More Detailed Spot Bill Language in Digests Is Helpful

More Detailed Spot Bill Language in Digests Is Helpful By Chris Micheli

            In reviewing the hundreds of new bill introductions for the 2023 California Legislative Session, I came across several “spot bills” (i.e., those lacking substantive law changes) that serve as placeholders. In almost all spot bills, the Legislative Counsel’s Digest states either: “This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to that provision” or “This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to that section.”

            Perhaps I have not noticed before, but several recent bills have gone beyond that standard language. The following are examples from recently-introduced spot bills:

This bill would make nonsubstantive changes in a provision that, for purposes of the Donahoe Higher Education Act, designates the segments of public postsecondary education as the California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California, as specified, and defines independent institutions of higher education for these purposes.

This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions and would clarify that the above-described statement of decision is required to clearly specify the provision in the contract that excludes a specific coverage.

This bill would make nonsubstantive changes and reorganize various provisions relating to the creation and regulation of accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units, including the provisions described above, and would make related nonsubstantive conforming changes.

            This approach can be helpful for readers when the Legislative Counsel’s Digest covers several provisions of existing law, and then the Digest specifies that the proposed nonsubstantive language change deals with one item out of several listed.

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