The Legislative Process

1. The Legislative Process

2. HowtheProcess Works HowtoFindLegislativeInformation HowtoInfluencetheProcess

3. How a Bill is Created • Legislation is introduced for many reasons: • There is an ongoing problem that needs to be addressed • There is something new that needs to be regulated • Someone has an idea to make something better • There is a budget item that needs legislation to be enacted

4. Starts with an Idea • A constituent, an organization, or a legislator themselves has an idea for legislation. • The constituent or organization looks for potential legislators to author the bill. They look at potential author’s bio, legislative history, their interests, committee membership, and how they have voted on similar legislation in the past. • Once they find a legislator interested in authoring the bill the legislative process begins.

5. Bill is Introduced • The legislator submits the idea or the proposed bill language to Legislative counsel, where it is turned into the language of the bill. • The bill number, title, and description are then read for the first time on the floor of the house and is thereby officially introduced • The bill has to be in print for 30 days before any action can be taken.

6. Committees Committees and committee hearings are important parts of the legislative process. Every bill must go through the committee process. Committee hearings give the public an open forum to hear discussions on legislative issues and express their opinions. Public hearings shed light on what our elected officials are considering. They give the public the ability to hear discussions about legislative issues and express their thoughts to the legislators themselves. It is also an opportunity to share information and give legislators some insight on how their decisions affect people in real world situations.

7. Committees • Rules Committee • The Rules Committee of each house decides which bills will go to what committees for hearing • Rules committee will assign bills to the appropriate committees based on the subject matter of the bill and if there are any fiscal implications. It may get referred to more than one policy committee if it has overlapping subject matter.

8. Policy Committee(s) Policy Committees review legislation from a policy perspective, looking at whether or not the legislation makes sense or would achieve its intended results. The staff of the policy committees create the committee analysis of a bill

10. Appropriations Committees Each house has a fiscal committee called the Appropriations Committee. A bill will be referred to Appropriations if there are any fiscal implications or require the expenditure of any state money

11. Assembly Committees • Accountability and Administrative Review • Aging And Long-Term Care • Agriculture • Appropriations • Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media • Banking and Finance • Budget • Business, Professions and Consumer Protection • Education • Elections and Redistricting • Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials • Governmental Organization • Health • Higher Education • Housing and Community Development • Human Services • Insurance • Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy • Judiciary • Labor and Employment • Local Government • Natural Resources • Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security • Public Safety • Revenue and Taxation • Rules • Transportation • Utilities and Commerce • Veterans Affairs • Water, Parks and Wildlife

12. Senate Committees • Agriculture • Appropriations • Banking and Financial Institutions • Budget and Fiscal Review • Business, Professions and Economic Development • Education • Elections and Constitutional Amendments • Energy, Utilities and Communications • Environmental Quality • Governance and Finance • Governmental Organization • Health • Human Services • Insurance • Judiciary • Labor and Industrial Relations • Legislative Ethics • Natural Resources and Water • Public Employment and Retirement • Public Safety • Rules • Transportation and Housing • Veterans Affairs

13. Floor Vote • When a bill passes out of the appropriate committees of that house, it then goes to the floor of that house for a vote. • If a bill has costs attached to it, or if it is an urgency bill, it must get 27 votes in the Senate or 54 votes in the Assembly • If no costs or urgency status, a bill must get 21 votes in the Senate or 41 votes in the Assembly

14. Second House • Once the bill has passed the first house, it will go through the same process all over again in the second house • If the bill is in different form when it passes the second house, it must go back to the original house for concurrence, where the members will vote on the amended bill

15. On to the Governor’s Office • If the Governor signs the bill, it becomes law on January 1st of the new year. • If the bill had “urgency status”, it will take effect immediately

16. Where to Find Information Handy Websites

17. Legislative Glossaryhttp://www.leginfo.ca.gov/glossary.html

49. Influencing the Outcome Writing Letters, Meeting with Legislators and Staff, and Testifying

50. Timing • Make sure you get involved early in the process– especially if you are asking for amendments • Letters to committees should be sent no later than one week prior to the hearing to make the committee analysis