Chris Micheli

Capitol Trivia Question # 1 By Chris Micheli Question: When was the last time a bill became law without a Governor's signature? Answer: In the 2016 Legislative Session, Governor Jerry Brown allowed two bills to become law without his signature

A Look Back at Bill Introductions in the California Legislature  By Chris Micheli   Over the past decade, the California Legislature, and its 120 legislators, introduce between 1,900 and 2,500 bills per year, each year of the 2-year legislative sessions. While fewer than 50 additional bills get introduced after the deadline (e.g., due to a rule waiver or a bill introduced by a committee, which are not subject to the introduction deadline), the 2023 California Legislative Session saw a higher number of introductions than normal, and the highest number in over a decade. The 2024 Session returns those introduction numbers to more normal levels.   For comparison purposes, the following is the list of the total number of bills introduced by the two houses by the applicable deadline each February over the past dozen years:   ·          Total 2024 bill introductions as of the deadline: 2,124 ·     ...

Historical Look at Special Sessions in California  By Chris Micheli In California, the Governor can call the Legislature into a Special Session (formally called an Extraordinary Session) pursuant to Article IV, Section 3(b) of the state Constitution. Looking over the past thirty years, the following are the Special Sessions by year and topic. 2023-24 Legislative Session 2024 – Second Extraordinary Session To consider and act upon legislation necessary to: a. Authorize the California Energy Commission to adopt regulations that would require California refiners of transportation fuels to demonstrate resupply plans and arrangements that are adequate to address losses in production from refinery maintenance before planned maintenance may be scheduled and permitted, while also accounting for protecting the health and safety of refinery employees and the public. b. Authorize the California Energy Commission to impose minimum inventory requirements on refiners to keep transportati...

Bill Volume of California Legislative Committees – 2023-24 Session  By Chris Micheli The California Legislature has a combined 56 standing committees, with 33 in the Assembly and 23 in the Senate. There were 2,159 bills (3,291 ABs and SBs) introduced during the 2023-24 Legislative Session. Those standing committees, and their hardworking consultants (along with their minority party counterparts), reviewed and analyzed thousands of bills during the past 2-year legislative session.     The following charts provide the data for the original bill referrals to policy committees during the 2023-24 Session (meaning the first committee that received a bill from the Rules Committee): 2023-24 Assembly Committees and Original Bill Referrals (Note that these figures do not include second committee referrals; and, Appropriations and Rules Committees are not included; historically, about 80% of all bills go through the Appropriations Committee) COMMITTEE ...