10-OCT-1995 SENATE-NEWS_USER_GUIDE.TXT California State Senate Internet User's Guide ------------------------------------------- "How to Use Your Computer To Find Legislative Information and Participate in California's Lawmaking Process" Just exactly what the California State Legislature does and how it does it may seem mysterious to interested citizens who must rely on newspaper reports or 60-second television stories for their information about the lawmaking process. While the legislature's meetings are all open to the public and both the text of bills and the staff analyses of legislation are widely available, it can still be difficult, especially for those of you who live outside Sacramento, to get the information you need to participate effectively in the lawmaking process. This is changing. Today, if you have access to a computer and modem, you have access to a wealth of information about how the lawmaking process and legislation as well as a simple way of communicating your views and concerns to your elected representatives. This brochure gives you an overview of the legislative information now available to the public over the Internet plus instructions for how to get that information. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1. Getting on the Internet Chapter 2. Getting to the California State Legislature via Internet Chapter 3. User Guides: Getting the Information You Need Chapter 4. The Lawmaking Process Chapter 5. Legislation Chapter 6. Senators Chapter 7. Committees Chapter 8. Getting Help and Finding out about Changes Appendix 1: Sessions Appendix 2: Bill IDs Appendix 3: Glossary Appendix 4: Selecting Keywords for Searches ================================== Chapter 1. GETTING ON THE INTERNET: ================================== 1. You need a personal computer and a modem 2. You need a connection to the Internet A variety of companies (Prodigy, CompuServe, America Online, Netcom, etc.) sell access to the Internet. Some charge a flat fee, others charge by the hour or byte. Shop around. You can also sometimes get free access through some universities, colleges, and public libraries. 3. There area various connections to the Internet Each service provider offers different tools or types of access: E-mail, World Wide Web (WWW), Gopher, FTP, telnet, etc. The E-mail, gopher or WWW tools give you the easiest access to legislation information (FTP works but it is less user-friendly and Telnet won't get you here) ==================================================================== Chapter 2. GETTING TO THE CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATURE VIA INTERNET: ==================================================================== How you get to the California State Legislature on the Internet depends on the tools you have. For some of you, these addresses are enough to get you started: GOPHER: Point to: gopher.sen.ca.gov If your Gopher does not have an option to point to a particular domain reference, then locate the gopher menu option "Gopher Jewels/", and follow this trail of options: "Government/", "State Government/", "California Legislature Gopher/". WWW: URL: http://www.sen.ca.gov/ E-Mail: MAIL TO: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: doesn't matter TEXT: help FTP: FTP to: ftp.sen.ca.gov TELNET: The Senate DOES NOT support TELNET public access. ========================================================= Chapter 3. USER GUIDES: GETTING THE INFORMATION YOU NEED: ========================================================= This document describes the legislative information that is available on- line via the Internet. Because of space limitations, however, specific instructions for each type of access are not included here. User guides, organized like this brochure but with instructions specific to the type of access you have, can be obtained by sending an e-mail message with the appropriate text (depending on whether you use WWW, gopher, or E-mail): MAIL TO: senate-news@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: doesn't matter TEXT: get access guides www_user_guide.txt get access guides gopher_user_guide.txt get access guides senate-news_user_guide.txt In addition to the information you can view on-line, there are categories of information that you can "subscribe" to (at no cost). When you "subscribe" to information it will automatically be sent to you as it is produced, arriving at your computer as an e-mail message: MAIL TO: senate-news@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: doesn't matter TEXT: subscribe ... (see text of this document for the rest of the text message - it depends on what you are subscribing to) ================================= Chapter 4. THE LAWMAKING PROCESS: ================================= To be enacted into law, a measure must be approved by the appropriate policy and fiscal committees in both the 40-member Senate and 80-member Assembly, and receive enough votes from the entire membership of both houses to pass. Then it is sent to the Governor who may veto the bill or sign it into law. A bill might take a year or more to move through this process. During that time, there is ample opportunity for citizens to express their opinions and concerns and to influence legislation. The following information, available via the Internet, will help you follow the process: ======================================================================= Section 4.1 Senate Daily File Tells you what bills are scheduled to be heard in Senate committee or on the Senate Floor on that day. The "Senate Daily File" is a printed publication of the legislature which collects in one place a number of useful references. Each of those references are accessible as individual documents. Those documents are updated overnight to represent the next day's version of the references. There is a separate set of documents for each active "session": ----------------- Senate Committees This document identifies each Senate committee, its capitol room number and telephone number, and lists the chairman, vice-chairman, members, and principle staff of the committee ------------------------- Senate Committee Hearings This document is ordered by date and identifies each scheduled committee hearing and the topics or bills to be heard by a committee on that date. ------------------------ Senate Floor Daily File: This document identifies each item to be voted on in the next scheduled senate floor session. These documents can be accessed using "WWW", "Gopher", or "Senate-News" as described below, under "Accessing Documents" You may be interested in reading more on the following subjects: Legislative Sessions -- a description of Current, Prior, Regular and Extraordinary Sessions -- See Appendix 1. Legislative Process -- a description of the process of getting a bill through the legislature -- See Section 4.3 -------------------- Accessing Documents: E-Mail Send your request for information via E-Mail as follows (you my include any number of requests in a single e-mail): Mail to: senate-news@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: get access calendar Legislative_Calendar. get access sen-file Senate_Committees. get access sen-file Senate_Comm_Hearings. ===================================================================== Section 4.2 Assembly Daily File: Gives you the same information for the Assembly's daily schedule. The Assembly Daily File is a printed publication of the legislature which collects in one place a number of useful references. Each of those references are accessible as individual documents. Those documents are updated overnight to represent the next day's version of the references. There is a separate set of documents for each active session of the Assembly: ------------------- Assembly Committees: This document identifies each Assembly committee, its capitol room number and telephone number, and lists the chairman, vice-chairman, members, and principle staff of the committee ---------------------------- Assembly Committee Hearings: This document is ordered by date and identifies each scheduled committee hearing and the topics or bills to be heard by a committee on that date. -------------------------- Assembly Floor Daily File: This document identifies each item to be voted on in the next scheduled Assembly floor session. These documents can be accessed using WWW, Gopher, or Senate- News as indicated below. You may be interested in reading more on the following subjects: Legislative Sessions -- a description of Current, Prior, Regular and Extraordinary Sessions -- See Appendix 1. Legislative Process -- a description of the process of getting a bill through the legislature -- See Section 4.3 Accessing The Documents E-Mail Send your request for information via E-Mail as follows (you my include any number of requests in a single e-mail): Mail to: senate-news@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: get access calendar Legislative_Calendar. dir asm-file get access asm-file Assembly_Committees. get access asm-file Assembly_Comm_Hearings. ====================================================================== Section 4.3 Legislative Calendar: Gives you the key dates and legislative deadlines for the current two year legislative session; the last day to introduce bills, when bills must move out of committee, the last day for the Governor to sign or veto bills, etc. The Legislative Calendar gives you the key dates and legislative deadlines for the current two year legislative session. Included are dates such as: the last day to introduce bills, when bills must move out of committee, the last day for the Governor to sign or veto bills, etc. The legislative calendar applies generally to the regular legislative session only. Extraordinary sessions are not subject to the calendar. You may be interested in reading more on the following subjects: Legislative Sessions -- a description of Current, Prior, Regular and Extraordinary Sessions -- See Appendix 1. Legislative Process -- a description of the process of getting a bill through the legislature -- See Section 4.3 ---------------------- Accessing The Document E-Mail Send your request for information via E-Mail as follows (you may include any number of requests in a single e-mail): Mail to: senate-news@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: get access calendar Legislative_Calendar ======================================================================= Section 4.4 Description of the Legislative Process The following information is extracted from the "README." file produced by the Legislative Counsel Bureau. The entire document can be retrieved as directed following the extract. 9. OVERVIEW OF LEGISLATIVE PROCESS The process of government by which bills are considered and laws enacted is commonly referred to as the Legislative Process. The California State Legislature is made up of two houses: the Senate and the Assembly. There are 40 Senators and 80 Assembly Members representing the people of the State of California. Each house has a legislative calendar containing important dates of activities during the Legislature's two-year session. Idea All legislation begins as an idea or concept. Ideas and concepts can come from a variety of sources. The process begins when either an individual or a group persuades a Senator or Assembly Member to author a bill. The Author A Legislator sends the idea and the language for the bill to the Legis- lative Counsel where it is drafted into the actual bill. The draft of the bill is returned to the Legislator for introduction. If the author is a Senator, the bill is introduced at the Senate desk. If the author is an Assembly Member, the bill is introduced at the Assembly Desk. First Reading/Introduction A bill is introduced or read the first time when the Clerk reads the bill number, the name of the author, and the descriptive title of the bill on the floor of each respective house. The bill is then sent to the Office of State Printing. No bill may be acted upon until it has been in print for 30 days. Committee Hearings The bill then goes to the Senate or Assembly Rules Committee where it is assigned to the appropriate policy committee for its first hearing. Bills are assigned to policy committees according to subject area. For example, a Senate bill dealing with health care facilities would first be assigned to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee for policy review. Bills which require funds must also be heard in the fiscal committees: Senate Appropriations or Assembly Ways and Means. Each house has a number of policy committees and a fiscal committee. Each committee is made of up of a specified number of Senate or Assembly Members. During the committee hearing the author presents the bill to the committee and testimony can be heard in support or opposition of the bill. The committee then votes by passing the bill, passing the bill as amended, or defeating the bill. Bills can be amended several times. Letters of support or opposition are important and should be mailed to committee members before the bill is scheduled to be heard in committee. It takes a majority vote of the full committee membership for a bill to be approved and "passed out" of the committee. Each house maintains a schedule of legislative committee hearings. Prior to a bill's hearing, a bill analysis is prepared that explains current law, what the bill is intended to do, and some background information. Typically the analysis also includes any support and opposition to the bill. Second and Third Reading Bills passed by committees are read a second time on the floor in the house of origin and then placed on file for third reading. "Placed on file" refers to a list of bills and other matters pending on the floors of both houses. Bill Analyses are also prepared prior to third reading. When a bill is read the third time it is explained by the author, discussed by the Members and voted on by a roll call vote. Bills which require an appropriation or which take effect immediately, require 27 votes in the Senate and 41 votes in the Assembly to be passed. If a bill is defeated, the Member may seek reconsideration and another vote. Repeat Process in other House Once the bill has been approved by the house of origin it proceeds to the other house where the procedure is repeated. Resolution of Differences If a bill is amended in the second house, it must go back to the house of origin for concurrence, which is agreement on the amendments. If agreement cannot be reached, the bill moves to a two house conference committee to resolve differences. Three members of the committee are from the Senate and three are from the Assembly. If a compromise is reached, the bill is returned to both houses for a vote. Governor The bill then goes to the Governor. The Governor has three choices. The Governor can sign the bill into law, allow it to become law without his signature, or veto it. A governor's veto can be overridden by a two thirds vote in both houses. Most bills go into effect on the first day of January of the next year. Urgency measures take effect immediately after they are signed. California Law Bills that are passed by the Legislature and approved by the Governor are assigned a chapter number by the Secretary of State. These Chaptered Bills (also referred to as Statutes of the year they were enacted) then become part of the California Codes. The California Codes are a comprehensive collection of laws grouped by subject matter. In California Propositions can be placed on the ballot at a public election. These Propositions may either be proposed by a group of citizens or the Legislature. Propositions may either affect the Codes or the Constitution. The California Constitution sets forth the fundamental laws by which the State of California is governed. Most amendments to the Constitution come about as a result of Propositions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You may be interested in reading more on the following subjects: Legislative Sessions -- a description of Current, Prior, Regular and Extraordinary Sessions -- See Appendix 1. ----------------------------- Accessing The Entire Document NOTE: The original document is under revision (as/of 3/95) and may be replaced in the near future. E-Mail Send your request for information via E-Mail as follows (you my include any number of requests in a single e-mail): Mail to: senate-news@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: get access rules README. ======================================================================= Section 4.5 Glossary of legislative terms The glossary is accessible as a separate document. However, it is also an appendix to this document. See Appendix 3. ======================================================================= Section 4.6 Senate Rules: The procedural rules that govern the Senate The Rules of the Senate include rules of order for organizing the Senate, managing the flow of legislation, and conducting meetings and floor sessions. ----------------------- Accessing The Documents E-Mail Send your request for information via E-Mail as follows (you my include any number of requests in a single e-mail): Mail to: senate-news@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: get access rules senate_rules. ====================================================================== Section 4.7 Assembly Rules: The procedural rules that govern the Assembly The Rules of the Assembly include rules of order for organizing the Assembly, managing the flow of legislation, and conducting meetings and floor sessions. ----------------------- Accessing The Documents E-Mail Send your request for information via E-Mail as follows (you my include any number of requests in a single e-mail): Mail to: Senate-news@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: get access rules assembly_rules. ======================================================================== Section 4.8 Joint Rules: The procedural rules that govern the legislative process. The Joint Rules of the Legislature include rules of order for organizing the cooperative processes of the Assembly and Senate, managing the flow of legislation, and conducting conference committee meetings, etc. ----------------------- Accessing The Documents E-Mail Send your request for information via E-Mail as follows (you my include any number of requests in a single e-mail): Mail to: Senate-news@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: get access rules joint_rules. ======================================================================== Section 4.9 Television Schedule: Since the Senate televises all the Senate Floor Sessions and most committee hearings, you may be able to watch Senate proceedings on your local cable station. Information about which cable operators carry the legislative programming, which events are scheduled to be televised, where tapes are archived, and how to order dubs is accessible via the Internet. The following documents may interest you: About Senate TV Program Information about Tape Archives SCHED: WEEK OF .... Channel Guide ----------------------- Accessing The Documents E-Mail Send your request for information via E-Mail as follows (you my include any number of requests in a single e-mail): Mail to: senate-news@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: dir sen tv get sen tv 0README.TXT get sen tv ARCHIVES.TXT get sen tv CHNLGUID.TXT get sen tv TV_SCHED....* *The "dir sen tv" command will identify the filenames that are accessible. A second e-mail can be sent with the specific filename. If you wish to try to guess, the format of the filename for a schedule is: "mmffttTV.TXT" Where: "mm" = 2-digit month number, "ff" = 2-digit week starting date in the month, and "tt" = 2-digit week ending date in the month. Example: The TV Schedule for the week of March 27-31, first posting would be in a file named: 032731TV.TXT ======================= Chapter 5. LEGISLATION: ======================= A tremendous amount of information about legislation is now accessible to the public via Internet. You can find the following information about each bill. ======================================================================= Section 5.1 Bill Text: Complete text of bills with annotations to identify material added/removed due to amendments. You may access the text of any Senate or Assembly bill that is before the legislature, or that was before the legislature in the last session. See section 5.7 for information on "Bill Tracking", section 5.8 for "Bill Searching" and section 5.9 for "Index of Bills". If you know the bill-id, then read on (See Appendix 2 for a description bill-ids). --------------------- Amendment Annotations --------------------- Versions of Bill Text There may be more than one version of the bill text. You will always find an "introduced" version. If the bill is amended, each amending action will result in a version of the bill. If the bill is sent to the governor, you will see an "enrolled" version of the bill. If the bill is enacted, you will find a "chaptered" version of the bill. The text of the bill may include annotations indicating text that is added or deleted. If the bill changes existing law then the introduced version may have those annotations -- indicating additions or deletions with respect to existing law. Each time the bill is amended, "text" previously annotated as "Deleted" is removed and the "annotations" indicating previously added text are removed -- then the "plain text" version of the bill is amended and new annotations are inserted indicating what was added or deleted since the last version. When passed by both houses, the amendment "annotations" are removed, producing the "enrolled" version. When a bill is an "appropriation" bill, the Governor may veto selected appropriation lines and then sign the bill. The final version of the bill-text is the "chaptered" version which is the enrolled version less any line- item vetoes. ----------------------------------------------- Representations of Bills Text in Computer Files Documents are archived in computer files in two different formats: "ASCII Text" files and "Microsoft Write" files. When looking at an "ASCII text" file containing amended bill text (files with extensions of ".TXT"), you will see the two symbols "{+" indicating the start of text that was added and "+}" indicating the end of that added text. You will see the two symbols "{-" indicating the start of text that was deleted and "-}" indicating the end of the deleted text. There are word processing macros available for Word Perfect and Microsoft Word that will convert that notation into conventional italicized and under-scored text. When looking at a Microsoft "Write" file containing amended bill text (files with extensions of ".WRI") you will see the added text in italics and the deleted text underlined. ------- Bill-ID At the time a bill is introduced it is assigned a unique bill-id. The bill-id is in two parts: the bill-type and the bill number. For a complete description of the bill-id and its parts see Appendix 2. --------------------- Word Processor Macros You can use e-mail to obtain the word-processing macros which will convert the "{+" and "{-" annotations in the bill text files into italics and underlines. There are separate macros for each of: "Microsoft Word 2.0" "Microsoft Word 6.0 " "Word Perfect 5.2 " "Word Perfect 6.0 " To acquire those macros send mail as follows: Mail to: senate-news@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: get access macros WDMACRO2.TXT get access macros WDMACRO6.TXT get access macros WPMACRO.TXT get access macros WPMACRO6.TXT ----------------------- Accessing The Documents Depending on the method you use to access the bill text documents, you may not be able to use the Microsoft "Write" versions (files with extensions of ".WRI"). The ".WRI" files are stored as "binary" files and some access methods will not transfer "binary" files and retain their original content unchanged. If you are accessing via e-mail, it is virtually certain that you will not receive a ".WRI" format file in a form that is useful. Some Gopher facilities also will not transfer "binary" files correctly. If you must use the ".TXT" versions of the files and wish to convert them to conventional word-processing format, we have provided "macros" for Word Perfect and Microsoft Word which you may use to convert the "{+" and "{-" annotations into italicized and underscored text. See "Accessing the Macros" below. ------ E-Mail Send your request for information via E-Mail as follows (you my include any number of requests in a single e-mail): Mail to: senate-news@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: dir bill SB_1 Please Note: The bill-id as used for access by e-mail must include an under-line symbol between the bill-type and number, as shown in the example above. For prior session, prefix the bill-id with the letter "p". For extraordinary sessions, suffix the bill-type with "x1" or "x2", etc. Examples: dir bill SB_1 --current session SB 1 dir bill SBX1_1 --current first extraordinary session SB 1 dir bill PSB_1 --prior session SB 1 dir bill PSBX1_1 --prior first extraordinary session SB 1 You will receive by e-mail the list of available document files or the indicated bill. Example: +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ============================================================ (0001) dir bill psb_1 INFO DIR bill psb_1 Files available for bill psb_1 Filename Size Description --------------------------------------------------------- AACLGOV1.TXT 17.5K Analysis, SB 1, Asm. Local Government committee as of 199 AACREVT1.TXT 14.0K Analysis, SB 1, Asm. Rev. & Tax. committee as of1993-07- AAFLOOR.TXT 7.0K Analysis, SB 1, Asm. Floor Session as of 1993-07-15 (Text AVCLGOV1.TXT 3.5K Vote, SB 1, Asm. Local Government committee as of 1993-06 AVCREVT1.TXT 3.5K Vote, SB 1, Asm. Rev. & Tax. committee as of 1993-07-12 ( AVFLOOR.TXT 3.5K Vote, SB 1, Asm. Floor Session (Motion 3205) as of 1993-0 CURRVER.TXT 7.0K Text, SB 1, Introduced 1992-12-07 (Text) [%sz] HISTORY.TXT 3.5K History, SB 1, as of 1995-03-19 (Text) INTROVER.TXT 7.0K Text, SB 1, Introduced 1992-12-07 (Text) [%sz] SACREVTA.TXT 10.5K Analysis, SB 1, Sen. Rev. & Tax. committee as of 1993-04- SAFLOOR.TXT 28.0K Analysis, SB 1, Sen. Floor Session as of 1993-04-27 (Text STATUS.TXT 3.5K Status, SB 1, as of 1995-03-19 (Text) SVCREVTA.TXT 3.5K Vote, SB 1, Sen. Rev. & Tax. committee as of 1993-04-21 ( SVFLOOR.TXT 3.5K Vote, SB 1, Sen. Floor Session (Motion 3199) as of 1993-0 SVFLOOR2.TXT 3.5K Vote, SB 1, Sen. Floor Session (Motion 3200) as of 1993-0 SVFLOOR3.TXT 3.5K Vote, SB 1, Sen. Floor Session (Motion 3202) as of 1993-0 SVFLOOR4.TXT 3.5K Vote, SB 1, Sen. Floor Session (Motion 3205) as of 1993-0 SVFLOOR5.TXT 3.5K Vote, SB 1, Sen. Floor Session (Motion 3209) as of 1993-0 T921207.TXT 7.0K Text, SB 1, Introduced 1992-12-07 (Text) [%sz] T930401.TXT 10.5K Text, SB 1, Amended 1993-04-01 (Text) [%sz] T930427.TXT 10.5K Text, SB 1, Amended 1993-04-27 (Text) [%sz] T930614.TXT 10.5K Text, SB 1, Amended 1993-06-14 (Text) [%sz] T930714.TXT 10.5K Text, SB 1, Amended 1993-07-14 (Text) [%sz] T930910.TXT 10.5K Text, SB 1, Current Amended 1993-09-10 (Text) [%sz] VETO.TXT 3.5K Veto Message, SB 1 (Text) 25 files found. ============================================================ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ A second e-mail message can then be sent requesting specific document files. Example: Mail to: senate-news@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: get bill PSB_1 T930910.TXT Please Note: The dates in the filenames (e.g., 930910) are used to identify the amended versions of bill text files. You may not need to bother with getting the directory of filenames. You can simply send mail as follows to retrieve predictably named document files: Example: Mail to: senate-news@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: get bill PSB_1 CURRVER.TXT get bill PSB_1 INTROVER.TXT get bill PSB_1 HISTORY.TXT get bill PSB_1 SAFLOOR.TXT ------------------------- Section 5.2 Bill History: Chronological listing of legislative activity for each bill (where the bill was heard, if amended, approved, etc.) You may access the history of any Senate or Assembly bill that is before the legislature, or that was before the legislature in the last session. The "Bill History" is a report prepared separately for each bill and which itemizes in chronological order the significant action taken on the bill as it progresses through the legislature. Typical events noted in the Bill History are: Bill-id, Author, and Topic Date Introduced Date of first day in print -- may be heard 30 days later Date referred to committee Date set for committee hearing Date of any rule waivers Date from committee with committee vote and recommendation Date read second time Date of any floor actions Date transferred to the other house --- similar dates for action in the other house --- Date sent to Governor Date vetoed or signed by the Governor Date chaptered ----------------------- Accessing The Documents Since the Bill History contains no amendment notations, the file HISTORY.WRI is essentially identical to HISTORY.TXT. Unless you have some good reason to select the ".WRI" version you should probably just select the ".TXT" version. See Section 5.1 for more information on the differences between the ".WRI" format files and the ".TXT" format files. ------ E-Mail Send your request for information via E-Mail as follows (you my include any number of requests in a single e-mail): Mail to: senate-news@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: get bill HISTORY.TXT Example: Mail to: senate-news@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: get bill SB_1 HISTORY.TXT ------------------------ Section 5.3 Bill Status: Current location of a bill and pending action You may access the status of any Senate or Assembly bill that is before the legislature, or that was before the legislature in the last session. The "Bill Status" is a report prepared separately for each bill and which describes the current location and status of the bill with respect to its progress through the legislature and the governor's office. The "Bill Status" includes: Author(s) Topic Title Current Location (Senate/Assembly/Governor) Last Action date from the Bill History Last Action description from the Bill History Current File Location (Second, Third Reading) Date on File Date in print for 31-days Bill Title ----------------------- Accessing The Documents Since the Bill History contains no amendment notations, the file STATUS.WRI is essentially identical to STATUS.TXT. Unless you have some good reason to select the ".WRI" version you should probably just select the ".TXT" version. See Section 5.1 for more information on the differences between the ".WRI" format files and the ".TXT" format files. ------ E-Mail Send your request for information via E-Mail as follows (you my include any number of requests in a single e-mail): Mail to: senate-news@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: get bill STATUS.TXT Example: Mail to: senate-news@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: get bill SB_1 STATUS.TXT -------------------------- Section 5.4 Bill Analyses: Staff reports describing the history and impact of the legislation and arguments of the groups supporting and opposing the bill You may access the analyses of any Senate or Assembly bill that is before the legislature, or that was before the legislature in the last session. The "Bill Analysis" is a report prepared separately for each bill, identifying the significant points and effects of the bill and organizations which support or oppose the bill. The "Committee Analyses of a Bill" is prepared by policy committee staff for use in committee hearings. Those analyses are distributed in printed form at committee hearings. Following committee hearings they are posted for public access over the Internet. Many analyses are not completed until the evening before a hearing and are not available for distribution before the start of hearings. The "Floor Analysis of a Bill " is prepared by the Floor Analysis Office (in the Senate) for reference when a bill is voted on during a floor session. Many analyses are not completed until the evening before a floor session (when the daily file is very long, some are not completed until after the floor session has begun) and are not available for distribution before the start of the floor session. Following a floor session they are posted for public access over the Internet. ----------------------- Accessing The Documents E-Mail Send your request for information via E-Mail as follows (you my include any number of requests in a single e-mail): Mail to: senate-news@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: dir bill get bill SAFLOOR.TXT NOTE: The filename for the Senate Floor Analysis of a bill is always SAFLOOR.TXT and the Assembly Floor Analysis is always AAFLOOR.TXT. However, committee analyses of bills contain an abbreviation of the committee name in the filename. For Example: SACED.TXT is the Senate Analysis by Committee on EDucation. Example: Mail to: senate-news@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: get bill SB_1 SAFLOOR.TXT ------------------ Section 5.5 Votes: Record of votes in committee and on the floor You may access the vote report of any Senate or Assembly bill that is before the legislature, or that was before the legislature in the last session. The "Vote Report" is a report prepared separately for each vote-action taken on a bill, identifying the motion that was voted and which legislators voted "aye", which voted "no" and which did not vote. The "Committee Vote on a Bill" is prepared by policy committee staff following the completion of a committee hearing in which a vote was taken. Those reports are generally available the next day after a committee hearing -- however, before they can be released, they have to be certified by the committee chairman -- thus, if the chairman is not available the next day the release of the committee vote may be delayed. The "Floor Vote on a Bill " is prepared automatically by the voting equipment . The Floor Vote on a bill is generally available to the Internet by the next day. However, unofficial vote reports for votes on the Senate floor are accessible in a special area within minutes of completion of a vote. Official vote reports are not released until they are certified by the Secretary of the Senate, and will not be accessible to the Internet until the next day. A bill may have more than one vote taken during a floor session. There may be votes to adopt an urgency clause, to waive rules, to remove a vote from a committee, to pass (or fail to pass) a bill, to grant reconsideration, etc. All Senate Floor votes are accessible as un-official vote reports. Only the pass/fail vote is stored (the next day) under the bill-id. ----------------------- Accessing The Documents E-Mail Send your request for information via E-Mail as follows (you my include any number of requests in a single e-mail): Mail to: senate-news@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: dir bill get bill SAFLOOR.TXT NOTE: The filename for the Senate Floor Analysis of a bill is always SAFLOOR.TXT and the Assembly Floor Analysis is always AAFLOOR.TXT. However, committee analyses of bills contain an abbreviation of the committee name in the filename. For Example: SACED.TXT is the Senate Analysis by Committee on EDucation. Example: Mail to: senate-news@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: get bill SB_1 SAFLOOR.TXT ------------------- Section 5.6 Vetoes: Text of Governor's veto message When the governor vetoes a bill, it is customary for the governor to return the bill to the house of origin (Assembly or Senate) with a cover letter detailing the reasons for the veto. Those messages are stored along with other documents relating to a bill. You may access them using the same methods you would use to access Bill Text, Analyses, etc. See Section 5.1 Bill Text. The name of the file containing the veto message is always: VETO.TXT (or VETO.WRI) -------------------------- Section 5.7 Bill Tracking: You can "subscribe" to a bill which means that you will automatically be sent the above information on each bill you subscribe to. To subscribe, send an e-mail message (the examples below illustrate the format): subscribe bill sb_1234 MAIL TO: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: doesn't matter TEXT: subscribe bill ab_2345 subscribe bill ajr_4 You can "subscribe" to a bill. There is no cost associated with this type of subscription. When you subscribe to a bill, you receive by e-mail copies of all documents archived for a bill, as they are archived. NOTE: you "do not" receive by e-mail copies of any documents that have already been archived -- you automatically receive only those archived after the time of you subscription. To subscribe, send e-mail as follows:" Mail To: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Title: subscribe bill sb_1234 subscribe bill ab_2345 subscribe bill ajr_4 Any of the following documents may be added or changed with respect to a bill and that document will be mailed to all persons "subscribed" to the bill: Bill Text, Introduced Version (generally not mailed) Bill Text, Amended Version (not mailed) Bill Text, Current Version (mailed, becomes amended version when superseded) Bill Text Enrolled Version (Latest current version minus amending notations, representing the version sent to the governor) Bill Text Chaptered Version (Version enacted into law, after the governor exercised line-item veto, if applicable) Bill Analysis, Committee Version (each time it is heard by a committee) Bill Vote, Committee Action (each time it voted on by a committee) Bill Analysis, Floor Version (each time it appears on 3rd reading file) Bill Vote, Floor Action (each time it is voted on by the full house) Bill History -- chronological listing of significant events relating to the progress of the bill through both houses of the legislature and to the governor Bill Status -- current location information Bill Digest -- The Legislative Counsel's Digest of the bill extracted from t he beginning of the bill text. --------------------------- Section 5.8 Bill Searching: If you don't know the bill number of the legislation you are interested in, you can search by key word or code section number. The computer will return a list of all bills that contain the key word you specify. For example, if you specified "gun", you would get a list of all current bills that contain "gun" in the text. If you don't know the Bill-id of the legislation you are interested in, you can search by key-word or code section number. The computer will return a list of all bills that contain the key-word you specify. For example, if you specified "gun", you would get a list of all current bills that contain "gun" in the text. When searching for section numbers, you may only search for numbers that are 3-digits in length or longer. If a section number contains a period, then each side of the period is a different key-word -- you could search for "123" and locate any bills that reference any section numbered 123 (including 123.1, 123.52, etc.). You may wish to review the following: Appendix 1: Sessions Appendix 2: Bill IDs Appendix 4: Selecting Keywords for Searches --------------------- Searching with E-Mail Searching by e-mail may involve several successive e-mail messages. Similar to the Gopher search, this search is limited to searching the text of the current version of bills. A further limitation is that the search is performed only on the current session -- you cannot use the e-mail search to search the archives of the prior legislative session. Following is illustrated the common steps in searching by e-mail -- we will use the keyword "gun" as an example: Find a List of bills Send an e-mail message as follows Send Mail To: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: billtopic gun You should get back e-mail similar to the following: Seep Appendix 4. Selecting Keywords for Searches +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ From: Senate-News-Reply@SEN.CA.GOV To: JSmith@ABC.COM CC: Subj: test Senate-News Server version 2.2 (950202/jms) Job 20A44089 Relating to Request Received 11-APR-1995 11:41:54.47: From: DMiller@SEN.CA.GOV Subject: test (For help, send the command HELP.) ============================================================ (0001) billtopic gun BILLTOPIC "gun" Search of Bill Text -- keyword(s)= gun 11-APR-1995 11:41:56.13 ========================================================================= Bill Keyword Search Warning! The Bill Keyword searches are based only on the most current version of each bill. If the keyword you are looking for only appears in analysis of the bill, or does not appear in the most current version of the bill, then this search will not find it. However, if you are generally familiar with the bills, you may be able to use this facility to create a "reminder" list of bills. ========================================================================= AB 53 Security services. AB 70 Firearms: curios or relics. AB 92 Firearms. AB 279 Weapons: school buses. AB 577 Firearms: trigger locks. AB 624 Schools: gun-free school zones. AB 630 Firearms: access: minors. AB 798 Firearms: educational brochure for gun owners. AB 830 Tear gas weapons. AB 892 Firearms. AB 893 Probation: ineligibility. AB 1222 Weapons: dirk or dagger. AB 1908 Weapons: stun guns. AJR 18 Semiautomatic assault weapons. SB 23 Restricted weapons: firearms. SB 141 Limited liability companies: professional service SB 357 Firearms: ammunition: possession: sale. SB 557 Firearms. SB 671 Firearms: dealers' record of sale. SB 693 Weapons. SB 933 Firearms. SB 975 Maintenance of the Codes. SB 985 Firearms: pawnshop: background check. SCR 19 Family values: entertainment industry. ====================================================== To obtain a list of documents available for one of the above listed bills, send mail to SENATE-NEWS with the DIR BILL request. For example, to obtain the list of documents available for Senate Bill 12, your request DIR BILL SB_12 For bills which are from the prior session (93-94), prefix the bill name with the letter P to get the correct bill. For example, to get AB 1624 from the 1993-1994 session, your request would be: DIR BILL PAB_1624 ====================================================== +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ Get a List of Documents Scanning the list of bills for a topic, you may see one that interests you. If so, the next step is to send e-mail to get a list of documents that are available for the selected bill. You may skip this step if you already know the filenames of the documents you wish to retrieve: Send Mail To: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: dir bill sb_23 You should get back e-mail similar to the following: +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ From: Senate-News-Reply@SEN.CA.GOV To: JSmith@ABC.COM CC: Subj: test Senate-News Server version 2.2 (950202/jms) Job 20A45E03 Relating to Request Received 11-APR-1995 11:58:09.14: (For help, send the command HELP.) ============================================================ (0001) dir bill sb_23 INFO DIR bill sb_23 Files available for bill sb_23 Filename Size Description --------------------------------------------------------- CURRVER.TXT 108.5K Text, SB 23, Current Amended 1995-03-22 (Text) HISTORY.TXT 3.5K History, SB 23, as of 1995-03-30 (Text) INTROVER.TXT 66.5K Text, SB 23, Introduced 1994-12-07 (Text) SACCRIMP.TXT 7.0K Analysis, SB 23, Sen. Crim. Pro. committee as of 1995-03- STATUS.TXT 3.5K Status, SB 23, as of 1995-03-30 (Text) SVCCRIMP.TXT 3.5K Vote, SB 23, Sen. Crim. Pro. committee as of 1995-03-28 ( T941207.TXT 66.5K Text, SB 23, Introduced 1994-12-07 (Text) T950206.TXT 101.5K Text, SB 23, Current Amended 1995-02-06 (Text) T950322.TXT 108.5K Text, SB 23, Current Amended 1995-03-22 (Text) 9 files found. +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Select A Bill Document The next step is to send-e-mail to retrieve one or more bill documents. That is done with reference to the filenames in the above report. As you can see, some of the filenames are always the same and can be selected with having to request the directory of filenames -- if you are after those documents, you can skip last step which simply lists the filenames. To request specific documents do the following: Send Mail To: Senate-News@seb.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: get bill sb_23 currver.txt get bill sb_23 history.txt You will receive by return e-mail each of the selected documents. --------------------------- Section 5.9 Index of bills: You can get an index of bills by author (with bill number and topic information) or by bill number (showing author and topic information). Each day new indexes to bills are published. Separate indexes are published for Assembly and Senate bills. The indexes are documents containing lists of bills identifying the bill, its author, and a short title. For each house, one index is ordered by author and another is ordered by bill-id. Accessing The Documents E-Mail You may select any or all of the indexes shown below. Send your request for information via E-Mail as follows (you may include any number of requests in a single e-mail): Mail To: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: get access billindex INDEX_9394_ASSEMBLY_AUTHOR_BILL_TOPIC.TXT get access billindex INDEX_9394_ASSEMBLY_BILL_AUTHOR_TOPIC.TXT get access billindex INDEX_9394_SENATE_AUTHOR_BILL_TOPIC.TXT get access billindex INDEX_9394_SENATE_BILL_AUTHOR_TOPIC.TXT get access billindex INDEX_9596_ASSEMBLY_AUTHOR_BILL_TOPIC.TXT get access billindex INDEX_9596_ASSEMBLY_BILL_AUTHOR_TOPIC.TXT get access billindex INDEX_9596_SENATE_AUTHOR_BILL_TOPIC.TXT get access billindex INDEX_9596_SENATE_BILL_AUTHOR_TOPIC.TXT ---------------------------------------- Section 5.10 Chaptered Bills (Statutes): After legislation has been signed into law and chaptered, it is referred to as a statute. You can get the text of a chaptered bill via Internet using the same methods as you would for any other versions of the bill text. See Section 5.1. ------------------------------ Section 5.11 California Codes: You can get the text of the California Codes (The laws of California are organized by subject matter into 29 codes; i.e. the Civil Code, the Insurance Code, etc.) over the Internet. The "California Codes" is a "wall full" of books containing the cumulative law derived from legislation since California became a State. The codes are divided by subject matter. Each subject matter is referred to as a "code". There are 29 subject matter categories (or "codes"). The following information is derived from the "README." document originating at leginfo.public.ca.gov. The California Codes are a comprehensive collection of laws grouped by subject matter. There are twenty-nine separate Codes that are organized by headings and section numbers. Related text of sections make up each Code. 5.11.1 How is the Information Organized? California Codes are contained in the code directory accessible using the URL: ftp://leginfo.public.ca.gov/pub/code/ Following is a list of the twenty-nine California Codes and the directories in which they appear (the three-letter reference at the far right is the common abbreviation for a code): Indexes to Codes /pub/code Business and Professions Code /pub/code/bpc Civil Code /pub/code/civ Code of Civil Procedure /pub/code/ccp Commercial Code /pub/code/com Corporations Code /pub/code/corp Education Code /pub/code/edc Elections Code /pub/code/elec Evidence Code /pub/code/evid Family Code /pub/code/fam Financial Code /pub/code/fin Fish and Game Code /pub/code/fgc Food and Agricultural Code /pub/code/fac Government Code /pub/code/gov Harbors and Navigation Code /pub/code/hnc Health and Safety Code /pub/code/hsc Insurance Code /pub/code/ins Labor Code /pub/code/lab Military and Veterans Code /pub/code/mvc Penal Code /pub/code/pen Probate Code /pub/code/prob Public Contract Code /pub/code/pcc Public Resources Code /pub/code/prc Public Utilities Code /pub/code/puc Revenue and Taxation Code /pub/code/rtc Streets and Highways Code /pub/code/shc Unemployment Insurance Code /pub/code/uic Vehicle Code /pub/code/veh Water Code /pub/code/wat Welfare and Institution Code /pub/code/wic In addition to the above 29 sub-directories, the code directory also contains 29 files. These files contain a table of contents for each Code. The table of contents provides headings and corresponding Code section numbers for each of the California Codes. The 29 code sub-directories have two levels of sub-directories below them. The first level is grouped into numerical ranges of 1000 Code section numbers, and the second level into numerical ranges of 100 Code section numbers. The following lists the sub-directories and files contained in the code directory: /pub /code /civ Civil Code civ_table_of_contents Civil Code Table of Contents /00001-01000 Range of 1000 Code Sections etc. /00001-00100 Range of 100 Code Sections etc. 523 Code Section/whole number 5241#2 Code Section/fraction Since there are many Code sections contained in a single Code, the additional levels of sub-directories enable you to more readily retrieve a specific Code section. The second level sub-directories (range of 100 Code sections) point to the files of Code section text. The file names are the Code section numbers. The names may include whole numbers and fractions. Filenames that include a fraction display a '#' sign in place of the '/'. For example: Civil Code Section 524 1/2 will appear as 5241#2. 6.2 How do I Retrieve Specific Code Sections? ------------------- Accessing Documents E-Mail Send Mail To: ftpmail@leginfo.public.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: connect cd get quit EXAMPLE: (Get Public Code Section 530) Send Mail To: ftpmail@leginfo.public.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: connect cd pub/code/civ/00001-01000/00501-00600 get 530 quit EXAMPLE: (Get Education Code Section 52350) Send Mail To: ftpmail@leginfo.public.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: connect cd pub/code/edc/52001-53000/52301-53400 get 52350 quit EXAMPLE: (Get Table of Contents for the Vehicle Code) Send Mail To: ftpmail@leginfo.public.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: connect cd pub/code get veh_table_of_contents quit ------------------------------------- Section 5.12 California Constitution: You can also get the text of the California Constitution. The California Constitution sets forth the fundamental laws by which the State of California is governed. The Constitution is grouped into subject matter areas known as Articles. Each Article is organized by headings and section numbers. The California Constitution is accessible from the Legislative Counsel Bureau (leginfo.public.ca.gov) where it is contained in the constitution directory (/pub/constitution). The constitution directory contains two files. One file contains the complete text of the California State Constitution, and the second file contains a Table of Contents. The Table of Contents file contains Article headings and corresponding section numbers that will assist you in locating the specific Constitution section. /pub /constitution constitution_text Text of State Constitution constitution_table_of_contents Table of Contents Accessing the Documents E-Mail Send Mail To: ftpmail@leginfo.public.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: connect cd pub/constitution get constitution_Text get constitution_table_of_contents quit -------------------------------------- Section 5.13 Issue Briefs and Reports: The Senate Office of Research (SOR) produces bipartisan reports, analyses, and issue briefs on issues of concern to Californians and the Legislature. You can also subscribe to SOR reports by sending an e-mail message. Accessing the documents: E-Mail: Send Mail To: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov Subject: doesn't matter Text: dir SOR You will get back e-mail that details the information categories which contain briefs and reports. Another e-mail can be sent to either get additional information, get particular reports, or subscribe to categories in order receive future reports as they are filed. =================== Chapter 6. SENATORS =================== Information about each of the forty State Senators is available to the public over the Internet. -------------------------------- Section 6.1 Who is your Senator? Not sure who represents you in the Senate? You can easily find out by using the zip code search. The results of the search will be the Senator Profile document for each senator that represents a portion of the specified ZIP code area. ------ E-Mail Send an e-mail message with your zip code in the subject line: MAIL TO: finger@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: TEXT: doesn't matter Example: MAIL TO: finger@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: 95628 TEXT: ----------------------------- Section 6.2 Senator Profiles: If you already know the name of your Senator, you can find a profile of pertinent information about him/her: occupation, party affiliation, district number, committee memberships, Capitol and District Office addresses and phone numbers, legislation he/she is authoring, etc. ------------------------ Accessing the Documents: E-Mail Send an e-mail message with your zip code in the subject line: MAIL TO: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: doesn't matter TEXT: get access districts _COLLECTED_PROFILES.TXT This will return to you an e-mail containing the profiles of all 40 Senators. --------------------------------- Section 6.3 Senator Publications: Some Senators also post press releases, policy positions, legislative updates, etc. on the Internet. You can view these documents on-line or you can subscribe to a Senator's information by topic. Every time that Senator posts a press release, for example, it will automatically be sent to you as e-mail. ------------------------ Accessing the Documents: E-Mail Send an e-mail message with your zip code in the subject line: Form: Example: MAIL TO: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov MAIL TO: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: doesn't matter SUBJECT: doesn't matter TEXT: list TEXT: list Lockyer This will return to you an e-mail containing a list of the topics under which the senator has published documents. Next, you will want to obtain a list of documents for a given topic. Form: Example: MAIL TO: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov MAIL TO: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: doesn't matter SUBJECT: doesn't matter TEXT: dir TEXT: list Lockyer Press-Releases This will return to you an e-mail containing a list of filenames and subject titles for documents published under the selected topic. Next, you will want to obtain one or more specific documents. Form: MAIL TO: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: doesn't matter TEXT: get get Example: MAIL TO: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: doesn't matter TEXT: get Lockyer Press-Releases SB_588__CAMPAIGN_REFORM.TXT get Lockyer Press-Releases LOCKYER_ANNOUNCES_COM_APPTS.TXT ------------------------------------- Section 6.4 Senator E-Mail Addresses: Some Senators have established e-mail addresses. All Senator e-mail addresses follow the same format as shown in this example: senator.lockyer@sen.ca.gov Accessing the list of current implemented Senator addresses: E-Mail Send an e-mail message: MAIL TO: finger@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: senator TEXT: doesn't matter ------------------------------------------ Section 6.5 Senate Staff E-Mail Addresses: You can find the public e-mail addresses of senate staff: Accessing e-mail addresses at sen.ca.gov: E-Mail Send an e-mail message: MAIL TO: finger@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: TEXT: doesn't matter Examples MAIL TO: Finger@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: Jones TEXT: doesn't matter MAIL TO: Finger@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: Education TEXT: doesn't matter ===================== Chapter 7. COMMITTEES ===================== Policy committee hearings are the forums for public input, the best place for citizens to make their feelings known about legislation. Legislative is heard in Standing Committees which meet on a regular basis throughout the year. Many standing committees have Subcommittees that work on particular issues. Select Committees and Special Committees study issues and problems in order to develop longer range solutions. Joint Committees have membership from both houses and consider issues of joint concern. ------------------------------- Section 7.1 List of Committees: Via the Internet, you can get a list of all Senate and Assembly committees, plus for each committee you can get the membership, the chair and vice chair, the committee's policy jurisdiction, meeting schedule, the committee staff, and the committee office phone number and address. ------------------- Accessing Documents E-Mail Send an e-mail message: MAIL TO: leginfo.public.ca.gov SUBJECT: doesn't matter TEXT: connect cd /pub/dailyfile/sen/ get senate_committees OR MAIL TO: leginfo.public.ca.gov SUBJECT: doesn't matter TEXT: connect cd /pub/dailyfile/asm/ get assembly_committees ------------------------------------ Section 7.2 Committee Publications: Some committees may also make committee agendas, reports, or transcripts available on the Internet. You can view these documents on-line or you can subscribe to them. Accessing Documents: E-Mail Send an e-mail message with your zip code in the subject line: MAIL TO: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: doesn't matter TEXT: list This will return to you an e-mail containing a list of the offices and topics for which documents are archived. Select from the list the office-name and topic shown for the committee of interest then send e-mail to request a list of documents for that office/topic. Form: Example: MAIL TO: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov MAIL TO: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: doesn't matter SUBJECT: doesn't matter TEXT: dir TEXT: list nrw all This will return to you an e-mail containing a list of filenames and subject titles for documents published under the selected topic. Next, you will want to obtain one or more specific documents. Form: MAIL TO: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: doesn't matter TEXT: get get Example: MAIL TO: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: doesn't matter TEXT: get nrw all profile.txt ===================================================== Chapter 8. GETTING HELP AND FINDING OUT ABOUT CHANGES ===================================================== ------------------------------------------------- Section 8.1 To Find Out About Changes or Updates: We continue to change and improve the way Legislative information is organized for the Internet. If you would like to be kept informed of these changes, you can subscribe by sending this e-mail: MAIL TO: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: doesn't matter TEXT: subscribe access updates ---------------------------------------------- Section 8.2 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): This is a set of documents containing answers to frequently asked questions about how to find legislative information on the Internet. You can go on-line to review these documents and/or you can subscribe by sending an e-mail: MAIL TO: Senate-News@sen.ca.gov SUBJECT: doesn't matter TEXT: subscribe access faqs ======================================================================= If You Have a Specific Question for which you have not found an answer in the FAQs or Access Updates, you may e-mail your question to: news.editor@sen.ca.gov ==================== Appendix 1: Sessions ==================== Normally, the Legislature is in regular session from January through June (and longer if the budget is not passed). It convenes again in mid-August through September in what is sometimes referred to as the "Governor Overides" session. The *Legislative Calendar* details important milestone dates during those periods. The regular session is often referred to as the "Current" session, or the "Prior" session. In addition to regular session, the Legislature may be called into one or more "Extraordinary" sessions. Extraordinary sessions may, and often do, overlap (run concurrnet with) regular sessions. Bill introduced in an extraordinary are restricted to relate to the specific purpose for which the extraordinary session was called. Extraordinary sessions are referred to by the ordinal number corresponding to when they convened - - that is "First Extraordinary" and "Second Extraordinary" , etc. It is interesting to note that the printed versions of all documents relating to a specific extraordinary session are on a specific colored paper -- the First Extraordinary session is printed on blue paper, the Second Extraordinary Session is printed on green paper, etc. The computer documents are filed in directories according to session. The Current Regular session documents are filed under the "*CURRENT*" directory. The Prior Regular session documents are filed under the "*PRIOR*" directory. The Prior First Extraordinary session documents are filed under the "* PRIORX1*" directory. The Current First Extraordinary session documents are filed under the "*CURRX1*" directory. ==================== Appendix 2: Bill IDs ==================== At the time a bill is introduced it is assigned a unique bill-id. The bill-id is in two parts: the bill-type and the bill number. The bill-type is one of the following codes. sb Senate Bill sca Senate Constitutional Amendment scr Senate Concurrent Resolution sjr Senate Joint Resolution sr Senate Resolution ab Assembly Bill aca Assembly Constitutional Amendment acr Assembly Concurrent Resolution ajr Assembly Joint Resolution hr Assembly House Resolution If the bill is introduced in an extroardinary session, then the bill-type will have a suffix denoting which extraordinary session. Examples: sbx1 Senate Bill, First Extraordinary Session abx2 Assembly Bill, Second Extraordinary Session The bill number is a one to four digit serial number starting from 1 for each bill type. Examples of complete bill-ids: sb 1, ab 1004, sr 5, hr 8, scrx1 5 When referencing bill information by filename, the numeric portion is often expanded to 4-digits with leading zeros. Examples: sb0001.TXT, ab1004.WRI, sr0005.TXT ========================================= Appendix 3: Glossary of Legislative Terms ========================================= The following information is extracted from the "README." file produced by the Legislative Counsel Bureau. The entire document can be retrieved as directed following this extract. 10. GLOSSARY OF LEGISLATIVE TERMS Amendment Formal proposal to change the language of a bill after it has been introduced. Appropriation The amount of money set aside for a specific propose and designated from a specific source such as the General Fund, Environmental License Plate Fund, etc. Approved by the Governor Signature of the Governor on a bill passed by the Legislature. Assembly The lower house of the California Legislature, consisting of 80 members, elected from districts apportioned on the basis of population, who serve two-year terms. Bill A proposed law introduced in the Assembly or Senate and identified with a number. Bill Analysis A document that must be prepared by committee staff prior to hearing the bill in committee. It explains how a bill would change current law and sometimes mentions support and opposition from major interest groups. Chamber The Assembly or Senate chamber where Floor Sessions are held. Chapter After a bill has been signed by the Governor, the Secretary of State assigns the bill a Chapter Number, such as Chapter 1235, Statutes of 1993, which is subsequently used to refer to the measure rather than the bill number. Coauthor Any member of either house, with the agreement of the author of a bill, may add his or her name on that member's bill as coauthor, usually indicating support for the proposal. Codes Bound volumes of law organized by subject matter. The code to be changed by a bill is referred to at the top of the bill. Concurrence One house approving a bill as amended in the other house. If the author is unwilling to move the bill as amended by the other house, the author requests nonconcurrence in the bill and asks for the information of a conference committee. Concurrent Resolution A measure introduced in one house which, if approved, must be sent to the other house for approval. The Governor's signature is not required. These measures usually involve the business of the Legislature. Conference Committee Usually composed of three legislators (two from the majority party; one from the minority party) from each house who meet in public session to forge one version of similar Senate and Assembly bills. The final conference committee version must be approved by both Assembly and Senate. Assembly conferences are chosen by the Speaker; Senate conferences are chosen by the Senate Rules Committee. Consent Calendar A group of noncontroversial bills passed by a committee or the full Assembly or Senate on one vote. Constituent Citizen residing within the district of a legislator. Constitutional Amendment A resolution affecting the Constitution, adopted by the Legislature or presented by initiative, requiring an affirmative vote of the electorate to become effective. Daily File Publication produced by the Assembly and Senate respectively for each day those houses are in session. The publication provides information about bills to be considered at upcoming committee hearings and bills eligible for consideration during the next scheduled Floor Session. Pursuant to Jt. Rule 62(a), any bill to be heard in committee must be noticed in the Daily file for four days, including weekend days. The Daily File also contains useful information about committee assignments and the legislative calendar. Daily History Produced by the Assembly and Senate respectively the day after each house has met. The History lists specific actions taken on legislation. Any measure acted upon in that house the previous day is listed in numerical order. Daily Journal Produced by the Assembly and Senate respectively the day after a Floor Session. Contains roll call votes on bills heard in policy committees and bills considered on the floor and other official action taken by the body. Any official messages from the Governor are also included. A Member may seek approval to publish a letter in the Journal on a specific legislative matter. Do Pass The affirmative recommendation made by a committee in sending a bill to the floor for final vote; do pass as amended - passage recommended providing certain changes are made. Enacting Clause By statutory provision, each proposed law must be preceded by the phrase the People of the State of California do enact as follows. Enrolled Bill Whenever a bill passes both houses of the Legislature, it is ordered enrolled. In enrollment, the bill is again proofread for accuracy and then delivered to the Governor. The enrolled bill contains the complete text of the bill with the dates of passage certified by the Secretary of State and the Chief Clerk of the Assembly. Extraordinary Session A special legislative session called by the Governor to address only those issues specified in the proclamation. Measures introduced in these sessions are numbered chronologically with a lower case x after the number (i.e.,28x); they take effect immediately upon being signed by the Governor. First Reading Each bill introduced must be read three times before the final passage. The first reading of a bill occurs when the measure is introduced. Fiscal Committee The Ways and Means Committee in the Assembly and the Appropriations Committee in the Senate to which all fiscal bills are referred if they are approved by policy committees. If the fiscal committee approves a bill, it then moves to the floor. Floor The Assembly or Senate chambers. Hearing A committee meeting convened for the purpose of gathering information on a specific subject or considering specific legislative measures. Inactive File The portion of the Daily File containing legislation that is ready for floor consideration, but, for a variety of reasons, is dead or dormant. An author may move a bill to the inactive file and subsequently move it off the inactive file at a later date. During the final weeks of the legislative session, measures may be moved there by the leadership as a method of encouraging authors to take up their bills promptly. Initiative A method of legislating that requires a vote of the people instead of a vote of the legislature for a measure to become law. Interim The period of time between the end of the legislative year and the beginning of he next legislative year. The legislative year ends on August 31 in even-numbered years and September 15 in odd-numbered years. Item Veto The Governor's refusal to approve a portion or item of a bill; however, the remainder of the bill is approved. Joint Resolution Expresses an opinion about an issue pertaining to the federal government; forwarded to Congress for its information. Requires the approval of both Assembly and Senate but does not require the signature of the Governor to take effect. Law Rule of conduct determined by the people through their elected representatives, or by direct vote. Legislative Counsel's Digest The digest is a brief summary of the changes the proposed bill would make to current law. The digest is found on the front of each printed bill. On File A bill on the second or third reading file of the Assembly or Senate Daily File. Policy Committee Each house of the legislature has a number of committees referred to as "policy" committees. As bills are introduced in each house the Rules committee assigns each to a policy committee. The policy committee sets up public hearings on the bills, conducts hearings and following such testimony, votes on whether or not to recommend passage of the bill to the floor of the respective house. Other actions a policy committee may take include amending a bill and re-referring it to the same or another committee for additional hearings. President of the Senate The State Constitution designates the Lieutenant Governor as President of the Senate, allowing him to preside over the Senate and cast a vote only in the event of a 20-20 tie. The Lt. Governor's role is largely ceremonial because he has not cast a tie breaking vote since 1975 and, in practice, does not preside over the Senate. Reading Presentation of a bill before either house by the reading of the title thereof; a stage in the enactment of a measure. A bill, until passed, is either in process of first, second or third reading, no matter how many times it has actually been read. Resolution An opinion expressed by one or both houses which does not have the force of law. Concurrent resolutions are voted on by both houses but do not require the Governor s signature; joint resolutions are voted on by both houses. Roll Call A vote of a committee or the full Assembly or Senate. Committee roll calls are conducted by the committee secretary who calls each member's name in alphabetical order with the Chair's name last. Assembly roll calls are conducted electronically with each member pushing a button from his/her assigned seat. Senate roll calls are conducted by the Reading Clerk who reads each Senator's name in alphabetical order. Second Reading Each bill introduced must be read three times before final passage. Second reading occurs after a bill has been reported from committee. Section Portion of the codes, cited in each bill which proposes to amend, create, or replace same. Senate The upper house of the California Legislature, consisting of 40 members elected from districts apportioned on the basis of population, one-half of whom are elected or re- elected every two years for four-year terms. Session Period during which the Legislature meets: Regular - the biennial session at which all classes of legislation may be considered; Extraordinary - special session, called by, and limited to matters specified by the Governor; Daily - each day's meeting; Joint - meeting of the two houses together. Speaker Highest ranking member of the Assembly; elected by all Assemblymembers at the beginning of each two-year legislative session. Statutes Compilation of all enacted bills, chaptered by the Secretary of State in the order in which they became law, and prepared in book form by the State Printer. Third Reading Each bill introduced must be read three times before final passage. Third reading occurs when the measure is about to be taken up on the floor of either house for final passage. Third Reading Analysis A summary of a measure ready for floor consideration. Contains most recent amendments and information regarding how members voted on the measure when it was heard in committees. Senate floor analyses also list support or opposition information on interest groups and government agencies. Title A brief italicized paragraph, identifying the subject matter and preceding the contents of a measure. Unfinished Business That portion of the Daily File that contains measures awaiting Senate or Assembly concurrence in amendments taken in the other house. Also contains measures vetoed by the Governor for a 60-day period after the veto. the house where the vetoed bill originated has 60 days to attempt to override. Urgency Clause A bill which contains an urgency clause takes effect upon the Governor's signature. A vote on the urgency clause must precede a vote on the bill and requires a 2/3 vote for passage. Veto The Governor's refusal to approve a measure sent to him by the Legislature. Vote There are two categories of votes: majority and two-thirds. Majority Vote: A vote of more than half of the legislative body considering a measure. The full Assembly requires a majority vote of 41 and the full Senate requires 21, based on their memberships of 80 and 40 respectively. Two-Thirds (2/3): A vote of at least 2/3 of the legislative body considering a measure. The full Assembly requires a 2/3 vote of 54 and the full Senate requires 27, based on their memberships of 80 and 40 respectively. Accessing The Entire Document NOTE: The original document is under revision (as/of 3/95) and may be replaced in the near future. WWW (World Wide Web) Direct your Web Browser to: URL: http:://www.sen.ca.gov/ Select: Senate Gopher Follow the instructions below for "Gopher" Gopher "Point" your Gopher to: Gopher gopher.sen.ca.gov If your Gopher does not have an option to point it to particular domain references, then locate the gopher menu option "Gopher Jewels" (Nearly every Gopher is set up to reference "Gopher Jewels" by some means). Then follow the gopher menus via "Government/" and "State Government/" to "California Legislature Gopher/". From the Senate Root Menu, Select: *Access bill text, analyses, codes, etc./ Then *Select:Access bill text, analyses, codes, etc. by name/* Then Select: *A Guide to Public Access (by leginfo.public.ca.gov)* E-Mail Send your request for information via E-Mail as follows (you my include any number of requests in a single e-mail): Mail to: *senate-news@sen.ca.gov* Subject: doesn't matter Text: *get access rules README.* =========================================== Appendix 4. Selecting Keywords for Searches =========================================== Type a keyword into the blank provided on the search form and then click on the "Search" button. Keywords are case-insensitive (upper-case and lower case letters are all treated the same during the search). You may include multiple keywords following the guidelines below: ------------------- Boolean Expressions "Boolean Expression" is a nerd term for what you type when you wish to specify two or more keywords. When you use two or more keywords, you must separate them with "boolean connectors". A boolean connector is a word or symbol which denotes the way in which the keywords will be used in the search process. 1. Searches may use AND, OR, NOT boolean connectors (a space between keywords is treated as AND). 2. Multiple ANDs, ORs and NOTs can be given. 3. Upper and lower case are ignored (case-insensitive). 4. Keywords may be truncated with an '*' as the last character of the root-word. *Examples:* SUPREME COURT = both supreme and court SUPREME AND COURT = both supreme and court LAW OR LEGAL = either law or legal CONSTIT* = any word beginning with 'constit' COURT NOT SUPREME = all entries with 'court' but excluding any with 'supreme' You can give boolean expressions with parenthesized sub-expressions as in: SUPREME AND (COURT OR BURRITO) which will match article names that contain 'supreme' and 'court' or articles that have names that contain 'supreme' and 'burrito'. When in doubt about order of evaluation, parenthesize the expression. Here's a technical description of the Boolean connectors and their use in queries for walker: A *QUERY* consists an Expression, optionally Query: expr {expr} followed by another Expression; "AND" is assumed between multiple expressions. Each *EXPRESSION* contains a Term, optionally Expr: term {OR term} followed by "OR" and another Term. A *TERM* is a Factor, optionally followed by Term: factor {and|not factor} "AND" or "NOT" and another Factor. A *FACTOR* can be a Token, or another Query. Factor: (query) | token A *TOKEN* is a keyword. Token: keyword A *KEYWORD* is a string of alphabetic Keyword: a-z{a-z}[*] characters of any length. An asterisk indicates that any characters following those specified should be accepted. ======================================================================= End of User's Guide