In January, California officials went public with the information that a December visitor to Disneyland may have infected several others with measles. The next month, California lawmakers took aim at the “personal belief” exemption to immunization by proposing a bill – SB 277 – that would eliminate it. While this bill captured headlines even before it was introduced on February 19, it is not the only pending bill addressing immunization. A few days after Senators Pan and Allen and more than a dozen of their colleagues co-authored SB 277, Assembly member Cristina Garcia introduced Assembly Bill 1117. As introduced on February 27, ... Read More >
Feb 20
Ancient Laws You Won’t Believe Actually Existed
Did you know that Ancient Egyptian law, which dates as far back as 3000 BCE, had civil codes that were likely broken into 12 books, and were based on the concepts of tradition, rhetorical speech, social equality, and impartiality? Legal history -- the study of the history of laws and how they've evolved over time -- dates much farther back than most people think, and includes concepts and legal statutes that would surprise most people. Here are a few of the most surprising finds our legislative history research was able to dig up. The Ancient Celts Protected Animals' Rights. According to an ancient Celtic legal statute, it is illegal ... Read More >
Feb 12
Presidents’ Day: Recognizing Leaders … with a Day Off!
Recognizing Leaders … with a Day Off! This Monday marks Presidents’ Day (or President’s Day … or Presidents Day, depending on who you talk to), which is held annually on the third Monday in February. The federal government still refers to the holiday as George Washington’s Birthday, but several of the states have chosen to recognize Abraham Lincoln, as well as other presidents, and refer to the holiday as “Presidents’ Day. In California, government agencies call the holiday Presidents’ Day, however Education Code § 37220 still refers to the third Monday in February as “Washington Day,” and dictates that “[o]n the Friday preceding, all ... Read More >
Jan 19
Three of the Oddest Medical Laws From Across the Country
There are three reasons why many attorneys often use legislative intent services. First, it's because legislative history research can often be an exhaustive, laborious process. Second, many legal statutes use Legal English, which is tough to understand, and just about impossible for the everyday citizen to comprehend, because of its unusual phrasing and lack of punctuation. Thirdly, it's because many of those hard-to-understand legal statutes seem to lack any semblance of legislative intent. To get a better idea of just how strange U.S. law books can be, take a look at some of the medical laws doctors have to follow. Here are a just a few ... Read More >
Dec 17
Lawmakers eye University of California fees
Late last month, news that the University of California planned to increase tuition by up to 28 percent over the next five years sparked waves of walkouts and protests throughout the UC system. At the time, the California Legislature was in recess. However, when lawmakers returned on December 1 to start the 2015-2016 session, they wasted no time penning legislation addressing the issue. As of this writing, there are at least four proposals aimed at curbing the fee hikes. All four of them attack the issue from different angles. Senate Bill 15 takes one approach by taking money from the middle class scholarship program and using ... Read More >