How do ideas become bills, then laws? They start with law makers, businesses, lobbying groups, agencies, the governor and ordinary citizens. A legislator (Assembly Member or Senator) is approached with the idea in hopes that he or she may decide to author a bill. He or she gives the intent of the bill to the Legislative Counsel, which puts it in formal legal language.

If the author is a Senator, the bill is introduced in the Senate. If the author is an Assembly Member, the bill is introduced in the Assembly. Bills are then assigned to a policy committee based upon the subject matter. 

The policy committee decides if the idea is good public policy for California. Testimony is heard from both sides – support and oppose. If the committee decides to “pass out” the bill, it will then go to the fiscal committee if funding over a certain limit is involved.  Most of the bills will go to this committee (Appropriations) to determine the probable cost and to devise a way to pay for the proposed program.

The bill then moves onto the floor of its house of origin (Senate or Assembly) to be debated and voted on by all the members of that house.  If the house of origin approves of the bill, it is then submitted to the other house, where it will go through the same process – a policy and fiscal committee, and then to the floor. 

Once a bill has passed off the floors of each house, it then goes to the Governor’s desk.  The Governor then has 12 days to sign or veto the bill. If he takes no action, the bill becomes law without his/her signature.  At the conclusion of the legislative year, the Governor has 30 days in which to act.

Here’s a link that shows the step-by-step process a bill goes through to become California law. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/bil2lawx.html