Designating “Spot” Bills in the California Legislature

Designating “Spot” Bills in the California Legislature By Chris Micheli

            It is easy to identify a “spot” bill that is introduced in the California Legislature. The first place to look is in the Legislative Counsel’s Digest. The second place, naturally, is to look at the text of the bill.

As described by the Legislative Counsel, a “spot bill” is one that does not make any substantive change to existing law, “and would not otherwise affect the ongoing operations of state or local government.” On the other hand, an “intent bill” is one that merely makes a statement of legislative intent.

In the Digest, the reader will find one of the following three statements after the explanation of existing law in the Digest (following the paragraph that begins with “Existing law…):

“This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to ….”

“This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to ….”

“This bill would make nonsubstantive changes and reorganize various provisions relating to the …”

In the text of the bill, the reader will find a nonsubstantive change to an existing statute, such as the following:

Section 3274 of the Civil Code is amended to read:

3274. As a general rule, compensation is the relief or remedy provided by the law of this State state for the violation of private rights, rights and the means of securing their observance; and specific observance. Specific and preventive relief may be given in no other cases than those specified in this Part of the Civil Code part.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Orientation to the California State Capitol and Swing Space for Lobby Day Attendees

An Orientation to the California State Capitol and Swing Space for Lobby Day Attendees  By Chris Micheli             This article is intended to provide an orientation to the California State Capitol and its accompanying Swing Space for individuals participating in a lobby day.   The State Capitol The California State Capitol is the seat of state government, located in Sacramento. The building houses the chambers of the State Legislature, which is comprised of the Assembly and the Senate, We often refer to this building as the historic side of the Capitol. The first floor holds the original offices of California’s Governor (actually a 3-room suite), two offices of the Treasurer, Attorney General, and Secretary of State. There is also a State Library exhibit room and a State Archives exhibit room. The Senate has two hearing rooms on the first floor – 112 and 113. There is a small meeting room as well. The Asse...
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

An Orientation to California State Government for Lobby Day Attendees

An Orientation to California State Government for Lobby Day Attendees  By Chris Micheli             What should your lobby day participants know about California government before they embark on their lobby day at the State Capitol in Sacramento? This article sets forth those key items for them to get acquainted with regarding the Legislature and the legislative process. Branches of State Government Like the federal government, California has three branches of government: Legislative (comprised of the Senate and Assembly), executive (headed by the Governor and the other 8 constitutional offices), and judicial (headed by the Supreme Court). The three branches are set forth in Articles 4, 5, and 6 of the California Constitution. Hierarchy of Laws Like at the federal level, California has the following bodies of law in this order of superiority:             Constit...
Read more