The Secretary of State assigns an Assembly or Senate bill (bill) a number
known as the chapter number; when the Governor approves, signs, dates, and
deposits the bill with the Secretary of State. This copy is the official record
and law of the State.
The bills are numbered consecutively in the order in which they are received,
and the resulting sequence is presumed to be the order in which the Governor
approved the bills. (Government Code Section 9510)
When the Governor vetoes a bill, he or she returns it to the House of orgin,
with his or her objections.
A statute enacted at a regular session usually goes into effect on January
1 next following a 90-day period from the date of enactment of the statute
and a statute enacted at a special session shall go into effect on the 91st
day after adjournment of the special session at which the bill was passed.
Statutes calling for elections, providing for tax levies or appropriations
for the usual current expenses of the state, and urgency measures go into
effect immediately upon their enactment. Every concurrent and joint resolution
takes effect upon filing with the Secretary of State. (Government Code Section
9600)
We have provided you with an opportunity to view specific Bill Letters. California's
legislative session is two years e.g., 1997-1998, 1999-2000. Bill Letters
are published monthly (January through May), weekly (June through August),
or daily (September through October) per calendar year.
TERMS DEFINED
ACTION CODES - Bills that note one of the following codes, usually, take effect immediately.
BILL - A draft of a proposed law introduced by a member of the Legislature. (Assembly Bill 4000 = AB 4000 or Senate Bill 10 = SB 10)
CHAPTER - After a bill has been signed by the Governor, the Secretary of State assigns the bill a "Chapter Number" such as "Chapter 123, Statutes of 1992," which is subsequently used to refer to the measure rather than the bill number.
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION - A measure that can be introduced in either house, but must be approved by both houses and filed with the Secretary of State to take effect. These measures usually involve the business of the Legislature. (e.g., adoption of the Joint Rules.)
HOUSE RESOLUTION - A document that is the expression of one house. House resolutions are generally used to amend house rules or to create committees.
JOINT RESOLUTION - Expresses an opinion about an issue pertaining to the federal government; forwarded to Congress for its information. Joint resolutions require the approval of both the Assembly and Senate but does not require the signature of the Governor to take effect.
VETO - The formal action when the Governor disapproves a bill. A two-thirds vote of each house is necessary to override the veto and make the bill become law.
