A Few Bill Statistics from the California Legislature

A Few Bill Statistics from the California Legislature By Chris Micheli

            As a self-described legislative geek, I was researching different types of bills that have been considered by the California Legislature. I began with the 2023 California Legislative Session and found that there currently are:

·         Over 2,660 bills introduced

·         124 bills would take effect immediately

·         717 bills contain a state mandated local program

·         2,007 bills would have a fiscal effect

·         78 bills contain an appropriation

·         2,520 bills require a majority vote for passage

·         158 bills require a 2/3 vote for passage

·         68 bills are special statutes

·         58 bills have urgency clauses

·         65 bills are tax levies

·         53 bills are of statewide concern, rather than municipal affairs

·         85 bills have severability clauses

·         61 bills contain Section 41 findings, related to new tax expenditure programs

·         4 bills are contingent upon the enactment of another measure

·         38 bills are contingent upon the appropriation of funds

·         14 bills disclaim being gifts of public funds

·         551 bills were introduced as intent bills

·         495 bills were introduced as “spot” bills

In addition, since 1999 (over the past quarter century), according to a review of the Legislative Counsel’s Digest Keys, the:

·         Total number of bills that would take effect immediately: 6,429

·         Total number of bills that contain a state-mandated local program: 12,751

·         Total number of bills that would have a fiscal effect: 40,176

·         Total number of bills that contain an appropriation: 4,864

This is a new set of data that I have begun tracking. It will be interesting to see if the 2023 Session data is indicative of what will happen in the second year of the 2023-24 Session and forthcoming. I plan to update these figures going forward.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Another Reason to Limit Bill Introductions?

Another Reason to Limit Bill Introductions?  By Chris Micheli             As I did my final review of Governor Newsom’s actions on the 1,046 bills sent to him after the 2023 Legislative Session, I noticed that some of the Governor’s veto messages provide additional rationales for limiting bill introductions.             Out of 156 vetoes from the 2023 Session, the number one reason for the Governor’s veto was budget concerns or cost pressures. In fact, 41% of the vetoes used that basis. That by itself is not a reason to limit bill introductions, but another statistic may provide such a reason…             By my count, just over 1/3 of the bills vetoed by Governor Newsom likely should not have been sent to his Desk and, arguably, should not have made it through the process at all. In fact, perhaps they should not h...
Read more

Frequently Asked Questions about California’s Budget Process

Frequently Asked Questions about California’s Budget Process  By Chris Micheli             What are the main parts of the California state budget? They are the Budget Bill, Budget Bill Junior, Trailer Bills, and Supplemental Reports.             What is the Budget Bill? This bill contains the appropriations and “Budget Bill Language”. Note that only a Budget Bill (or BBJ) can contain multiple appropriations. It requires a majority vote for passage and the bill takes effect immediately. There is just one Budget Bill. What is the “Budget Bill Jr.”? This is the bill that amends the main Budget Bill by making changes to multiple appropriations. There are often multiple BBJs. What is a Trailer Bill? This bill makes the statutory changes needed to implement the budget. It is the same as any other bill, but it takes effect immediately with a majority vote if it contain...
Read more

Can Any Bill Call an Election?

Can Any Bill Call an Election?  By Chris Micheli             In June 2024, we saw two bills that contain a provision to call an election.             Both bills contain a “plus” section at the end of the bill, which is an uncodified statute, stating the following: “this act calls an election within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect.” Such a measure only requires a majority vote, unless some other constitutional provision requires a higher vote threshold (e.g., a tax increase). What is the basis for this statement? Section 8(c)(3) of Article IV of the state Constitution provides: “ Statutes calling elections, statutes providing for tax levies or appropriations for the usual current expenses of the State, and urgency statutes shall go into effect immediately upon their enactment.” However, there is no further gui...
Read more