legislation Archives - Page 11 of 16

What is Gender-Neutral Legislative Drafting?

November 3, 2020 6:19 amNovember 5, 2020 11:55 am

Like many of the states, California has adopted and therefore requires the Office of the Legislative Counsel to draft measures (bills, resolutions, and constitutional amendments) in a gender-neutral manner. What does that mean? How does it work? Specific to California...

Punctuation in California Legislation

October 31, 2020 8:13 amOctober 31, 2020 8:14 am

Are there rules of punctuation when drafting legislation? As a general rule, the answer is no because general rules of English grammar, including punctuation, usually apply to legislative drafting. However, there are some instances when special rules do apply, including...

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 of a California Legislative Resolution

October 27, 2020 6:15 amOctober 27, 2020 6:19 am

In the California Legislature, Members of the Assembly and Senate can introduce three types of resolutions. What are the component parts of a resolution? In terms of its anatomy, a resolution contains the following provisions: Legislative Session. At the top...

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...

State-Mandated Local Programs in California Legislation

October 25, 2020 8:27 amOctober 25, 2020 1:46 pm

You may have noticed while reading a California bill that, at the end of the Legislative Counsel’s Digest, there are four “keys,” which identify the vote required for passage of the bill, whether the bill contains an appropriation, whether the...

An Introduction To Legislative Drafting

October 23, 2020 6:31 amOctober 25, 2020 1:46 pm

What is legislative drafting? Legislative drafting or bill drafting is the work of professionals who usually provide their services in a centralized office for the U.S. Congress or state legislatures. These individuals draft bills, resolutions, and constitutional amendments (for the...