Legislature Archives - Page 6 of 18

Some California Constitutional Provisions Can Be Waived

January 6, 2022 3:33 pmJanuary 6, 2022 2:41 pm

When the Legislature initially followed the Governor’s shelter at home order and passed two budget-related bills on March 16, 2020, it required waiver of two constitutional requirements. The first was the required three readings of a bill prior to its...

What Happens to Bills Authored by a Former Member of the California Legislature?

January 6, 2022 2:10 pmJanuary 6, 2022 2:15 pm

On occasion, a Member of the California State Assembly or the State Senate resigns his or her elected office in order to take a new position either in or out of government. What if that legislator still has active pieces...

Constitutional Rules for the California State Budget

January 6, 2022 7:30 amJanuary 6, 2022 6:54 am

The annual state budget bill, as well as the “budget bill junior” and budget “trailer bills” are governed by provisions of the California Constitution. The budget bill junior and budget trailer bills are formally called “other bills providing for appropriations...

Does the Governor Have 12 or 30 Days to Act on Bills?

January 5, 2022 3:09 pmJanuary 5, 2022 2:14 pm

A commonly-misunderstood item in the California legislative process is determining whether the Governor has 12 days to take action on a bill, or 30 days. The general rule is that the Governor has 12 days to act, once a bill...

Executive Branch Officials and the ‘Revolving Door’ Limitation

January 3, 2022 12:27 pmJanuary 3, 2022 12:33 pm

Similar to the “revolving door” limitation on state legislators found in Article IV, Section 5(e) of the California Constitution, executive branch officials of state government are also subject to this limitation when these officials leave government service. It is often...

California State Officers and Rules on Honoraria and Gifts

January 1, 2022 1:00 pmJanuary 3, 2022 4:19 am

Among other provisions, Article V, Section 14 of the California Constitution prohibits any honorarium being paid and limits gifts being made to state officers. Who are “state officers?” Section 14(f) defines “state officer” to mean the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General,...

Expulsion or Suspension of California State Legislators

December 29, 2021 5:28 pmJanuary 3, 2022 4:24 am

California’s Constitution, in Article IV, Section 5, provides that the Legislature is the judge of its Members and their ability to hold office. Section 5(a)(1) states: “Each house of the Legislature shall judge the qualifications and elections of its Members…”...