Our Congress began its 114th session on January 6th, 2015. Since then, 348 new federal statutes and regulations have been voted on, and 121 of those were passed and enacted. Each congressional session lasts two years, and so the 114th Congress still has the one more year to leave its mark on our great country through its development of new legislation. Typically, a congressional session gets through 33% of its total output by the end of its first year in session. We can also expect quite a few more federal regulations will be piled on top of the thousands of laws that were created throughout the 200 years of federal legislative history since ... Read More >

LIS NEWS AND NOTES New Hampshire:  Legislative Intent issues permeate our modern political landscape.  While this morning, everyone else is talking about winners, losers, polls and “what’s next,” we have turned to an important New Hampshire statute in this news story: RSA 653:9. RSA 653:9 provides: The presidential primary election shall be held on the second Tuesday in March or on a date selected by the secretary of state which is 7 days or more immediately preceding the date on which any other state shall hold a similar election, whichever is earlier, of each year when a president of the United States is to be elected or the year ... Read More >

But what does it mean? is an occasional series where we here at Legislative Intent Service explore the meanings of some legislative terms. Today’s term is the “spot bill.” But before we define the term, we offer some background: The California Legislature has a legislative calendar that contains deadlines for when certain actions have to occur. For example, for the current legislative session (2015-2016), January 22 was the last day for any Assembly committee to hear and report to the floor bills introduced in their house in 2015. February 19 will be the last day for bills to be introduced in the Assembly. However, sometimes ... Read More >

Did you know that the Senate is composed of 100 Members -- two from each state, no matter how big or small the population -- elected by the people in accordance with the 17th Amendment to the Constitution? Senators have to be at least 30-years-old, have been a citizen of the U.S. for nine years, and live in the state for which they're chosen as at the time of their election. Once elected, they serve six years, and one-third of the total membership is elected every second year. Considering just how selective the process is and how much vetting is done, it's pretty amazing that there are some legislators who are elected that think it's a ... Read More >

Happy New Year!  In this issue, we address the legislative intent behind a statute that played a role in the current standoff in Oregon, provide a brief overview of the upcoming state and federal legislative sessions, and touch on a second-session bill of interest in California (anyone else fascinated by the legal cloudiness of online fantasy sports?). Meanwhile, in Oregon:  At this point, everyone is likely aware of the situation in Oregon in which armed Americans have taken over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters in protest of the prosecution of ranchers Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son, Steven Hammond.  When the media ... Read More >

Let's take a look at this past legislative year for California's lawmakers, by the numbers. 80: Number of Assembly members 40: Number of State Senators 41: Number of votes required for a statute to pass the Assembly 21: Number of votes required for a statute to pass the Senate 9600: Section of the Government Code that governs when new laws become effective. Today, in general, most new laws passed in regular session are effective January 1 of the year following passage, unless it is an urgency statute, or unless another date is specified in the bill. 1549: Number of bills introduced in the Assembly in regular session 805: Number ... Read More >