legislative findings and declarations – Page 2

A sea of empty desks inside the California State Assembly

It’s Not Just the ‘Spot Bill’ Deadline

March 10, 2023 10:03 amMarch 10, 2023 10:10 am

In another one of my “legislative geek” moments, I would like to suggest that we change our terminology to “placeholder bill.” For example, everyone is aware of the upcoming “spot bill deadlines” in the Assembly (amendments in Legislative Counsel form...

Guidelines for Drafting Legislative Statements in Bills

February 19, 2023 9:09 amFebruary 19, 2023 9:11 am

There are differences between legislative findings and declarations and statements of legislative intent, and the bill drafter needs to be aware of these. The Colorado Bill Drafting Manual states: “A legislative declaration statement is an explicit or formal statement or...

Legislative Findings and Declarations Versus Intent Statements in California Legislation

February 6, 2023 6:35 amFebruary 6, 2023 6:42 am

In reading bills in the California Legislature, you may encounter findings and declarations, or intent statements, or a combination of the two. Which should be given greater weight by the courts? Or are they of equal weight? Does it matter...

Would Legislation Be Strengthened by a Purpose or Intent Statement as Well?

September 25, 2022 8:09 amSeptember 25, 2022 8:12 am

Readers of California legislation are familiar with legislative findings and declarations, usually contained in Section 1 of a bill, prior to the substantive language being set forth in the remainder of the bill. These findings and declarations of the Legislature...

Examples of Common Provisions Found in California Bills

September 12, 2022 3:17 pmSeptember 12, 2022 2:54 pm

There are a number of common provisions to California legislation that can be found, and these provisions should be familiar to those reading, analyzing, or drafting bills in the Legislature. The following features examples of some of the common provisions...

Are Legislative Findings and Declarations Necessary in Legislation?

October 11, 2020 8:15 amOctober 12, 2020 11:12 am

On occasion, when we review California bills, we come across legislative findings and declarations in these measures. Why are they used and are they necessary? There are basically two schools of thought among bill drafters. But first, what are they?...