Keeping Up With the Laws That Will Affect YOU!!

Self-governance is not always without some sacrifice of time and effort. Thank you for all you have done and will do to join EIPCa’s legislative oversight efforts.

Your virtual presence at committee hearings is more important than you know. It is always good for committee members to hear your voice and know that you took the time to wait your turn and weigh in.

The process can be frustrating, but as imperfect as the telecommunication situation is, in many ways it is a COVID blessing. Prior to the in-person restrictions, anyone who wanted a voice had to go to Sacramento and physically attend the meeting. Now, we all have equal access with much less expenditure of time and treasure.

Many of you have asked

if there is anything else you can do.

YES! Thank you for asking.

Here are many ways you can make a difference:

1. You can always submit a letter of support or opposition for any bill as a private citizen.

• Complete a one-time registration at https://calegislation.lc.ca.gov/Advocates/. (If it's your first time, click on "Registration" and create an account).

• Click-on Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for additional assistance.

• Once you log in, click on "Bill Information". Then any time you wish to submit a letter, go to that site and submit your letter. It will be delivered to each committee member and the author of the bill.

• If you are a constituent of one of the committee members, you can go to their website and submit a letter as a constituent. That’s very powerful. (Representatives will not accept emails from individuals who reside outside their district.

• Senate Committee members are listed at https://selc.senate.ca.gov/. Assembly Committee members are listed at https://aelc.assembly.ca.gov/membersstaff.

2. Always weigh in with your own representatives well in advance to floor votes on bills of concern. Calls and emails are good, personal visits to their office are better. Use the buddy system—take a friend for moral support and go for lunch or dinner afterward.

3. Follow bills of special interest to you. To get up to date notifications for any bill:

• go to https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/loginClient.xhtml

• type the bill number as indicated and hit “search”.

• Across the top of the page, find the blue wording “Track Bill”. Click on it and log in (first time you’ll need to register).

• Check “Select All Notification Points” at the top

• Click “Add Notifications” at the bottom. You will be notified when that bill is amended, up for hearing, moved to another committee, up for a floor vote, when it is on the governor’s desk and when it is signed into law.

4. Check in often with bills of concern—they change significantly and often. ALWAYS remember to click the tab “Today’s law as amended” so you are reading the latest version.

5. If you want to be a little more on top of bills in a specific area of concern, you can find bills by category:

• From the leginfo link given above, go over to the “Code” dropdown menu and select the category of bills you might want to follow and hit “Search” (See code key below)

• A list of all bills in that category will come up, with information on bill authorship and where the bill is in the ratification process.

• The bill links are live. Click on the bill number and you will be taken to the text of the bill. (Be sure to click on “Today’s Law as Amended” to see the latest version.)

• Check often; bills are fluid and can be sneaked through at any time.

Any time you see something in a bill that we may have missed, please contact Ruth Weiss at ruthweiss@eip-ca.com.

"THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.

Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph...." 

Thomas Paine