California's Laws: How Kids Can Understand Better

So, you want to know how a bill becomes a law in California? Well, it's a bit of a process! First, someone (it could be a citizen, a legislator, a group, a state agency, or even the Governor!) has an idea for a new law. Then, a legislator or group of legislators drafts the bill, sometimes with help from an advocacy organization. The bill goes to a committee, which is a small group of state senators or Assembly members who decide if the bill should go to a vote. If the committee says yes, the bill goes to the Senate or Assembly chamber for a vote. If it passes, the process repeats in the other chamber. If it passes there, too, the bill goes to the Governor, who has 12 days to sign it. If the Governor signs, the bill becomes a law!

How a bill is introduced

Anyone can propose an idea for legislation, including citizens, legislators, organised groups, state agencies, and the Governor. The proposal is then drafted by the Office of the Legislative Counsel and introduced by a legislator from either the Senate or the Assembly. The bill is given a number, a descriptive title, and assigned to the appropriate committee(s) for further consideration. Bills are typically required to be in print for 30 days before any action or votes can be taken on them.

The bill draft is put "across the Desk", which means it is delivered to the Assembly or Senate Chamber, where it is given a bill number by the Chief Clerk. The Clerk then sends the bill to be printed. Bills are introduced and read for the first time in their house of origin.

The Rules Committee refers the bill to one or more policy committees. Bills are assigned to policy committees according to their subject matter, and bills that require funding must also be heard in the fiscal committees of each house. During the committee stage, the bill is presented and testimony is heard in support or opposition to the bill. After a committee holds an open hearing, they will vote by roll call on the bill. The committee chair then reports the committee recommendations to Pass, Not Pass, or Amend the bill.

Committee Hearing

After the bill has been introduced and read for the first time, there is a 30-day waiting period before it can be heard in a committee. This waiting period can be waived if there is a 3/4 vote in the house. The Rules Committee then refers the bill to a policy committee for a hearing. This is where a small subset of state Senate or Assembly members decide whether to advance the bill to a vote.

Some bills are "double referred" to two policy committees if their subject areas are considered sensitive or exceed the jurisdiction of one policy committee. Bills that will have a fiscal impact must also be heard by the house of origin's fiscal committee before a floor vote is taken on the bill.

At the committee stage, bills are presented, and legislators hear testimony in support of or opposition to the bills in an open hearing. Committees prepare written analyses of each bill, describing the effect of the proposed legislation and noting supporting and opposing viewpoints of individuals and organizations. Following the conclusion of the open hearing, committee members vote by roll call on the bill. Committees may act on legislation in numerous ways: they may, for instance, pass a bill with amendments, pass a bill unchanged, hold a bill, “kill” or defeat a bill, or refer a bill to another committee. Once a committee reports a bill out of the committee, the bill must be placed on the second reading for the adoption, or ratification, of the committee’s recommendation.

Floor action

Once a bill has been introduced and read for the first time in its house of origin, it is sent to a committee. This committee decides whether to advance the bill to a vote. If the bill is advanced, it moves to the floor action stage.

During floor action, the bill is brought before one chamber of the California State Legislature. This chamber can be either the Senate, which has 40 members, or the Assembly, which has 80 members. In this chamber, the bill is discussed and amended. Amendments are changes to the bill's language, which can be major or minor. Amendments are often proposed by legislators who support the bill but want to make certain adjustments. After the amendments are made, the bill is put to a vote in the chamber.

If the bill passes the vote, the process is repeated in the other chamber. If it fails, the bill is sent back to its house of origin and the process starts over with a revised bill. If the bill passes the second chamber without any amendments or with concurred amendments, it is sent to the governor for approval. However, if the house of origin does not agree with the amendments made by the second chamber, the bill is sent to a joint Assembly/Senate committee until an agreement is reached.

Second and third readings

Once a bill has been through the committee stage, it is sent for a second reading on the floor in the house of its origin. This is followed by a third reading, after which there will be another roll call vote. If the bill passes this vote, it is sent to the other house for further consideration, and the whole process starts again. If the bill passes through the second house without any amendments, or with concurred amendments, it is forwarded to the governor for approval. If the house of origin does not agree with the amendments made by the opposite house, the bill is sent to a joint Assembly/Senate committee until an agreement is reached.

Governor's approval

So, the bill has made it through both houses of the California Legislature, but it's not a law yet! The final step is to get the governor's approval. The governor has 12 days to decide what to do. They can choose to sign the bill, approve it without signing it, or veto it. If the governor does nothing after 12 days, the bill is considered approved. If the governor vetoes the bill, it must be returned to its house of origin by September 30th of that year, or it becomes law anyway. If the governor approves and signs the bill, it's sent to the Secretary of State, who gives it a special number. The bill becomes a law on the following January 1st, as long as 90 days have passed since the end of the legislative session. So, the governor has the power to approve or reject a bill, but even if they do nothing, a bill can still become a law!

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