Office of Legislative Counsel Archives - Page 2 of 5

Why Are Conference Committees Rarely Used in the California Legislature?

October 11, 2022 6:29 amOctober 11, 2022 6:38 am

In the past, the California Legislature used conference committees as a regular part of the legislative process. However, despite extensive rules and procedures for their use, the conference committee in the California Legislature is largely nonexistent today. Why is that?...

Why California Bills Do Not Use And/Or

October 7, 2022 6:35 amOctober 7, 2022 6:42 am

While legal language often includes the use of the term “and/or,” this term is not used in California statutes nor in the drafting of bills in this state. While lawyers may use and/or in contracts, court pleadings, and even some...

Eliminating Legalese in California Statutes

October 6, 2022 3:01 pmOctober 6, 2022 3:08 pm

As part of the efforts to update and modernize California’s 29 Codes that contain over 155,000 statutes, the Office of Legislative Counsel is removing “legalese” from those statutory provisions. What do we mean by legalese? According to the dictionary, legalese...

What Is a ‘Saving Clause’ in California Legislation?

October 6, 2022 5:45 amOctober 6, 2022 5:53 am

On a few occasions each Session, a bill will contain a “saving clause,” which is sometimes referred to as “grandfathering.” While some states refer to it as a “savings” (plural) clause, the generally-accepted term is “saving” (singular). Saving clauses are...

What Is a Code Maintenance Bill?

October 4, 2022 7:16 amOctober 4, 2022 7:23 am

Several times per year, the Office of Legislative Counsel drafts a “code maintenance bill.” What is that and what is its purpose? A floor analysis described this type of bill as follows: This bill is the annual maintenance of the...

What Are ‘Statutes Other Than Codes?’

October 2, 2022 3:25 pmOctober 2, 2022 3:36 pm

If you review two of the main legislative publications produced by the Office of Legislative Counsel, you may come across a section of each of them titled, “Statutes Other Than Codes.” What are those? Both the “Table of Sections Affected”...

California State Capitol dome shines against blue sky

AB 2183 – An Interesting Bill Signing Case Study

September 29, 2022 1:09 pmSeptember 29, 2022 1:17 pm

While the media has covered all of the political and legislative dynamics of Governor Gavin Newsom signing Assembly Bill 2183, concerning agricultural workers unionizing efforts, what stands out for some Capitol observers was the press statement issued by the Governor’s...