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CONTACTING YOUR LEGISLATORS
Guidelines for you to follow contacting your legislators in person, by phone or by letter. Click here to see a large chart on how to write an Effective Lobbying Letter.

[Page 1] CLUES TO PROTOCOL
[Page 2] CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT GLOSSARY

CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT GLOSSARY

Legislature

The two "houses" that pass or reject proposed new laws.

• Assembly: 80-member lower house of the Legislature. Its members serve two-year terms. 80 members are elected every two years.
• Senate: 40-member upper house of the Legislature. It’s members serve four-year terms. 20 members are elected every two years.

Legislation

• Bill: A proposed law or statute that amends or repeals existing laws or proposed new laws. Most bills require a majority vote. If there is a fiscal impact, a bill requires a two-thirds vote.
• AB 0000 – Assembly Bill
• SB 0000 – Senate Bill
• Constitutional Amendment: A proposed change in the state Constitution, which, after approval or two-thirds of the legislators, is submitted to the voters.
• ACA 0000 – Assembly (authored) Constitutional Amendment
• SCA 0000 – Senate (authored) Constitutional Amendment
• Concurrent Resolution: A legislative proposal that commends individuals or groups, adopts legislative rules or establishes joint committees.
• ACR 0000 – Assembly Concurrent Resolution
• SCR 0000 – Senate Concurrent Resolution
• Joint Resolution: A legislative opinion on matters pertaining to the federal government, often urging passage or defeat of legislation pending before Congress.
• AJR 0000 – Assembly Joint Resolution
• SJR 0000 – Senate Joint Resolution
• Assembly and Senate Resolutions: An expression of sentiment of one house of the Legislature. Resolutions usually ask a committee to study a specific problem, create interim committees or amend house rules. Resolutions take effect upon adoption.
• AR 0000 – Assembly Resolution
• SR 0000 – Senate Resolution
• Spot Bill: Bill introduced that usually makes non-substantive changes in a law. The spot bill is substantially amended at a later date. This procedure evades the deadline for the introduction of bills.

Legislative Process

• Legislative Counsel: A staff of more than 60 attorneys who draft legislation (bills) and proposed amendments, review, analyze and render opinions on legal matters of concern to the Legislature. The Legislative Counsel’s Digest is a summary of a bill’s content contrasting existing law with proposed law (in lay language) and appears on the face of each bill.
• Legislative Analyst: Provides advice to the Legislature on anything with fiscal implication, which can cover virtually every major bill. The analyst annually publishes a detailed analysis of the Governor’s budget, which becomes the basis for legislative hearing on the fiscal program.
• Author: State senator or Assembly member who submits or introduces a bill and carries it through the legislative process.
• Floor Manager: Speaks as author when the bill is being heard in the second house. (Assembly members are not allowed to present bills on the Senate floor and vice versa.)
• Sponsor: Interest groups or constituents from the legislator’s district who bring suggested legislation to the attention of the prospective author (legislator).
• Standing Committee: The forum used in the Senate and Assembly for studying bills and hearing testimony from the author, proponents and opponents.
• Many bills are heard by two or more committees in each house
• If a majority of the committee members approve the bill, it is sent to the floor (or, if it has fiscal impact, to another committee) with a recommendation "Do Pass." It takes a majority vote of committee members present to amend a bill.
• Your association’s legislative advocate and other members often testify before such committees.
• Committee Consultants and Aides: Every legislator has a personal staff plus the assistance of specialists assigned to committees and to the party caucuses. This research staff is responsible for analyzing the pros and cons of the proposed legislation.
• Introduction and First Reading: Bill is submitted by senator or Assembly member, numbered and read. It is assigned to a committee by the Senate Rules Committee or Assembly Speaker and printed.
• Second Reading: When the bill passes out of its committee, it is read on the house floor for a second time.
• Third Reading: Bill is read a third time and debated. A roll call vote follows. If passed or passed with amendments, the bill is sent to the second house (or, if it already is in the second house, it is returned to the house of origin for consideration of amendments).
• Enrollment: Legislation that has passed both houses is sent to enrollment for proof reading for consistency before being sent to the Governor for approval.
• Item Veto: Allows the Governor to veto (return unsigned a legislative proposal or indicate points of disagreement) objectionable parts of a bill without rejecting bills in their entirety.
• Chaptered: A bill that has passed both houses and has been signed by the Governor is said to be "chaptered." The bill becomes law January 1 of the following year unless it contains an urgency clause (takes effect immediately) or specifies its effective date.
• Sunset Clause: Acts of the state Legislature that expire after a certain date unless renewed by the Legislature.

Voter Responses

In recent years there has been a renewal of interest in the techniques of direct democracy, whereby citizens are able to bypass elected government bodies and act directly on policy matters.

• Initiative: A local or state measure that is placed on the ballot after a certain number of registered voters sign petitions supporting its placement on the ballot. Initiatives are often used by groups or individuals when the Legislature fails to pass a law they want to enact.
• Referendum: A procedure whereby the voters may approve or disapprove proposals recommended by a legislative body, such as a proposal for an increase in the tax rate.
• Recall: A procedure whereby petitions are circulated calling for removal of a public official from office. If a sufficient number of signatures is obtained, an election is held in which voters decide whether to keep the official in office.
• PAC: A Political Action Committee is a nonprofit committee that provides a lawful means to help elect and reelect political candidates selected on the basis of their positions on industry-related issues, committee assignments and leadership in the Legislature. PACs make contributions to candidates or in support of or opposition to ballot measures.

[Page 1] CLUES TO PROTOCOL
[Page 2] CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT GLOSSARY