BILLS (AB/SB) - 6915

In California, most laws are enacted, repealed, or amended through the medium of bills, which are proposals to add new laws or change or repeal existing laws.

To become law, a bill must be passed in both houses by at least a simple majority. A two-thirds vote is required if the bill contains a General Fund appropriation, unless the appropriation is for education, in which case only a majority vote is required. In addition, any bill which contains an urgency clause (i.e., a provision which would make the bill effective immediately upon gubernatorial approval, rather than on Jan. 1 following signature by the Governor as is normally the case) requires a two-thirds vote.

After passage by both houses of the Legislature, the bill is sent to the Governor who may either sign or veto the bill within a specified period of time (either 12 or 30 days depending on what time of the year it is sent to him/her) or it becomes law without his signature. There is no "pocket veto" in California such as exists at the federal level. If the Governor fails to act on a bill sent to him/her within the prescribed period, the measure becomes law without the Governor’s signature.  (For more specifics regarding deadlines for gubernatorial actions on bills, refer to Section 10 of Article IV of the State Constitution.)