Office of Legislative Counsel – Page 3

Frequently Asked Questions about Legislative Branch Support Agencies

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

What is the Office of Legislative Counsel (OLC)? Founded in 1913, the Office of Legislative Counsel is a nonpartisan public agency that drafts legislative proposals, prepares legal opinions, and provides other confidential legal services to the Legislature and Governor. What...

Should There Be an Office of Regulatory Counsel?

November 17, 2023 2:45 amNovember 17, 2023 2:46 am

For those involved in the California legislative process, everyone is familiar with the outstanding work that is done by the attorneys and staff in the Office of Legislative Counsel (OLC). For those who are not regularly involved in the regulatory...

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...

Some Types of Bills Require Specified Statements

November 1, 2023 2:45 amNovember 1, 2023 2:46 am

Urgency statutes, fiscal emergency statutes, and local or special statutes utilize explanatory statements. Of course, I would like to see more bills contain explanatory statements. Nonetheless, only two of these three types of measures are actually required to do so...

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Drafting in California

October 22, 2023 7:55 amOctober 22, 2023 7:55 am

For those not familiar, I put together the following questions and answers for those queries that are most often posed regarding bill drafting in California: Which types of bills take effect immediately upon being signed by the Governor? Statutes calling...

Some General Rules on Digest Keys

October 19, 2023 4:38 pmOctober 19, 2023 4:38 pm

Have you ever wondered how the Office of Legislative Counsel (OLC) determines how to mark the four Digest Keys found at the bottom of the Legislative Counsel’s Digest? If so, then read on as I have tried to provide some...

A Different Type of Double-jointing Language?

October 5, 2023 10:56 amOctober 5, 2023 10:56 am

As readers may recall, double jointing requires technical amendments prepared by the Office of Legislative Counsel that will prevent an amended bill from “chaptering out” the provisions of another bill when both bills amend the same Code section. According to...