legislation Archives - Page 10 of 16

California State Assembly nearly empty except for a few folks in the balcony.

Assembly Modifies Its Internal Rules

December 7, 2020 3:58 pmDecember 7, 2020 7:19 pm

On the day of its Organizational Session, December 7, the California State Assembly adopted along a party-line vote House Resolution (HR) 1 by Assembly Member Ken Cooley. HR 1 contains the Assembly Rules (AR) for the 2021-22 Legislative Session. The...

A sea of empty desks inside the California State Assembly

How Do We Prepare to Amend or Repeal Statutes?

December 6, 2020 2:31 amDecember 7, 2020 10:56 am

Like other forms of drafting legislation, in preparing to amend or repeal existing statutes, there are several steps for the bill drafter to take. In this regard, helpful guidance is provided by the Graduate Degree in Legislative Drafting from Athabasca...

Religious Freedom: U.S. Supreme Court Vacates Appeals Court Ruling on California Church Closures

December 3, 2020 11:39 amDecember 3, 2020 4:54 pm

It was recently reported that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan ordered California Gov. Gavin Newsom to respond to an emergency petition filed by Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry, which requests an injunction pending appeal in their federal...

Writing Sentences in Legislative Measures

November 9, 2020 6:19 amNovember 9, 2020 11:20 am

With the legislative drafter, compiling sentences for a complete legislative measure takes a good amount of work. Putting these sentences together will give effort to the proposed statute. What form can these sentences take? Well, there are many according to...

The Use of Definitions in Legislation

November 6, 2020 6:31 amNovember 9, 2020 11:24 am

Definitions can play an important role in legislation. Defining words or phrases is done to provide the reader of the legislative text with clear guidance regarding how those words or phrases are to be understood. Where there are multiple definitions,...

Guidelines for Forming Legislative Sentences

November 5, 2020 7:13 amNovember 5, 2020 11:49 am

For legislative drafters, there are important standards to follow when putting together legislative sentences that will make up bills, resolutions, or constitutional amendments. Some of these guidelines are obvious as they are used to compose any sentences in writing. Nonetheless,...

The Use of Sunset Dates in California Legislation

November 4, 2020 6:14 amNovember 5, 2020 11:54 am

California, like most other states, uses sunset dates in legislation, which has the effect of making the law, once enacted, expire on a specified date. Unless the Legislature enacts another bill to either extend or eliminate the sunset date, the...