BILL WRITING 101
BILL DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES
All the info you need to come up with your bill idea, find supporting research, and avoid common mistakes while drafting your legislation. Scroll down for this year's Bill Development Timeline and instructions for submitting your draft and final bill, and how authors, lobbyists, and legislative analysts can prepare for Sac Conference. Full drafting legislation slide deck available here. Details about this year's bill submission process is available here. NEW - here's an example of what to do with ChatGPT bills and how to turn them into an acceptable format. COMING SOON! Check out the 79th Youth Governor's policy priorities for the 79th MLC. Use this info when answering the final question on your fact sheet.
10 Steps to Bill Development
Review the process from idea to drafting to preparing for Sac Conference.
Research Basics
Learn about the Legislative Information website, home to resources galore, plus other sources for bill ideas and background information.
ADD THESE DATES AND TASKS TO YOUR CALENDAR
The Bill Development Process starts in your delegation at the start of the year. ....
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1.Bill Topic Forms are Due Oct 22Use this form to let us know what bills you are working on at the local delegation level. This will help staff with committee assignments. All delegations must submit at least two bill topic forms, but should submit one for every bill group or topic they are working on in their delegation..2
2.Draft Bills are Due by November 19Links to your delegation's custom bill templates and fact sheet are available on your Delegation Dashboard. Lead advisors will use the bill submission form to let us know that your draft bill AND fact sheet are ready for review. The review period opens November 2 and runs through the November 19 deadline.3
3.We'll return drafts with comments by December 3But we'll probably get your bill(s) back to you sooner! Make sure to review feedback on your bill and fact sheet and make any necessary changes.4
4.Let us know by December 10 that your Final Bill is ready for printing!Leads will use the bill submission form to let us know that their delegation's bill is ready to be printed in the Bill Book and your Fact Sheet is ready to be posted to the Bill File.5
5.By December 18, Leads confirm their bills' accuracy in the bill book.Leads will use the bill submission form one last time to confirm that their bills appear correctly in the draft bill book.6
6.Your Bill Authors, Lobbyists, and Legislative Analysts should write and practice their Sac Conference speeches.Check out the committee and floor scripts and take note of the number of speeches First and Second House Authors need to have ready and time limits that apply. Authors, Lobbyists, and Legislative Analysts should practice speeches at Delegation meetings (with a timer!) and get ready for conference. Lobbyists and Legislative Analysts Reports are due on January 21.
🚨A Note About AI: ChatGPT (or other AI platforms), used correctly, can help get you on the right path. Avoid using these sources to write your bill entirely - especially if you aren't planning to go back and tailor your language to California standards. ChatGPT-generated bills are easily identifiable. It's not that they are "bad" or "wrong" or even cheating. They just don't look like California Legislation. Here's an example of what ChatGPT bills look like compared to appropriately drafted bills. Take the time to check out real California bills. A few minutes of research will give you stronger bills and real life skills. Be curious. Don't skip the challenging parts. You can do it. Y&G believes in you.
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