Developing Your Legislation in 10 Easy Steps
Breaking down the Bill Development Process
1. Come up with a bill idea or topic of research that interests you. 💡
Think about problems you've observed in your neighborhood, school, community, and state.A void the urge to legalize marijuana, address abortion issues, revamp K-12 education, or fix immigration. These are rich, interesting policy areas, but they are also HUGE ones. We’ll learn more about legislating by addressing specific, small issues. Check out the Research Tips page for resources.
2. Is this something the State can address? 🐻
Are you sure? Some issues like immigration or international affairs can only be handled at the Federal level.
3. Search existing law to find out whether your idea is already law. 🔍
Start with a simple Google search like "laws about _____ , California." Keep a running list of what you search, sources you find, dead ends, etc. It will help you prepare for bill hearing night and Sac Conference. Watch out for common research mistakes!
NOTE: Try adding "-AI" to y our google search. AI sometimes convinces you that a law exists that doesn't, or may summarize results from another state.
4. Is your idea is already law? 😬
Laws don’t just live on a really long list, they are categorized by Codes. California has 29 codes, broken down by subject area. Head to the Leginfo site to do some research. Watch out for common research mistakes! Make sure you are checking LAWS and not BILLS.
5. If your idea isn’t already law, or a law exists that needs to be changed, where in the codes would that idea best be placed? 🤨
The Legislature employs a whole bunch of lawyers whose job it is to figure out where proposed legislation goes – in what code and in what part of what code. Head to the leginfo site to do some research. We don’t expect you to know as much as they do, but you need to make a stab at getting it right. Example: If you want to lower the speed limit to 15mph around schools and parks, you might want to stick the new law in the Penal Code, thinking that people will get tickets and get in trouble if they speed by a school.
Spend a few minutes looking at the Code sections that sound car- and street-related (Penal Code, Streets and Highways Code, and Vehicle Code) and you’ll soon notice that speed limits live in the Vehicle Code. Once you have figured that out, you can stick your code section next to its brothers that set speed limits in other areas.
6. Has anybody tried this idea recently? How did that go? Can you learn from their mistakes or successes? 🕵🏾♀️
Other states? Other countries? Local governments?
7. Look for advocacy groups or similar laws/proposals in other states. Build upon the work that’s already been done. 🤝🏽
Looking at something related to medicine or health care? What about the California Medical Association? The environment? What about the Sierra Club or the approximately 855,678 other environmentally-focused organizations in California. National Transportation Safety Administration? Insurance Institute for Highway Safety? Chances are, if you’re looking at a policy area, there’s a group out there researching that area as well.
Try googling Your Idea + “model legislation.” You might find some ready-made language that, of course, you would cite, customize, and build from and not just cut & paste as pass off as your original work (right?).
Don't forget to track your research!
A note about AI: while ChatGPT will write you a "bill" (and usually does an okay job), it won't write you a bill like we write bills in California. AI might give you a good starting point, but in no way can it (or should it) give you your final product. You should still check out California bills and laws so you know how we do things here. We're a Model Legislature after all!
8. Consider the cost of your idea. 💰
How much? Who pays for it? How? Fiscal worries kill more bills than any other cause. Be realistic and be prepared. You don't necessarily need to create a new funding source IN your bill, but you can look to see if sources are available and explain how this is funded.
9. Draft your legislation. ✍🏽
Spend some time learning about how to draft a bill and how to avoid common mistakes. Then, ask your lead advisor for the link to your bill template (or make a copy of this practice one). It's like Mad Libs for bill writing.
In Y&G, we usually write one of two kinds of legislation:
- A Bill creates a new law or repeals or amends (changes) an existing law.
- A Constitutional Amendment changes the State Constitution (Californians just LOVE to do this!)
10. Work on your talking points and speeches. 📢
Bill Authors in the first and second houses will need to prepare an author's speech. The best speeches will answer these questions succinctly:
- What problem does this legislation solve?
- Where did the idea come from?
- Cost concerns?
- What would opponents say about your idea? Why would they be wrong?
Make sure to look up this year's committee and floor scripts so you know how many speeches you'll need and your time limits. Practice your speech at a delegation meeting and with a timer.
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