Glossary of Common California Government Terms – C – D

Glossary of Common California Government Terms – C – D By Chris Micheli

Cabinet Unit – The group of individuals who work in the Governor’s Cabinet Unit as the liaison to the executive branch agencies.

Calendar – A term used to describe the agenda for a committee or floor session.

Calendar Day – Every day of the calendar, including weekends and holidays.

Call of the House – This refers to when absent Members are called to the Floor of the Assembly or Senate, usually in order to establish a quorum.

Capital Outlay - Generally, these are state expenditures to acquire or construct real property.

Carryover Bill – Another term for a 2-year bill.

Caucus -- A caucus can refer to a group of legislators (e.g., the Democratic Caucus) or a private meeting of a political party.

Caucus Chair – The individual legislator who is selected by the leader of each party caucus in both houses to lead the members of the respective caucus.

CCR – The California Code of Regulations, which contains all of California’s regulations.

Censure – An official reprimand by a legislative body of one of its members.

Chair / Madam Chair / Mr. Chair – This is the appointed leader of a legislative committee.

Chamber – This refers to either the Assembly Chamber or Senate Chamber

Chaptered Bill – The version of a bill in its final (i.e., chaptered) form after approval by the Governor.

Chapter Number – The number assigned by the Secretary of State and Governor to an enacted bill.

Chapter Out -- This is a phenomenon when a law’s provisions override any conflicting provisions in existing law, thereby chaptering out the earlier law.

Charter Law City – This type of city is governed by the voter-approved charter, rather than state law.

Check-In-Session – These are non-floor session days when legislators do not meet in formal legislative sessions.

Chief Clerk – The top staff member of the State Assembly.

Chief Sgt. at Arms – The top Sgt. in the Assembly and Senate who are elected officers of their respective houses of the California Legislature.

Civil Penalty – When a law is violated, there may be a civil (financial) penalty assessed for the violation.

Clean-up Bill - This bill “cleans-up” changes to a law following enactment of a prior bill that needs to be modified.

Clerk – This refers to the Chief Clerk of the Assembly. 

Closed Session / Executive Session – This occurs under specified conditions when a committee meets in private without members of the public present.

Co-author – A legislator may add his or her name in support of a legislative measure by co-authoring the measure.

Code – California’s over 155,000 statutes are contained in a series of 29 Codes, which begin with Business & Professions and end with Welfare & Institutions.

Code Maintenance Bill – A bill used to update technical changes to California’s Codes.

Codified Statute – An enacted bill that adds, amends, or repeals a statute in one of California’s 29 Codes.

COLA – A cost-of-living-adjustment which likely occurs with ongoing payments to reflect an increase in inflation.

Commission on State Mandates – The official entity that hears and determines petitions from local agencies and school districts whether they should be reimbursed for the costs of a state-mandated local program.

Committees – The Assembly has 33 standing committee, while the Senate has 22 standing committees, which handle legislative measures and prepare analyses and conduct hearings.

Committee Amendments – These are amendments made to a bill by the standing committee that is acting on the bill.

Committee Analysis – An analysis of a legislative measure that is pending in an Assembly or Senate standing committee.

Committee Assignments – Each legislator in the Assembly and Senate are given assignments to serve on several committees throughout the legislative session.

            Committee Bill – This bill is authored by a majority of a committee; usually used for enacting non-controversial law changes.

            Committee Chair / Vice Chair – The two leadership positions for each standing committee of the California Legislature.

            Committee Consultant – This refers to the professional staff who work for legislative committees.

Committee Deadline – This is the deadline for bills to pass their policy or fiscal committee.

Committee of the Whole – When the two houses of the Legislature meet jointly. This is rarely used in California.

Committee Staff – The professional non-elected individuals who work for individual committees of the California Legislature.

Companion Bill -- This is when two bills identical in wording are introduced in each house of the Legislature.

Concur / Non-concur – To concur is when the house of origin approves the amendments made to a measure in the other house and the measure returns for a final vote. Non-concur is when the house of origin refuses to approve the amendments made by the other house.

Concurrent Resolution – A resolution adopted by both houses of the Legislature.

Conferee – A member of a conference committee.

Conference Committee – A two-house committee that includes an equal number of Assembly Members and Senators (usually 3 persons from each house) that is comprised to resolve differences between the Senate and Assembly versions of a measure. It usually occurs after the house of origin refuses to concur in amendments adopted by the other house.

Conference Report – The finished document as a result of a successful outcome of a conference committee.

Confirmation – The State Senate is generally responsible for confirming gubernatorial appointees to their respective office.

Conflict – This term refers to when two or more bills would amend the same Code section.

Conflict of Interest – When an elected or appointed official, or their staff, have a personal, financial interest in an official matter coming before them.

Conformity Bill – A term used to describe a bill that conforms to federal or other law (e.g., conforms state tax law to federal tax law provisions).

Consent – A measure is usually placed on the consent calendar when there is no registered opposition to a measure and no “no” votes have been case.

Constituent – A citizen who lives in a designative legislative district.

Constitution – California’s highest level of law that was adopted by the voters in 1879.

Constitutional Amendment – A proposed change to the California Constitution either proposed by the Legislature through an ACA/SCA, or by the People through an initiative.

Constitutional Officer – The nine individually elected officials who are elected on a statewide basis.

            Consultant – This refers to the professional staff who work for legislative committee or leadership policy staff.

            Contingent Enactment – When the enactment of a measure is made contingent upon a specified occurrence or the enactment of another measure.

Continuing Appropriation – A specified appropriation that is available for more than one fiscal year.

Continuous Appropriation – This is a constitutional or statutory expenditure authorization that is renewed each year without further legislative action.

Control Sections – These are the sections of the Budget Act (e.g., 1.00 to the end of the Budget Bill) providing specific controls on the appropriations itemized in Section 2.00 of the Budget Act.

Convene – When a legislative committee or the Floors of the Assembly or Senate begin their official proceedings.

Corrections Bill – A bill that simply make Code corrections, such as fixing misspellings or incorrect cross-references.

Criminal Penalty – When a law is violated, there may be a criminal penalty assessed for the violation.

Cross-reference – When a statute refers to another Code section (e.g., when a definition for a term references the definition for that word in another Code section).

            Current Year Budget - A term used in budgeting to designate the operations of the present fiscal year in contrast to past or future periods, as well as the fiscal or budget year.

Custom and Practice – A term used to describe the usually followed order established by precedent.

Daily File – The Assembly and Senate publish a File that contains valuable information including committee listings, bill introductions, committee hearings, and the measures pending on the floors.

Daily History – The Senate and Assembly publish daily the official actions taken on legislative measures.

Daily Journal – The Assembly and Senate publish daily official proceedings including floor actions and committee actions.

Dead Bill – When a bill has failed to move through the legislative process.

Deadline – A procedural date specified for actions to occur, such as when policy committees must conclude their hearings.

Debatable – When a motion is open to debate or discussion.

Debt Service - The amount of money required to pay interest on outstanding bonds and the principal of maturing bonds.

Declaratory of Existing Law – A provision or a bill or statute that provides the Legislature had intended this law change to apply retroactively to when the existing law was first adopted.

Decorum – Engaging in proper conduct in committee or on the Floor.

Deferral Clause - A deferral clause is used when one bill “defers” to another bill concerning which provisions will take effect.

Desk Staff – A term used to describe the staff who work at the Assembly or Senate Desks in their respective chambers.

Defined Term – A term in a bill or statute that has a definition in the bill or statute.

Definition – A provision in a bill or statute that provides a definition for a term.

Died in Committee – When a measure failed passage or was not taken up and moved forward in committee.

Delegation of Authority – The legal phrase describing when the legislative branch delegated some of its lawmaking authority to the executive branch for rulemaking purposes.

Desk – The area where the Floor staff work in the Assembly and Senate Chambers.

Desk Is Clear – A statement normally used in the Senate at the end of a floor session to announce that all of that day’s official business has been concluded.

            Digest – This refers to the Legislative Counsel’s Digest which provides an objective, brief explanation of existing law and what a bill proposes to change in existing law.

            Digest Keys – At the end of the Legislative Counsel’s Digest, there are four keys for each bill: Vote (the vote threshold required for passage); Appropriation (whether the bill appropriates funds); Fiscal Committee (whether the bill is to be re-referred to the Appropriations Committee); and Local Program (whether the bill would result in a state-mandated local program).

            Digesting – When an attorney at the Office of Legislative Counsel drafts the Digest for a legislative measure.

            Dilatory – The use of parliamentary procedure to intentionally delay proceedings.

            Direct Democracy – The three political powers granted to the People of California under the state Constitution: initiative, referendum, and recall.

            District – The legislative district of an Assembly Member or Senator.

District Bill -- This is a measure that was introduced by a legislator for his or her district, generally affecting only that particular legislative district.

Disposition – This refers to the final action taken on a legislative measure.

Dissent – To voice disagreement on a procedural matter, or to speak against something.

Divide the Question – A procedural rule to break into two or more parts a motion or a vote, such as multiple confirmation votes.

DOF (Department of Finance or “Finance”) - The Department is a fiscal control agency that prepares the state budget and advises the Governor and state agencies on budget matters.

Do Pass – A motion to pass a legislative measure without any amendments.

Do Pass as Amended – A motion to pass a legislative measure with amendments.

Double Jointing -- This refers to language added to a bill that makes its passage contingent upon another bill's passage to avoid one bill chaptering out the other bill.

Dropped Bill – When the bill’s author chooses not to proceed with his or her bill.

Dual Referral / Double Referral – This refers to when a measure has been referred to two policy committees by the Rules Committee.