Cal lawmakers propose 72-hour posting of bills before final votes

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A bipartisan group of California lawmakers concerned by the past rushing of legislation has proposed asking voters to require all bills to be in print and online for 72 hours before final passage.

Sen. Lois Wolk (D- Davis) and Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen (R-Modesto) have introduced identical bills with the aim of improving transparency in the Legislature.

Wolk noted that in the last two-year session, the Legislature considered nearly 5,000 bills. ‘While most of those proposals were publicly shared and well-vetted, some were not,” Wolk said. ‘Last-minute changes to bills can leave legislators unsure of what they are voting on, and prevent the public from weighing in on proposals.’

Her Senate Constitutional Amendment 10 is jointly authored by Senate Republican leader Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) and Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), and coauthored by Olsen and Sen. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord).

Assemblyman Mike Morrell (R-Rancho Cucamonga) previously introduced a bill requiring all budget bills to be posted on the Internet for three days before action. The constitutional amendments introduced by Wolk and Olsen would apply to all legislation, including budget bills.

“Californians are largely cynical about their state government and these bills will help increase better decision making and accountability,” said Olsen, who introduced Assembly Constitutional Amendment 4.

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-- Patrick McGreevy in Sacramento