Chris Micheli, a longtime lobbyist, said lawmakers “for decades” have viewed a bill’s initial introduction date – often in early January near the start of session – as the date that starts the 30-day clock. For gut-and-amends, the Legislature abides by a different rule added to the state constitution by voters in 2016: the language needs to be published for 72 hours before lawmakers can vote.
I’m surprised that the Guardian article didn’t include a tidbit about the 2016 Amendment, Prop 54.
Now that California’s voters have overwhelmingly approved Proposition 54, the California Legislature Transparency Act is now the law of the land, enshrined within California’s Constitution.
No longer will special interests have the ability to keep voters in the dark by secretly slipping last minute changes into legislation before it’s passed. No longer will the legislature be allowed to pick and choose which public hearings are recorded and which ones are not. And no longer will voters be barred from making their own recordings of public meetings at the State Capitol to keep the Legislature’s recordings complete and honest. The voters have spoken — making it clear that they expect transparency and accountability from their elected leaders in Sacramento.
From another article about this…
I’m surprised that the Guardian article didn’t include a tidbit about the 2016 Amendment, Prop 54.