Tuesday, the California Legislature will begin a marathon week of voting. Both the Senate and Assembly must act on hundreds of bills before a key deadline.
Friday is the Legislature’s House of Origin deadline, meaning bills have to pass out of the house they were introduced in by then or they’re done. Democratic Assemblyman Mike Gatto says he expects to be voting on about 400 bills this week, a fraction of the thousands that are introduced each year. Gatto says there’s no need for that many bills.
“The modern legislature, especially with term limit reform, would really benefit from doing more oversight," he says. "Some of the things we try to do in bills really could be done by just holding the feet to the fire of the different department heads within the state of California.”
Gatto says he and his colleagues try to be as informed as they can. He says he spends many nights reviewing legislation, though he admits he can’t read every sentence of every bill. But he said legislative staff compiles thorough summaries that help fill in the gaps.
