On March 19, after passing budget items that will provide up to $1 billion for lifesaving care and COVID-19 prevention efforts, both houses of the State Legislature announced modified schedules. The California State Senate and Assembly are focused on COVID-19 efforts and will be in joint recess March 20 – April 13. A summary of the budget bills can be found in the press release from Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins.
Both houses of the Legislature are ready to return immediately to Sacramento if needed. The traditional rules of the two houses have not been amended at this point, so the normal calendar and deadlines still apply. The early recess overlapped with the deadline to amend spot bills. No spot bills were amended prior to the legislature’s departure.
Spot bills are those measures that lack substantive language and cannot be heard in a committee or otherwise moved through the process until substantive language is added.
The expiration of the spot bill deadline without hundreds of measures being amended is directly related to the changing landscape of the crisis and the safety precautions taken for the legislative staff working through it.
Committees are still operating under the assumption that they will be hearing measures that were otherwise postponed after April 14th and must still assume that all measures in the que will get their hearing. This status can change at any time.
The Legislature may return from Spring Recess and adjust their calendars, the rules, or their workload if need be. CSDA will be prepared for a backlog of measures, including the later amendment of hundreds of spot bills the week the Legislature does return, should allowances be made retroactively for the spot bill deadline.
As this is a fluid situation, staff and advocates are still working the bills and issues under these assumptions during the crisis and communicating with Capitol staff and other advocates.
To access CSDA’s active Calls to Action on priority legislation and download sample position letters, visit www.csda.net/take-action. For legislative updates affecting special districts, subscribe to CSDA’s Advocacy News. To learn receive the latest information related to COVID-19 visit CSDA’s COVID-19 Resources page and subscribe to CSDA’s COVID-19 Community.
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