Secretary of the Senate Archives

The Anatomy of a California Legislative Constitutional Amendment

October 29, 2020 6:41 amOctober 29, 2020 6:42 am

In the California Legislature, the Members of the Assembly and Senate have the ability to place a constitutional amendment before the statewide electorate for consideration. The Legislative Counsel defines a constitutional amendment as “a resolution proposing a change to the...

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...

California Senate Allows Remote Voting

July 28, 2020 3:26 pmJuly 28, 2020 3:37 pm

The California State Senate, pursuant to a rule that it adopted on March 16 (SR 86), is allowing remote voting in its house. Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins announced the use of remote voting under certain circumstances. She explained...

Overview of California’s Legislative Publications

June 28, 2019 2:30 amJune 27, 2019 9:46 pm

There are a number of publications that are regularly used by the California Legislature. Of note is that several of these publications are specified in the California Government Code. Article I, Sections 9700-9708, deals generally with legislative publications. As an...