Bill Sponsor/Group information - one more time!

We WILL meet on Halloween night unless Christiana receives the requisite bill information from all bill groups by Friday, October 28, 11:59pm.

(And your payments are due by Monday regardless of whether we meet. Get them in.)

Here is what bill sponsors need to do between now and Friday:

1. Review this document if you're still a bit lost in the process.  Pay special attention to deciding what type of legislation you are writing. Is it a bill (something that adds, repeals or amends an existing statute)? A Constitutional Amendment (something that changes the State Constitution - hint, you can find that document at leginfo.ca.gov also)? A Joint Resolution (do you want to make a national change and you'd like California to ask Congress to act)? A Concurrent Resolution (do you want a state department or board to act? Tell the Department of Education to do something with schools?)?
2. Complete this form and email it to Christiana.  You can fill out by hand and scan (or drop off at the Y if you need to) or you can complete it on your computer or retype in an email.
3. Assign group member roles: who will argue for your proposal? Who will argue against it?(this goes on the form, but also needs to be communicated to your group members.
4. Research your bill idea. Start with www.leginfo.ca.gov and Google and move on from there. Make sure your idea doesn't already exist! If it does, can you make it better or more effective? You need to check existing code. It's also not a bad idea to search Bill Information, maybe somebody has tried your idea before and you can take a cue from that effort. Search some keywords for your bill and see what you get.
5. Collect your research. You should describe your efforts on the form and you can/should include links to information you have found. Include sources that support AND oppose your bill. You must learn about both sides otherwise your argument will be weak and easy to target.
6. If you are arguing AGAINST the group's idea, research as well! The same rules apply and you'll need to come to the next meeting prepared.
7. Draft language.  You need to write your first draft of actual bill language.
1.  Check out this bill template.  
2. The first line is called "the enacting clause" - it begins "An act to ____________" - the act will either ADD, REPEAL, or AMEND (if your idea is totally new, it adds, if it erases language, it repeals, and if it changes existing law, it amends) the "__________ code" - the second blank will be the code section (Penal, Public Resources, Vehicle, Government, Corporations, etc).  "Relating to _________________" - what's your bill about? And act to amend the penal code, relating to the death penalty? An act to add to the Government code, related to state employee pensions?
3. Don't worry about a bill abstract right now.
4. The language is the biggest concern.  If you are amending a section, cut and paste it from the leginfo website into a new document.  If you are removing language, you use the "strikethrough" option (do this by highlighting the words to strike, right-clicking on them, choose "font" and then click the box next to "strikethrough."  If you are adding language, the new language should be in italics.  The language that doesn't get changed just stays regular. (you don't need to worry about formatting the spacing or the line-numbering as our bills are entered online and not using this template anymore. This is just a guide to help you.)
5. Here is one of last year's bills as an example. (You'll need to download it to get it to open.)
8.  So, to review, you owe Christiana, by Friday at midnight, your completed bill worksheet, bill group assignments, evidence of research, and draft language.
9. And you still need to get your payments and any remaining mixed bag orders to the Y by Monday whether or not we have a meeting.