary provided by the Office of Legislative Counsel (OLC), the “Digest is prepared by the Legislative Counsel and it summarizes the effect of a proposed bill on current law. It appears...

Should California Bill Statements Be Justified?

November 4, 2023 2:30 amNovember 4, 2023 2:31 am

I continue to be concerned about statements made in California bills, whether they are findings and declarations, urgency clauses, special statutes, etc. My concern is that these statements are based upon whatever information is provided by the bill author’s office...

Is There More Detailed Spot Bill Language in Digests?

February 24, 2023 7:19 amFebruary 24, 2023 7:23 am

In reviewing the hundreds of new bill introductions for the 2023 California Legislative Session, I came across several “spot bills” (i.e., those lacking substantive law changes) that serve as placeholders. In almost all spot bills, the Legislative Counsel’s Digest states...

A Closer Look at Appropriations Bills in the California Legislature

October 17, 2022 3:05 pmOctober 17, 2022 3:22 pm

In California, the main appropriations measure is the annual state budget bill. Article IV, Section 12(d) of the state Constitution provides that the budget bill is the main measure that may contain more than one item of appropriation. In addition,...