McGeorge’s Lawmaking in California course – Part 2 (transcript)

https://soundcloud.com/capimpactca/mcgeorges-lawmaking-in-california-course-part-2

Today’s post is Part 2 of my posts on the Lawmaking in California course that I teach alongside Legislative Counsel Diane Boyer-Vine at McGeorge School of Law as part of the school’s Capital Lawyering program. You can find Part 1 of this series, which I posted last week, here.

As I mentioned in last week’s podcast, the objective of the course is for students to walk away with an of understanding the fundamental components of the legislative process as well as the rulemaking process and avenues of direct democracy in California.

The Lawmaking in California course has multiple class sessions that focus on the legislative process, starting as early as the second class session. The first class on legislative process is on the California Legislature’s legislative calendar and committee system. The second class on the legislative process looks at floor sessions and legislative publications. The course also features classes examining the role of lobbyists, ethics, the media, and the Governor in California’s legislative process.

While the legislative process in the California Legislature is the focus of the bulk of the class sessions, the legislative process alone doesn’t give the holistic view of lawmaking in California that students need to be effective Capital Lawyers. The course also looks at the Constitutional provisions and case law concerning the powers of the Legislature, and the limits of those powers. There is also a class session on statutory research and understanding legislative intent. Additionally, the course examines the state budget process, the rulemaking process at the intersection of statutory enactments and the rules promulgated to implement those statutes, and forms of direct democracy.

There are also class sessions dedicated to the practical skills students will need to be effective Capital Lawyers. Those classes are spent on drafting bills and bill amendments, and then on drafting bill analyses.

That concludes the overview of the Lawmaking in California course taught at McGeorge. Next week’s post will be my last one in this series on the coursework offered to students in the Capital Lawyering program at McGeorge School of Law.