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California Legislative History and Advocacy

URL: https://libguides.law.ucla.edu/callegislativehistory

Availability of California Legislative Documents

In contrast to U.S. Congressional documentation, few California legislative documents are published and distributed.  Verbatim floor debate is almost never published; committee reports and hearing transcripts are not routinely distributed to libraries.  Frequently all that can be compiled from UCLA Law Library resources is a statutory history (finding the text of the bill and tracing its flow through the legislative process).  However, the recent availability of legislative documents on Lexis, Westlaw, and the Internet has greatly increased access to these materials. Additional documentation may be found in committee files and the State Archives. 

You may wish to consult Chapter 4, Legislative Intent, in Henke’s California Law Guide, 8th ed. (KFC 74 M37 2006 Reference Reading Room; Reserves; and Level 2), pp. 73-140 for a thorough examination of California legislative intent research.

For a quick start, go to LegInfo (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov) for material beginning in 1999, or the old site (http://leginfo.ca.gov) for material beginning in 1993. For more historical information dating back to 1849, visit the Assembly Clerk Archive (http://clerk.assembly.ca.gov/archive-list).

Credits

Guide created by Cheryl Kelly Fischer. Currently maintained by Caitlin Hunter.