There are a number of legislative branch support agencies that assist Congress with its different functions. I go over some of them here and more in today’s podcast. Among them is the Library of Congress, which is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. It serves as the research arm of Congress. It’s also the
In today’s post I will go over some tips for writing effective advocacy letters for bills and resolutions weaving their way through the Legislature or Congress.
An important but often overlooked component of the lobbying profession, even involving bills, is working with relevant state agencies or departments to secure a favorable recommendation on a bill that you’re lobbying either for or against. Administrative agencies, departments, boards, and commissions of state government can often be important players in public policy development
Senate Bill 707 by Senator Bob Wieckowski was signed on October the 13th as Chapter 870. The new law deals with arbitration agreements.
Section 1 of the bill notes that it is the intent of the Legislature to affirm three different state court decisions regarding a company’s failure to pay arbitration fees that constitute
You’ve probably heard the story of the college freshmen that goes to her first party and wakes up the next morning with more than a hangover. It is an unfortunate reality that many people will experience a sexual assault or rape at some point in their lives. This experience is often the
One of the controversial occurrences that occurs during the legislative sessions of the California Legislature are so-called gut and amend bills. According to the Legislative Counsel, these measures are defined as “when amendments to a bill remove the current contents in their entirety and replace them with different provisions.”
These types of amendments raise
AI overpowering and subsequently overtaking humankind has scared people for decades. Movies like I, Robot showcase the grim reality of an AI-dominated world where AI ignores the original confines humans assigned to them. Other movies—like The Terminator—toy with the idea that if AI becomes dominant, it will do anything to
Most capitol observers are only aware of the majority vote and the two thirds super majority vote requirements for California legislation. However, there are actually several other categories of vote requirements on bills that come before the Legislature. The other categories are the three fourths vote, the 70% vote, and the four fifths vote.
The California Legislature works on the basis of deadlines for moving measures including bills, resolutions and constitutional amendments through the legislative process. This is in stark contrast to the US Congress that does not have similar deadlines. The Assembly Chief Clerk and the Senate Secretary each maintain information related to these legislative deadlines.
Most
We’ve all seen the movie Concussion, and if you haven’t—you should. It tells the story of Dr. Bennet Omalu’s discovery of the degenerative brain disorder Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (“CTE”) in NFL players. With the success of the movie—coupled with countless stories of ex-NFL, high school, and youth football player’s suicides flooding