Legislative Process

THE LEGISLATURE

The California State Legislature is a two-house (bicameral) body composed of an Assembly, whose 80 members are elected to two-year terms, and a Senate, whose 40 members are elected for four-year terms. The California Legislature meets for two-year sessions and each house conducts business in its own chamber within the Capitol, often referred to as the Senate and Assembly "floors".

Each house of the Legislature has established a number of standing committees with differing purviews. When a legislative measure is sent to a committee for review, it is said to be "referred" to that committee. It is the job of the committees to review legislation and to recommend amendments to the floor of the house if the committee believes them warranted. A committee may also "hold" a measure by making no recommendation to the floor to pass or amend it. Technically, only the house floors can (by majority vote) amend a piece of legislation. However, the recommendations of the committees are nearly always carried out by the floors as a matter of course.

There are basically two types of committees: "policy" committees and "fiscal" committees. The vast majority of measures are sent to a policy committee for review of the proposed programmatic or public policy change. If a measure would have a fiscal impact on the State, then it is also sent to a fiscal committee for review of financial implications of the measure.

In the Senate, there are two fiscal committees, Appropriations and Budget and Fiscal Review. The Budget and Fiscal Review Committee deals primarily with the Budget Bill. However, it will also conduct hearings on other pieces of legislation which would directly amend or otherwise significantly affect the Budget Act. The Appropriations Committee hears all non-Budget Bill legislation that would have a fiscal impact. The Assembly has two fiscal committees, Appropriations and Budget, whose functions are the same as their Senate counterparts.

Each house also has a Rules Committee which is considered neither a policy nor a fiscal committee since it deals with "housekeeping" and other matters internal to that house. It is the Rules Committees that assign bills to the various standing committees.

There also are a number of "joint" committees comprised of members from both houses. Some examples of these are the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (which oversees the operation of the Legislative Analyst), and the Joint Rules Committee (which develops rules that govern the two houses in addition to the individual houses’ rules).

Each house may also establish "special" and "select" committees. These committees generally are established to conduct research into or provide oversight on narrow areas of subject matter for the purpose of providing special expertise and advice to the house which created them. They generally do not hear bills and meet infrequently.

A complete listing of all committees and their memberships can be found in each "Daily File" or on the Internet, Senate Committees or Assembly Committees

LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR

The Legislature meets in two-year sessions. The sessions roughly coincide with the biennial elections at which all of the Assembly seats and half of the Senate seats are up for election. Each two-year session is considered a "regular session". The California Constitution (Article IV, Section 3) prescribes that the regular session shall begin on the first Monday in December in each even-number year (i.e., following the election the preceding November) and end November 30 two years hence (i.e., after the next election). The sessions are referred to by the two calendar years which they almost encompass (e.g., the session after the elections in 1996 is the 1997-98 regular session—it begins in December 1996 and ends in November 1998).

Within the constitutionally prescribed dates of convening and adjourning the session, the Legislature has freedom to set its own calendar of meetings and recesses. Generally, however, the Legislature begins meeting in January each year and concludes its work for the year in September. During the year, the Legislature traditionally has scheduled two recesses, an Easter recess of one week and a summer recess of usually four weeks. See Legislative Calendar.

In addition to the regular session, the Governor may by proclamation require the Legislature to meet in "special session". A special session may run concurrently with the Legislature’s normally scheduled meeting time and/or during its recesses. During the special session, the Legislature may only act on subjects specified in the proclamation. To handle both the regular session and a special session at the same time, the Legislature may have to temporarily recess its work in the regular session, convene in the special session and then reconvene the regular session after temporarily recessing the special session. This recessing and reconvening may happen more than once on the same day.

Other than being limited to the subject matter for which it was called, there is no significant difference in process between a regular and special session. However, the effective dates for bills enacted during a special session are somewhat different than those for a regular session. (See Article IV, Section 8 for more details.)

LEGISLATION

Measures considered by the Legislature fall into six classes. There are differences among these classes in their requirements for passage and the weight of authority they carry. The six classes are Bills, Constitutional Amendments, Joint Resolutions, Concurrent Resolutions, House Resolutions, and Rules Committee Resolutions. Each of these types of measures are designated as originating either in the Assembly or the Senate and are assigned a number. The first of any given type of measure to be introduced in a session is numbered "1" and the numbering continues sequentially throughout the two-year session. At the beginning of a new session, the numbering starts over. For example, the tenth Senate bill introduced in a session is labeled "SB 10"; the third Assembly Constitutional Amendment is "ACA 3".)

BILLS (AB/SB)

In California, most laws are enacted, repealed, or amended through the medium of bills, which are proposals to add new laws or change or repealed existing laws.

To become law, a bill must be passed in both houses by at least a simple majority. A two-thirds vote is required if the bill contains a General Fund appropriation, unless the appropriation is for education, in which case only a majority vote is required. In addition, any bill which contains an urgency clause (i.e., a provision which would make the bill effective immediately upon gubernatorial approval, rather than on Jan. 1 following signature by the Governor as is normally the case) requires a two-thirds vote.

After passage by both houses of the Legislature, the bill is sent to the Governor who may either sign or veto the bill within a specified period of time (either 12 or 30 days depending on what time of the year it is sent to him/her) or it becomes law without his signature. There is no "pocket veto" in California such as exists at the federal level. If the Governor fails to act on a bill sent to him/her within the prescribed period, the measure becomes law without the Governor’s signature. (For more specifics regarding deadlines for gubernatorial actions on bills, refer to Section 10 of Article IV of the State Constitution.)

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS (ACA/SCA)

A constitutional amendment can be initiated by the Legislature if it passes both houses by a two-thirds vote. A constitutional amendment does not need the Governor's signature, but becomes part of the constitution only if the electorate approves it at the next general election. A special election can also be called by the Governor to consider a proposed constitutional amendment, if it is deemed necessary.

When the Legislature adopts a proposed constitutional amendment, it often also adopts a "companion bill"; i.e., a bill which takes effect only if the constitutional amendment is passed by the people. These companion measures generally contain detailed statutory provisions which would implement the constitutional amendment.

The constitution can also be amended through the "initiative process," in which the signatures of the requisite number of voters on a petition is sufficient to cause the Secretary of State to place the petition on the ballot. No action by the Legislature is needed in this process and the Legislature cannot prevent it from occurring.

JOINT RESOLUTIONS (AJR/SJR)

Joint resolutions are initiated when the Legislature wants to comment to Congress and/or the President on a federal matter of concern to the State. These resolutions require a majority vote in both houses. Joint resolutions neither need the signature of the Governor nor have the force of law. They take effect upon their being filed with the Secretary of State.

CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS (ACR/SCR)

Concurrent resolutions deal with state matters that are of concern to both houses. They are used for such things as adopting the joint rules, creating joint committees, requesting studies, expressing legislative intent and expressing the Legislature's congratulations to organizations, persons, or other states. Concurrent Resolutions need a majority in each house to pass and take effect upon their being filed with the Secretary of State. These measures do not go to the Governor for approval.

HOUSE AND SENATE RESOLUTIONS (HR/SR)

"House" (i.e., Assembly) and Senate resolutions are acted on in one house only. These resolutions are usually congratulatory, but they are also used to adopt and amend the house rules and create house interim committees. These measures do not go to the Governor for approval.

RULES COMMITTEE RESOLUTIONS

The Rules Committee of each house also takes action by way of the resolution. A majority vote of the committee is required to pass such measures which usually deal with internal operations of the Legislature.

THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS

When a legislator wants to propose a measure, she/he must go to the Legislative Counsel to have the specific language of the proposal put in proper bill form. The Legislative Counsel's staff, which provides legal services to both houses in support of the legislative process, will draft the language of the code section amendments to accomplish the author's purpose.

The staff attorney will also write the Legislative Counsel's Digest for the bill, which includes a summary of the current law and what the proposed changes will do. At the end of the Digest, Counsel will indicate the vote required for passage of the bill (usually "majority" or "two-thirds"), whether the bill must be referred to the fiscal committees, and whether the bill contains a State-mandated local program.

When the bill is written, it is returned to the author who will then introduce it in the house of which she/he is a member. From there, the bill proceeds through the legislative process.

The outline below presents the steps a bill typically goes through to become law.

BILL FLOW IN THE CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE

I. Introduction (first reading)

1. Author puts a legislative measure "across the desk" of the floor of the member's house.
2. Measure is given a number (e.g., AB 456, SB 612, ACA 3, SJR 1).
3. Title of measure is read on the floor of the house of origin. (The state constitution prohibits any bill from being enacted unless it is "read" on three separate days in each house, or unless two-thirds of the members of a house vote to dispense with the reading of a bill. Reading aloud the title of a bill at this point constitutes the first of the three readings.)
4. Measure is assigned ("referred") to a standing policy committee by the Rules Committee of the house of origin. The committee of assignment is based generally on the subject matter of the bill.

II. Consideration by Policy Committee

A. Committee holds public hearing.

1. Date set by committee and published in advance in the Daily File of the house of origin.
2. Hearing may be scheduled any time beginning 30 days after introduction of the bill unless it is an urgency measure, in which case the 30-day provisions can be waived by a 3/4 vote of the house.
3. On the day of the hearing, the author presents the bill to the committee and explains why the committee should approve it. The policy committee is concerned primarily with the policy or programmatic features of the bill, not its fiscal consequences. Proponents and opponents also present their views on the measure. In addition, the committee may invite experts on the issue under consideration to testify.

2. Committee recommendations to the floor, which generally require a majority vote of the committee, are customarily in one of the following forms:

1. "Do pass" - if the committee wants the bill to become law.
2. "Amend and do pass as amended" - if the committee rejected the original form of the bill, but approved it with certain specified changes or "amendments".
3. "Amend and re-refer" - if the committee wants the bill to be considered by a committee again after it is reprinted as amended. "Amend and re-refer" may bring the amended bill back to the same committee or it may specify another committee (usually a fiscal committee) that can properly consider the measure.
4. "Do pass and re-refer" - if the committee recommends the bill favorably without amendments but sends it to another committee. If the bill has a fiscal impact ("Fiscal committee: yes" at end of digest) it will be re-referred to the fiscal committee.
5. "Do not pass" - if committee opposes the bill, but prefers to let the house decide.
6. "To the house without recommendation" - if the committee is divided or uncertain and wants the house to decide the bill on its merits.
7. "Refer to Interim" - if the committee believes the subject is of sufficient importance to need further in-depth study by a legislative committee before adequate legislation can be written, then this recommendation suggests that the bill receive detailed analysis and hearings during the Legislature's recess (interim) period.

3. Instead of reporting its recommendation, the committee may effectively kill the bill by voting to "lay it on the table" or by taking no action (i.e., "holding" the bill in committee).

III. Consideration by Fiscal Committee

Essentially the same procedural requirements apply to the fiscal committees as do to the policy committees. However, these committees' attention, and the testimony they hear, is focused primarily (though not necessarily exclusively) on the fiscal ramifications of legislation, not the program or policy issues involved.

IV. Second Reading in House of Origin

1. The measure is listed in second reading file of the floor of the house of origin, but consideration usually involves no more than reading the bill number to satisfy procedural requirements.
2. If the committee recommended amendments, such amendments are printed as part of the bill and may be discussed and adopted.

V. Third Reading in House of Origin

1. The measure listed on third reading file is taken up for final passage when the author is ready to present it.

1. The author of a bill makes the case for approving the bill and floor debate may take place.
2. Members of the House may ask questions of the author and make statements of support or opposition to the measure.
3. Vote on final passage of bill is by roll call.

2. According to the California Constitution, "Any bill introduced during the first (odd) year of the biennium of the legislative session that has not been passed by the house of origin by January 31 of the second (even) calendar year of the biennium may no longer be acted on by the house. No bill may be passed by either house on or after September 1 of an even numbered year except statutes calling elections, statutes providing for tax levies or appropriations for the usual current expenses of the State, and urgency statutes, and bills passed after being vetoed by the Governor."

VI. Procedure After Bill Passes House of Origin

1. Sent to other house where same general procedure is followed.
2. If passed in second house, bill is returned to house of origin with a transmittal message stating either:

1. Bill passed second house and may be enrolled and sent to the Governor or
2. Bill passed second house with amendments, and concurrence in amendments by house of origin is requested so that bill may be enrolled and sent to Governor.

An exception to the above is specified in the Constitution: "Until the budget bill has been enacted, the Legislature shall not send to the Governor for consideration any bill appropriating funds for expenditure during the fiscal year for which the budget bill is to be enacted, except emergency bills recommended by the Governor or appropriations for the salaries and expenses of the Legislature."

3. If amendments are not satisfactory to house of origin, it appoints members of its house to a Committee on Conference and notifies the other house to appoint its Committee on Conference members (each house appoints three members to a conference committee.).

1. Conference Committee considers the bill and seeks agreement on its final form.

1. If conferees cannot agree, a new Committee on Conference is appointed.
2. If no agreement is reached on the third conference try, the bill is dead.

2. Conference Committee reports its recommendations to both houses, each of which must adopt the conference report at a roll-call vote (majority or two-thirds, depending upon the nature of the bill) before the bill can be sent to the Governor.

VII. Action by Governor

1. Sign or Veto—Article IV, Section 10 of the California Constitution provides: "Each bill passed by the Legislature shall be presented to the Governor. It becomes a statute if he signs it. He may veto it by returning it with his objections to the house of origin, which shall enter the objections in the journal and proceed to reconsider it. If each house then passes the bill by roll-call vote entered in the journal, two-thirds of the membership concurring, it becomes a statute." This latter action of the Legislature to approve by a two-thirds vote a bill vetoed by the Governor is referred to as a "veto override".
2. Item Veto—The California Constitution provides: "The Governor may reduce or eliminate one or more items of appropriation while approving other portions of a bill. He shall append to the bill a statement of the items reduced or eliminated with the reasons for his action. The Governor shall transmit to the house originating the bill a copy of his statement and reasons. Items reduced or eliminated shall be separately reconsidered and may be passed over the Governor's veto in the same manner as bills." Overriding a gubernatorial veto requires a two-thirds vote.
3. Deadlines for Action—The Constitution goes on to specify how much time the Governor has to act on (sign or veto) a bill sent to him/her. If the Governor does not act within that time, the bill becomes law without signature. Generally, the Governor’s deadlines are as follows:

1. In the first year of the session:
   

If the bill is delivered to the Governor before the interim recess: 12 days to act.

If the bill is delivered after the beginning of recess: 30 days to act.

2. In the second year of the session:

If the bill is delivered before adjournment: 12 days to act.

If the bill is delivered on or after September 1: until September 30 to act.

The Governor’s timeframe for action begins when the bill is received. The date a bill passes the Legislature usually is not the day the Governor receives it. After passage by the Legislature, the bill must go to "enrolling and engrossing" where it is prepared for formal transmission to the Governor. Sometimes, several days will elapse between the time of final legislative approval of a bill and the time the Governor receives it.

VIII. Effective Dates of Statutes

1. Under the State Constitution, except for statutes calling elections, statutes providing for tax levies or appropriations for the "usual current expenses of the State," and urgency statutes, "...a statute enacted at a regular session shall go into effect on January 1 next following a 90-day period from the date of enactment of the statute and a statute enacted at a special session shall go into effect on the 91st day after adjournment of the special session at which the bill was passed."
2. Urgency statutes are those "...necessary for immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety." A statement of facts constituting the necessity shall be set forth in one section of the bill (the "urgency clause"). Urgency bills become effective upon enactment unless a different effective date is specified in the bill. An urgency statute may not create or abolish any office or change the salary, terms, or duties of any office, or grant any franchise or special privileges, or create any vested right or interest.

DEPARTMENTAL PROPOSED LEGISLATION

The subject matter of legislation is derived from a variety of sources. In some instances, legislators introduce bills based on their own knowledge of, or personal experience with, the subject matter the bill proposes to affect. More frequently, legislators are asked by individuals or organizations to introduce (or "author" or "carry") a bill for them. Those making such requests are said to be the "sponsors" of the bill.

One large source of sponsorship is the individual departments within state government. A department may feel that if a particular statute is amended, repealed, or enacted, then some aspect of its administrative function will be done more efficiently or the effectiveness of a program will be enhanced. If this is the case, the department will request a member of the Legislature to introduce such legislation.

No department under the authority of the Governor may sponsor legislation without the prior approval of the department’s Agency Secretary and the Governor’s Legislative Secretary.

All proposals to introduce legislation from departments under the control of the Governor are sent to the Legislative Unit in the Governor's Office after approval at the Agency Secretary level. The Legislative Unit then forwards copies of the proposals to the Department of Finance (DOF) for review and comment. In addition, a department’s proposal may also be forwarded to other departments which may be affected by the proposal for their comment.

All legislative proposals must be consistent with the decisions made during budget preparation. Proposed legislation is routed by the Governor’s Office through the Department of Finance for analysis. The fiscal impact of proposed legislation is of particular concern. Fiscal impact includes proposals which would: (1) appropriate money; (2) result—for any reason—in additional expenditure of state money by any state agency or to reimburse any local government for a state mandate; (3) result in any loss or gain of revenue to a state or local government entity; or (4) result in a substantial reduction in expenditures of state money by reducing, transferring, eliminating or making more efficient the administration of any existing responsibilities of any state agency, program or function.

It is the responsibility of the originating organization to develop valid fiscal information for proposed legislation. This information must include the estimated fiscal impact to both state and local government.

The proposal must include an estimate of the initial fiscal impact in the first year of implementation and the full-year cost for a succeeding fiscal year. It must also identify the source of funds involved (e.g., General Fund, a particular special fund, a specific federal grant). When funds are available in the department’s budget to cover any costs of a proposal, those resources must be identified to DOF by the proposing department. If the proposal does not involve an appropriation or state fiscal impact, a statement attesting to that fact and noting that funds will not be requested in subsequent budgets is to be included in the department’s proposal.

HEARINGS

If it has prepared a bill analysis (see Bill Analysis section below) and recommended a position which has been approved by the Governor’s Office Legislative Unit, a department under the control of the Governor may testify at policy committee hearings. A department should not express any position on a measure unless that position has been approved by the Governor’s Office Legislative Unit.

In the Assembly and Senate Revenue and Taxation committees (which are policy committees), the Department of Finance (DOF) has an established role. Staff of DOF present testimony on the Administration's position on each bill heard by those committees. The basis of both the testimony and the Administration's position is the DOF bill analysis after it has been approved by the Governor's Office Legislative Unit.

Except for the Revenue and Taxation Committees, DOF typically does not get involved with a bill while its in the jurisdiction of a policy committee. DOF does, however, have a role in the fiscal committee (Appropriations and Budget) hearing process. A DOF "testifier" attends the hearings of the Assembly and Senate Appropriations hearings to present testimony and the Administration's position on legislation before those committees. The basis of both the testimony and the Administration's position is the DOF bill analysis after it has been approved by the Governor's Office Legislative Unit. On bills that would effect them, departments may join DOF in this testimony to augment or reinforce the view expressed by DOF.

In the Budget committees, which deal almost exclusively with the Budget Bill, DOF staff play the essential role of presenting and defending the Governor’s Budget in hearings of the several subcommittees which review different components of the Budget Bill. Departments under the control of the Governor join DOF in this function by elaborating on the justification for decisions reflected in the Governor’s Budget.

BILL ANALYSIS

Bill analyses are prepared for bills, constitutional amendments, joint resolutions, and concurrent resolutions when they are set for a hearing or otherwise requested by the Governor’s Office. Bills which are passed by both houses and referred to the Governor have enrolled analyses prepared (see Enrolled Bill Report).

The purpose of the bill analysis function is to provide the Governor, his/her staff, Agency Secretaries, the department heads, and the Department of Finance with information concerning the probable program and fiscal effects of proposed legislation pending before the Legislature. Typically, the bill analysis also recommends a position which the Administration should adopt on the proposed legislation. The analyses from various departments are used by the Governor’s Office in determining what position will be taken by the Administration on the proposed legislation.

Until approved by the Governor’s Office, bill analyses prepared by departments under the control of the Governor are not public documents and may not be made available to anyone outside of the review process. Once a position has been determined by the Governor’s Office, an analysis consistent with that position generally is made available to the public and the Legislature. An analysis that has not yet been approved, or which expresses a position inconsistent with that adopted by the Governor’s Office may not be made public, since such documents are working papers of the Administration and do not necessarily reflect the policy position of the Governor.

ENROLLED BILL REPORT

When a bill is passed by the Legislature and sent to the Governor, departments under the control of the Governor that would likely be affected by the bill must prepare an enrolled bill report (EBR) for the Governor’s Office. The EBR serves essentially the same function as the bill analysis except that it recommends to the Governor what action (i.e., sign, veto, sign with a message) should be taken on the measure. EBRs are considered confidential communications with the Governor and therefore are not public documents. Consequently, even if approved, EBRs may not be released to the public by anyone without Governor’s Office approval.

EBRs are not prepared for constitutional amendments and resolutions as these kinds of legislative measures are not sent to the Governor for approval.