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 California Bills
  A Guide To Resources In CSUF's Pollak Library

California Assembly Resources:
     Bills & Official Publications (bills, assembly journals, daily histories, statutes)
     Guide to Legislative Research 

Related Guide: California Legislative Histories

If You Have A Bill Number—1993-current date    top

• Go to Official California Legislative Information
  • Scroll down and click on BILL INFORMATION
  • Select Session (1993-current sessions are available)
  • Search by Bill Number, Author, or Keyword
  • This search retrieves:
    • Status
    • History
    • All versions from Introduced to Chaptered (if bill was passed into law)
    • Senate & Assembly Analyses
    • Votes
• For bills before 1993, see Bills Prior to 1993 below.

If You Have A Subject     top

• Note: To retrieve a bill, it is necessary to know the year that it was introduced or passed. If you do not know the exact year, try searching Google (www.google.com) or a subscription database such as ProQuest Newspapers by keywords to find newspaper articles that identify the year that it was before the California State Legislature.
   
• ONLINE—Current legislative session only: 
  • Go to the Legislative Index [California Legislative Information]
  • This is a subject matter index of all legislative measures for the current legislative session. It indicates the subject of each bill, constitutional amendment, and concurrent or joint resolution as introduced and as amended. Entries are not removed from the index when the subject matter is deleted from the measure in the course of passage.
  • Search by any and all keywords that may indicate bill subject matter.
  • To search, scroll down to find your keyword alphabetically OR use Adobe's FIND feature [BINOCULARS ICON in center of Adobe menu bar].
    .
• PRINT—1973-latest published: 
  • See Legislative Index and Table of Sections Affected
    • Reference KFC14 .C35  CATALOG RECORD
  • Search volume for appropriate year by any and all keywords that may indicate bill subject matter.

If You Have A California Code Section     top

• ONLINE: Go to Table of Sections Affected
  This provides an index of each section of the Constitution, codes and uncodified laws affected by measures introduced. The table is arranged by codes and the Constitution listed in alphabetical order. Uncodified laws are listed at the end of the table under the heading "Statutes Other Than Codes." References to Budget Items appear in a separate section following "Statutes Other Than Codes." The "Table of Sections Affected" is cumulative and is published by the Legislative Counsel.
   
• PRINT—1973-latest published: 
  • Legislative Index and Table of Sections Affected
    • Reference KFC14 .C35  CATALOG RECORD

If You Have A Chapter Number     top

• ONLINE—1993 to current session: 
  • Go to Statutes
  • Search by chapter number and year (if known)
    .
• ONLINE—1850-1992:  
  • Go to California Assembly: Office of the Chief Clerk Archive.
    .
• PRINT—1969-latest published: 
  • Go to Summary Digest of Statutes Enacted and Resolutions
    • Reference KFC38 .C34  CATALOG RECORD
  • See TABLE OF CONTENTS: Cross Reference Tables (chapter number of bills)
  • For years prior to 1970, note that the Summary Digest also appears in Statutes and Amendments to the Code (Reference KFC25 .A213) — see  CATALOG RECORD — in a section following the codes.

If You Have An Author     top

• ONLINE—1993-current session:
  • Go to Official California Legislative Information
  • Scroll down and click on BILL INFORMATION
  • Select Session (1993-current sessions are available)
  • Select search by Author.

Bills Introduced 1993-Current Date     top

Bills introduced since 1993 are available electronically at Official California Legislative Information.

Chaptered bill text since 1993 is available at the Statutes page.

Bills Prior to 1993     top

ONLINE: Bills prior to the 1993-94 Legislative Session are not available electronically.

PRINT: Statutes and Amendments to the Codes
Reference KFC25 .A213 CATALOG RECORD
CSUF owns 1854-latest published.
Earlier years are bound. Recent years are unbound and shelved following the bound volumes.
Note: Use the chapter number to find the bill number by looking in the Summary Digest. The Summary Digest appears in Statutes and Amendments to the Code in a section following the codes. The Summary Digest, beginning in 1969, is also published separately— Reference KFC38 .C34 CATALOG RECORD.

PRINT: Request photocopies from:

California Legislative Bill Room
1149 State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814

(916) 445-2323

Services provided by the LBR include a complete Legislative Publication Service (click here for information on publications and subscription services), as well as single copies of individual bills. Books, pamphlets, committee lists, bills, histories, files, and other miscellaneous items are available for sale through the LBR located in the basement at the State Capitol, Room B32. Orders can be filled in person at the public counter or by telephone at (916) 445-2323.

Initiatives & Propositions     top

Background and overview of ballot measures:
Chapter 5: Ballot Measure Research, Henke's California Law Guide, 2002 ed. (REFERENCE KFC74 .H46 2002 ), pages 123-155.

California Ballot Propositions, 1980-date [Text and Analysis]
     NOTE: Scroll down to list of dates available.

Initiatives & Propositions, 1996-date [Analysis]

To find propositions as they have been entered into the California Code (note: propositions that pass are referred to as initiative statutes):

Go to Official California Legislative Information
Click on CALIFORNIA LAW
Click on STATUTES (at top of screen in text)
Scroll down to KEYWORD search. In box, type:  "proposition 21"
     (include double quotation marks)

OR

Go to LexisNexis Academic
Click on Legal Research
Click on State Codes
Click on California
In Keyword box, type: proposition 21 or prop 21

New Laws     top

ONLINE: Summaries of bills enacted during the previous year are usually published in major California newspapers on December 31 or January 1. Search a subscription database (LexisNexis Academic , ProQuest Newspapers , Factiva) by Words in Article Title: new laws. Some articles cite bill numbers. For assistance, ask at the Reference Desk.

PRINT: A list of laws enacted during the year is printed in:

• Summary Digest of Statutes Enacted and Resolutions
  • Reference KFC38 .C34 CATALOG RECORD
  • CSUF owns 1969-latest published.
  • See TABLE OF CONTENTS: New General Laws
  • Each volume usually lists the laws for several years individually.

Secondary Sources     top

• California Journal
  Print: PERIODICALS  JK8701 .C33 CATALOG RECORD
  Online: Available on LexisNexis Academic
  Excellent source of information about California government and politics. Covers state political news, activities, and issues that affect California. Summaries of statewide initiative proposals.
   
• LexisNexis Academic [CSUF only]
  Full text articles from major California newspapers and California Journal. To retrieve articles from Los Angeles Times, after logging on click on SOURCES (top of screen) and search for Los Angeles Times.
   
• ProQuest Newspapers [CSUF only]
  Full-text articles from major newspapers.

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