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California Legislation

Understanding the legislative process in California is key to finding proposed and final laws. California’s legislature is made up of two houses: the Assembly and the Senate. Proposed laws (bills) can be introduced in either house but must be passed by both houses and signed by the Governor in order to become law.  After a bill is introduced in either the Assembly or Senate, special committees in the Senate and Assembly analyze and amend the bill as it makes its way through the legislature. Once this process is complete the Senate and Assembly vote on the bill --- they can pass the bill, pass it as amended, or defeat the bill. When a bill passes in both the Assembly and the Senate, it moves on to the Governor for his or her signature. If the Governor signs the bill, it becomes law.

There are written records at each step in the process described above. It is these written records --- the bill, committee analyses, and voting record --- that make up the history of the legislation. You can find them in print and on the Internet, as outlined on the next page.

Here are some important terms to know when researching California legislation:

Bill Number: When a bill is introduced in either the Assembly or the Senate, it is assigned a number. For example, a Senate bill may be noted as SB 1, and an Assembly bill may be noted as
AB 1.

Chaptered bill (or enacted bill): A proposed law that has passed both the state Assembly and Senate, and has been signed into law by the Governor. The new law is given a chapter number -- a number that is different from its Assembly or Senate bill number. For example, AB 1 or SB 1 could be signed by the Governor into law and become Chapter 303.

Codes: Final laws that are organized by subject matter, i.e., West's California Codes, or Deering's California Codes. When laws are codified, they are divided into subjects and given section numbers, i.e., Business and Professions Code Section 17,200.

Committee Reports:  Analysis of a bill by a Senate or Assembly committee specializing in a particular subject, i.e., the Senate Public Safety Committee.

Enrolled bill: A bill that is sent to the Governor for signature. The Governor has twelve days to sign or veto it. If he or she does not sign the bill within twelve days of receipt, the bill becomes a law.

To Find Bills (Proposed or final laws not yet codified) Go to:

To find California Codes (California laws organized by subject area), see:

To learn more about California's legislative process, see: The Legislative Process: A Citizen's Guide to Participation Authored by the Senate Select Committee on Citizen Participation in Government Call No. 328.794077 C153 1996 or Call No. CAD L500 C43 L43 1996.