Obviously, a bill that makes a one-or two-word change in the law could be significant. For example, a bill that changes a discretionary “may” to a mandatory “shall” could have important implications in an area of law, even though the...
The phrase, “notwithstanding any other law,” is used in numerous statutes in California. The purpose of this phrase is to place a specific provision of law above all others that may conflict with the new provision of law. The general...
In the United States Congress, a common approach to take is to have two identical measures, one in the House of Representatives and one in the Senate, introduced and run at the same time. These two measures are referred to...
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...
A bill that would increase juror pay through more driving and public transportation reimbursement was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday. Assembly Bill 1981, authored by Assemblyman Alex Lee (D-San Jose), will change the 34 cents a...
Both the California Governor and the Lieutenant Governor have formal roles in the lawmaking process, despite the fact that this authority is granted to the legislative branch of state government pursuant to Article IV of the California Constitution. Article IV,...
Almost always used in committee, a special order of business is used when a bill or similarly related bills are set to be heard at a specified time and specified order (for multiple bills) at the hearing. The Office of...