Do voters have privileges in California? Yes, the Elections Code contains “privileges of voters” in Chapter 1 of Division 14 What happens if a voter does not have sufficient time outside of working hours to vote at a statewide election?...
Have you seen the following sentence in a California bill or in a statute: “This act shall be liberally construed to effectuate its purposes.” Why is this phrase needed? Shouldn’t that be obvious guidance to a court when interpreting a...
What are some lobbying support services? Work to support lobbying efforts can include managing coalitions, directing grassroots campaigns, conducting public outreach, or other indirect efforts to enhance or promote the direct lobbying efforts. What kind of services do either in-house...
There are times in statutes when the legislative branch of state government grants authority to the executive branch and, at other times, the Legislature restricts the authority of the executive branch. And, on occasion, the Legislature defers to the executive...
What is legislative history? Legislative history relates to how a bill becomes law, and includes the documents and steps involved in passage of the successful legislation. What is statutory history? Statutory history is usually defined as changes to the language...
We know that sometimes a statute will not take effect unless some other statute or action occurs first. This type of statute contains a “contingent enactment” clause, meaning that its enactment is contingent on that other specified action. In other...
Why does the Legislature convene a new session in early December, but designate the new Session as the following two years (e.g., the Session convened on December 5, 2022 and is designated as the 2023-24 Legislative Session)? California’s Constitution, in...