Article 2. Duties of California Government Code >> Division 2. >> Title 2. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 2.

The Legislative Counsel shall be in attendance upon all regular and special sessions of the Legislature.

The Legislative Counsel shall prepare and assist in the preparation, amendment and consideration of legislative measures when requested or upon suggestion as herein provided.

(a) A bill that, as introduced or amended in either house of the Legislature, would require a state agency to submit a report on any subject to either house of the Legislature generally, a committee or office of either house of the Legislature, or the Legislative Counsel Bureau shall include a provision that repeals the reporting requirement, or makes the requirement inoperative, no later than a date four years following the date upon which the bill, as enacted, becomes operative or four years after the due date of any report required every four or more years. If the bill requires that the report be submitted to either house of the Legislature generally, it shall also include a provision that requires the report to be submitted pursuant to Section 9795.
  (b) The Legislative Counsel, in drafting a bill for introduction or an amendment to a bill that would impose a reporting requirement described in subdivision (a), shall include a provision that repeals the reporting requirement, or makes the reporting requirement inoperative, four years after the date on which the requirement becomes operative, unless the person requesting the bill or amendment directs the Legislative Counsel to do otherwise. If the bill requires that the report be submitted to either house of the Legislature generally, the Legislative Counsel shall also include a provision that requires the report to be submitted pursuant to Section 9795.

Upon request, the Legislative Counsel shall advise any State agency as to the preparation of measures to be submitted to the Legislature.

Upon request, the Legislative Counsel may provide legal services to the State Auditor.

Insofar as in his power, upon request, the Legislative Counsel shall aid and assist any member of the Legislature as to bills, resolutions and measures, drafting them into proper form, and furnishing to the member the fullest information upon all matters in the scope of the bureau.

The Legislative Counsel shall give such consideration to and service concerning any measure before the Legislature as circumstances will permit, and which is in any way requested by the Governor, the Senate or Assembly, or any committee of the Legislature having the measure before it for consideration.

(a) The Legislative Counsel shall give such consideration to and service concerning any bill in the Governor's hands for rejection, approval, or other action, as the circumstances will permit and the Governor requests.
  (b) Upon request, the Legislative Counsel may provide to the Governor an opinion, orally or in writing, upon any question of law.
  (c) The Legislative Counsel may provide additional legal services to the Governor concerning any matter as the circumstances permit and the Governor requests.

Upon request, the Legislative Counsel shall advise as to its work with any legislative committee appointed to carry on investigations.

The Legislative Counsel shall prepare or assist in the preparation or amendment of legislative measures at the written suggestion of any judge of the Supreme Court, the courts of appeal, or of the superior courts of the state.

Every suggestion of a judge shall set forth the substance of the provisions desired or which may be needed with the reasons therefor.

A suggestion by a judge of the Supreme Court shall be filed with the clerk of that court. A suggestion by a judge of a court of appeal shall be filed with the clerk of that court. A suggestion by a judge of a superior court shall be filed with the clerk of the court of appeal of the district within which the superior court is located.

When a suggestion is so filed with the clerk, he shall make and send to the permanent office of the Legislative Counsel a certified copy of the suggestion. All suggestions received at the permanent office shall be permanently filed and recorded and copies furnished to the Legislative Counsel.

The Legislative Counsel shall prepare a measure in accordance with the suggestion of a judge, and shall transmit it to the chairman of the judiciary committee of each house at the next session of the Legislature.

The Legislative Counsel shall advise the Legislature from time to time as to legislation necessary to maintain the codes and legislation necessary to codify such statutes as are enacted from time to time subsequent to the enactment of the codes. Such recommendations shall include such restatement without substantive change as will best serve clearly and correctly to express the existing provisions of the law.

(a) The Legislative Counsel shall annually prepare, publish, and maintain an electronic list of all reports that state and local agencies are required or requested by law to prepare and file with the Governor or the Legislature, or both, in the future or within the preceding year. The list shall include all of the following information:
  (1) The name of the agency that is required or requested to prepare and file the report.
  (2) A brief description of the subject of the report.
  (3) The date on which the report is to be completed and filed.
  (4) The date on which the report was filed with the Legislative Counsel.
  (b) The Legislative Counsel shall make the list of reports available to the public on an Internet Web site and shall annually provide to each Member of the Legislature a hyperlink to the Internet Web site whereby the list can be accessed.
  (c) (1) Each state and local agency that is required or requested by law to prepare a report described in subdivision (a) shall file a printed or electronic copy of the report with the Legislative Counsel. If an electronic copy of a report is filed, and the report is posted on an Internet Web site, the agency filing the electronic copy shall provide to the Legislative Counsel a hyperlink whereby the report may be accessed.
  (2) The Legislative Counsel shall include, on the Internet Web site it maintains for purposes of this section, any hyperlinks provided by state and local agencies pursuant to paragraph (1).
  (d) As used in this section:
  (1) "Agency" includes any city, county, special district, department, board, bureau, or commission, including any task force or other similar body that is created by statute or resolution. "Agency" does not include the University of California.
  (2) "Report" includes any study or audit.
  (e) The Legislative Counsel shall update the list required by subdivision (a) by removing duplicate reports from the list. The Legislative Counsel shall also remove reports from the list as directed by Section 4 of Chapter 7 of the Statutes of 2010, or a subsequent statute that further requires the Legislative Counsel to remove reports included in the list.

The Legislative Counsel shall cooperate with the proponents of an initiative measure in its preparation when:
  (a) Requested in writing so to do by 25 or more electors proposing the measure; and
  (b) In the judgment of the Legislative Counsel there is reasonable probability that the measure will be submitted to the voters of the State under the laws relating to the submission of initiatives.

The Legislative Counsel may contract, at not less than cost and subject to regulations approved by the Director of General Services, with any county or city for the codification, compilation, or indexing of any or all of its ordinances or resolutions. All money received by the Legislative Counsel pursuant to such contracts shall be paid into the State Treasury to the credit and in augmentation of the current appropriation for the support of the Legislative Counsel Bureau.

The Legislative Counsel may cooperate with any educational institution of the State in any manner approved by the Legislative Counsel and such institution.

The Legislative Counsel shall not appear in any action or proceeding in the courts of this state or of the United States without the prior approval of the Joint Rules Committee. If the existence of said committee terminates such approval may be given in writing by the Speaker of the Assembly and the President pro Tempore of the Senate. Nothing in this section shall prevent the Legislature from giving its approval for such appearance by concurrent resolution.

When a bill is introduced in the Legislature and each time a bill is amended, on or after January 1, 1990, the Legislative Counsel shall determine whether the bill appropriates funds that apply toward the minimum funding for school districts and community college districts required pursuant to Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution. The Legislative Counsel shall make this determination known in the Legislative Counsel's Digest of the bill and shall describe in the digest the basis for this determination.

(a) The Legislative Counsel shall, with the advice of the Assembly Committee on Rules and the Senate Committee on Rules, make all of the following information available to the public in electronic form:
  (1) The legislative calendar, the schedule of legislative committee hearings, a list of matters pending on the floors of both houses of the Legislature, and a list of the committees of the Legislature and their members.
  (2) The text of each bill introduced in each current legislative session, including each amended, enrolled, and chaptered form of each bill.
  (3) The bill history of each bill introduced and amended in each current legislative session.
  (4) The bill status of each bill introduced and amended in each current legislative session.
  (5) All bill analyses prepared by legislative committees in connection with each bill in each current legislative session.
  (6) All vote information concerning each bill in each current legislative session.
  (7) Any veto message concerning a bill in each current legislative session.
  (8) The California Codes.
  (9) The California Constitution.
  (10) All statutes enacted on or after January 1, 1993.
  (b) The information identified in subdivision (a) shall be made available to the public by means of access by way of the largest nonproprietary, nonprofit cooperative public computer network. The information shall be made available in one or more formats and by one or more means in order to provide the greatest feasible access to the general public in this state. Any person who accesses the information may access all or any part of the information. The information may also be made available by any other means of access that would facilitate public access to the information. The information that is maintained in the legislative information system that is operated and maintained by the Legislative Counsel shall be made available in the shortest feasible time after the information is available in the information system. The information that is not maintained in the information system shall be made available in the shortest feasible time after it is available to the Legislative Counsel.
  (c) Any documentation that describes the electronic digital formats of the information identified in subdivision (a) and is available to the public shall be made available by means of access by way of the computer network specified in subdivision (b).
  (d) Personal information concerning a person who accesses the information may be maintained only for the purpose of providing service to the person.
  (e) No fee or other charge may be imposed by the Legislative Counsel as a condition of accessing the information that is accessible by way of the computer network specified in subdivision (b).
  (f) The electronic public access provided by way of the computer network specified in subdivision (b) shall be in addition to other electronic or print distribution of the information.
  (g) No action taken pursuant to this section shall be deemed to alter or relinquish any copyright or other proprietary interest or entitlement of the State of California relating to any of the information made available pursuant to this section.