Finding Legislation from the Current Legislative Session: California

This guide will walk you through the various ways to track down legislation from the current California legislative session.

Your method of research will depend on whether you know the bill number, code section, or if you are researching by topic.

The Table of Sections Affected identifies bills that impact sections of the California Codes, which allows you to search for existing code sections and check if any new legislation will impact it.

Online:

• Legislative Counsel of California: Legislative Publications offers a regularly updated PDF version of the Table, with links to each measure within the Legislative Counsel website.

Print: The Table of Sections Affected is in a file box with the Legislative Index located in the LRC California Room at KFC 12 .L47.

• The California Constitution appears at the beginning of the Table.
• Codes follow, and are arranged in alphabetical order; section numbers within each code are in numerical order (code section numbers containing decimal points are printed in a strictly numerical order, and may not match the arrangement used in West’s or Deering’s Codes).
• Statutes Other Than Codes follow the last Code section. These are uncodified laws and are cited by year and chapter.
• References to Budget items appear in a separate section following Statutes Other Than Codes.

After obtaining a bill number, refer to Searching by Bill Number to locate the bill.

The Legislative Index provides subject access to bills considered by the California Legislature. Subjects are listed alphabetically. References to bills follow the index entries.

• Online:
  • Legislative Counsel of California: Legislative Publications offers a PDF version of the Legislative Index for the current legislative session.
  • Westlaw: Does not carry the Index. However, you can search in California Bill Tracking—Full Text.
  • Lexis: Does not carry the Index. However, you can search in CA Full-Text Bills.
• Print:
  • The Index is in a file box with the Table of Sections Affected located in the LRC California Room at KFC 12 .L47.

After obtaining a bill number, refer to Searching by Bill Number to locate the bill.

To determine whether your bill was enacted into law, vetoed, defeated or died in committee, check any of the following:

Online:

• Legislative Counsel of California: Bill Information
• Westlaw: California Bill Tracking
• LexisNexis: CA Bill Tracking Reports

Print: Consult the Daily History, Weekly History and/or Semi Final History. The bill histories are arranged by bill number. They are held in file boxes located in the LRC California Room as follows:

• Assembly: KFC 6 .87
• Senate: KFC 6 .S46

If a bill is enacted into law, it is given a new chronological numerical designation called a chapter. The enacted form can be found in the following sources:
Online:

• Legislative Counsel of California: Bill Information
• Westlaw: California Enacted Legislation
• LexisNexis: CA – California Advance Legislative Service

Print: The Statutes and Amendments to the Code (LRC California KFC 25 .A25) are arranged by year, and within each year, in numerical order by chapter number. Chapters for the most recent years are in unbound, stapled pamphlets shelved at the end of the set.