Frequently Asked Questions About California Bill Deadlines

Frequently Asked Questions About California Bill Deadlines By Chris Micheli

Can bills be voted upon after midnight on August 31 so long as the “clock is stopped”? “Stopping the clock” is the term used to describe the process of continuing legislative business after the passage of a deadline imposed by legislative rule. However, there is no provision in the law to “stop the clock” and the California Constitution (i.e., not a legislative rule) prohibits bills from being considered after August 31 in the second year of a Session except for specified bills.

Do the Joint Rules related to committee deadlines apply to all measures? Joint and Concurrent Resolutions are exempt from these deadlines pursuant to Joint Rule 6. Bills related to the budget under subdivision (e) of Section 12, of Article IV of the Constitution are exempt from these deadlines as well. Bills which are referred to a committee pursuant to Joint Rule 26.5, Assembly Rule 77.2, or Senate Rule 29.10 are also exempt from these deadlines

Do all measures introduced in the first year of the session have to pass out of their house of origin by January 31 of the second year? This is the general rule for bills, but Joint Rule 56 does not apply to constitutional amendments.

            Where are the legislative deadlines found? These deadlines are contained in Joint Rule 61, which specifies that “the deadlines set forth in this rule shall be observed by the Senate and Assembly. After each deadline, the Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Clerk of the Assembly may not accept committee reports from their respective committees except as otherwise provided in this rule.”

            Are there different deadlines for the two years of the Legislative Session? Yes, Joint Rule 61(a) provides the deadlines for the odd-numbered (or first) year of the Session, while JR 61(b) sets forth the deadlines for the even-numbered (or second) year of the Session.

            What are the exceptions to the Joint Rule 61 deadlines? They are: Rules Committees meeting; bills referred to committee under JR 26.5; bills referred to committee under AR 77.2 or SR 19.10; joint and concurrence resolutions; constitutional amendments; and, urgency clause bills.

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 have been introduced at all? The bases for just over 1/3 of the vetoes by the Governor included these categories: ·          18% were deemed unnecessary ·         
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 contains an appropriation related to the budget bill and is listed as a “trailer bill” in the Budget Bill. What is a Su
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 guidance in the Constitution, nor in any California Code, regarding what a “statute calling an election” looks like o
Read more