Chris Micheli

Frequently Asked Questions about the Last Part of the Legislative Session  By Chris Micheli What generally happens in the last part of the California Legislative Session? The final weeks of the Legislative Session are a proverbial sprint to the finish line. Policy committees have finished the bulk of their work, but many bills get significant amendments that require the policy committees to hear additional bills as the Session winds down. The main focus is now on the fiscal committees and their votes on measures that are pending on the Suspense Files in the respective Appropriations Committees of the Senate and Assembly.             The last two weeks of the Session are a whirlwind as hundreds of bills are considered on the Floor of the second house, with most bills having to return for a final vote on the Floor of the bill’s house of origin.             Once Session adjourns, the work is not done. Instead, the focus turns to the Governor’s Office and his consideration of on avera

Chart of November Ballot Measures and Their Status  By Chris Micheli             On Tuesday, November 5, 2024, the General Election in California, and across the nation, will take place. There are up to 14 measures that could be voted on by the statewide electorate. The following chart provides a listing of those possible ballot measures and relevant updates as of Thursday, June 20.             We know that Thursday, June 27 is the last day for the Legislature to place a measure on the ballot, as well as for initiative proponents to withdraw their measure from the ballot. The chart will be updated over the course of the next week to reflect any additional actions taken.   MEASURE DESCRIPTION STATUS NOTES SCA 2 (Allen) Public housing projects Qualified for ballot SCR 157 (Allen) would withdraw this measure from ballot ACA 5 (Low) Marriage equality Qualified for bal

Frequently Asked Questions about the Middle Part of the Legislative Session  By Chris Micheli What generally happens in the middle part of the California Legislative Session? Immediately after the house of origin deadline, the budget deliberations are in full swing and bills must quickly be considered in the second house. The first half of June is spent mainly on the adoption of the budget bill as well as about two dozen trailer bills, which often implement significant statutory changes as part of the adoption of the state budget.             For the month that follows, the policy committees in both houses work diligently to consider and vote on the hundreds of bills that have made their way over from the other house. This is followed by a month-long summer recess before the final month of the Session. What is the usual legislative calendar in the middle part of the Session? The Assembly Chief Clerk and the Senate Secretary prepare a calendar for the Session with the correspondi

Frequently Asked Questions about the First Part of the Legislative Session  By Chris Micheli What generally happens in the first part of the California Legislative Session? During the first part of the first year of a two-year Session, legislators await their committee assignments, consider proposals for authoring bills and, for the new Members, they have dozens of “meet-and-greet” appointments in which they meet their colleagues, constituents and lobbyists. This usually occurs in January and most of February.             By March, the budget subcommittees and policy committees begin hearing bills and budget proposals. After policy committees hear and vote on bills, the vast majority of measures are considered by the fiscal committee (which we call the Appropriations Committee). Once bills pass the fiscal committee, they head to the respective floor for final consideration in their house of origin.             What is the usual legislative calendar in the first part of the Sessi

Frequently Asked Questions about Bills with Public’s Right of Access Disclaimers  By Chris Micheli             Have you ever read a bill and found a section at the end of the bill discussing the public’s right of access being limited by the bill? The following is an example from a bill in the California Legislature:   SEC. 5. The Legislature finds and declares that Section 1 of this act, which amends Sections 12651 of the Government Code, imposes a limitation on the public’s right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies within the meaning of Section 3 of Article I of the California Constitution. Pursuant to that constitutional provision, the Legislature makes the following findings to demonstrate the interest protected by this limitation and the need for protecting that interest: Sensitive information of California taxpayers should be adequately protected from disclosure during the process of the assessment and collection of tax

Frequently Asked Questions about Actions by Appropriations Committees  By Chris Micheli             What can the Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committee do with bills re-referred to them? The following actions are the most common: Do Pass; Do Pass as Amended; Placed on the Suspense File; Consent; or “28.8 to the Floor” (only in the Senate).             Why is a bill sent to the Suspense File? If a measure reaches the fiscal threshold, then they are placed on the Suspense File, which is $50K in the Senate and $150K in the Assembly. What is 28.8? Senate Rule 28.8 allows the Senate fiscal committee chair to send measures directly to the Senate Floor if there are no significant costs or revenue loss attributable to the measure. What types of amendments are made by the respective Appropriations Committees? They are author’s amendments or committee amendments. What happens when a bill is held on the Suspense File? During the first year of the session, when the committees d

Frequently Asked Questions about California State Officers and Honoraria and Gifts  By Chris Micheli             Can state officers accept gifts and honoraria? Among other provisions, Article V, Section 14 of the California Constitution prohibits any honorarium being paid and limits gifts being made to state officers. Who are “state officers”? Section 14 (f) defines “state officer” to mean the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Controller, Insurance Commissioner, Secretary of State, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Treasurer, and members of the State Board of Equalization.             What does the state Constitution provide regarding honoraria? Article V, Section 14(b) specifies: “No state officer may accept any honorarium. The Legislature shall enact laws that implement this subdivision.” Article 1 of Chapter 9.5 of Title 9 of the Government Code deals with honoraria in Sections 89501 and 89502.             How does state law define honorarium? Section