How Often Does the Legislature Express Its Opinion?

How Often Does the Legislature Express Its Opinion? By Chris Micheli

            There are three types of measures used in the California Legislature: bills, constitutional amendments, and resolutions. There are also three types of resolutions: house, concurrent, and joint. While some resolutions are used to elect officers and adopt rules, the vast majority of resolutions are simply expressions of opinion by the Legislature (e.g., joint resolutions express legislative opinion on federal matters), or designating something (e.g., a house or concurrent resolution could designate women’s health month).

            Resolutions only require adoption by one house (in the case of a house – HR or SR – resolution) or both houses (in the cases of joint – SJR or AJR – and concurrent – SCR or ACR – resolutions), but no action by the Governor. While bills create statutes and constitutional amendments, once adopted by the voters, add, amend, or repeal provisions of the state Constitution, resolutions do not have any force or effect of law. Nonetheless, the Legislature often considers hundreds of resolutions during its 2-year sessions.

            The following lists the number of house, joint, and concurrent resolutions each 2- year California Legislative Session over the past 16 years (8 sessions):

2023-24 Session

HRs – 129

ACRs – 229

AJRs – 19

Total Assembly resolutions: 377

SRs – 125

SCRs – 170

SJRs – 18

Total Senate resolutions: 313

Total resolutions for both houses: 690

2021-22 Session

HRs – 134

ACRs – 215

AJRs – 36

Total Assembly resolutions: 385

SRs – 104

SCRs – 122

SJRs – 16

Total Senate resolutions: 242

Total resolutions for both houses: 627

2019-20 Session

HRs – 105

ACRs – 200

AJRs – 36

Total Assembly resolutions: 341

SRs – 90

SCRs – 94

SJRs – 14

Total Senate resolutions: 198

Total resolutions for both houses: 539

2017-18 Session

HRs – 125

ACRs – 286

AJRs – 52

Total Assembly resolutions: 463

SRs – 127

SCRs – 166

SJRs – 30

Total Senate resolutions: 323

Total resolutions for both houses: 786

2015-16 Session

HRs – 64

ACRs – 204

AJRs – 46

Total Assembly resolutions: 314

SRs – 89

SCRs – 166

SJRs – 29

Total Senate resolutions: 284

Total resolutions for both houses: 598

2013-14 Session

HRs – 56

ACRs – 175

AJRs – 54

Total Assembly resolutions: 285

SRs – 63

SCRs – 141

SJRs – 34

Total Senate resolutions: 238

Total resolutions for both houses: 523

2011-12 Session

HRs – 43

ACRs – 168

AJRs – 47

Total Assembly resolutions: 258

SRs – 38

SCRs – 105

SJRs – 30

Total Senate resolutions: 172

Total resolutions for both houses: 430

2009-10 Session

HRs – 37

ACRs – 187

AJRs – 47

Total Assembly resolutions: 271

SRs – 53

SCRs – 126

SJRs – 36

Total Senate resolutions: 215

Total resolutions for both houses: 486

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