Legislative Counsel Archives - Page 3 of 4

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...

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...

The Legislative Counsel’s Digest

September 12, 2020 7:46 amSeptember 12, 2020 7:51 am

All measures in the California Legislature prominently display the “Legislative Counsel’s Digest.” What is it? According to the Glossary provided by the Office of Legislative Counsel, the “Digest is prepared by the Legislative Counsel and it summarizes the effect of...

Considerations in Drafting California Legislation – Part I

April 27, 2020 6:22 amApril 27, 2020 6:28 am

There are numerous considerations in drafting legislation at the state or federal levels of government. There are several items that are useful to understand before undertaking the drafting of bills and amendments in the State of California. Before looking at...

Types of Bill Amendments in the California Legislature

March 23, 2020 6:05 amMarch 23, 2020 6:10 am

In the California Legislature, there are several types of amendments that can be made to measures, including bills, resolutions and constitutional amendments. To begin, an amendment is defined by Legislative Counsel as an alteration to a bill, motion, resolution, or...

Enrolled Bill Reports and Gubernatorial Action

September 20, 2019 7:00 amSeptember 20, 2019 6:58 am

Once an enrolled bill reaches the Governor’s Desk for final action, “enrolled bill reports” are produced for the Governor and his senior staff to consider the merits of a bill pending on his or her Desk. An “enrolled bill” is...

Legislative Branch Support Agencies

July 5, 2019 7:27 amJuly 5, 2019 2:10 pm

There are several important entities that support the work of the California Legislature. Those entities include the Legislative Counsel, Legislative Analyst, Bureau of State Audits, California Research Bureau, and California Law Revision Commission. Legislative Counsel (LC) – Founded in 1913,...