LibGuides: Finding California Legislative History: Bill History/Versions

Find and Review the Bill History

The bill "history" is actually just a chronology of actions taken on the bill.

Critical information from the "history" includes: (1) bill authors and sponsors; (2) dates of amendments; and (3) reviewing committees. Information about committees helps you find published or unpublished reports or hearings. Knowing authors' and sponsors' names lets you request from them any unpublished information on file.

Bill histories are listed by bill number and are printed in each session's Senate (or Assembly) Final History (or, before 1964, in the Final Calendar of Legislative Business).

Print Sources

Senate (or Assembly) Final History, KFC 14 .C31 Law Stacks,1973 to present.
(Publication of these Final Histories is slow. Check the California Legislative Portal (below) for the most recent 5 or so years.)

Final Calendar of Legislative Business, 1921-1964. KFC 14 .C3 Law Stacks.
[The Final Calendar from 1867- is available at the San Francisco Public Library Government Information Center. The Final Calendar from 1919–1943and from 1947–1964 is available at Hastings Law Library.]

Online Sources

Bill histories for recent years are also available online via these sources:

California Legislative Information (1999 to present)
Select "Bill Information," and then "Bill Search."
Select the desired session, then enter the bill number — e.g., SB 5 — in the "Bill Number" text box.
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Free from the California Legislature. Covers 1999 to the present. For 1993 to 1998, use the California Legislative Portal site
California Legislative Portal (1993-2016)
Use the "Bill Search" function.
Select the desired session and "House," then enter the bill number in the Search text box.
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Use the "Bill Search" function.
Select the desired session, and follow this keyword search example:
"chapter 420"
From the resulting bill text list, select the "chaptered" version.
California State Assembly Histories & Indexes - Archive - Office of the Clerk of the Assembly
Free site from the California Legislature. Currently covers 1881 to 2010.
CA Bill Tracking Reports - Lexis Advance
Covers 1988 to the present. Use "Search within results" to pinpoint what you need. Use the odd-numbered year of the legislative session you're researching as a date restriction.
Sample bill-number search for a 2015-16 bill:
"2015 bill tracking" and cite("a.b. 100")
California Bill Tracking - Westlaw
Covers the current legislative session. For a bill-number search, use the bill number in and advanced search in this format:
adv: 2015 +s "ca a.b. 100"
California Bill Tracking: Historical - Westlaw
Coverage begins in 2005.
Follow this search format:
adv: citation("a.b. 1") — [to find Assembly bills]
adv: citation("s.b. 1") — [to find Senate bills].
To pinpoint a particular session use a date restriction, for example:
adv: citation("a.b. 205") and date(is 2007).

Read All Versions of the Bill

This is the single most important step in researching California legislative history and intent!

Often the only clues to intent are in (1) the occasional explicit statement of intent, (2) whatever you can infer from the language of the bill — the various amendments, additions, and deletions made to the bill as it went through the legislative process, or (3) theLegislative Counsel's Digest, which precedes the text of the bill.

The Legislative Counsel's Digest accompanies each version of every bill and compares current law to the proposed bill. It may also be found in the Summary Digest.

Print & Microfiche Sources

Current bills: in the Reserve Book Room. Ask at the Circulation/Reserve desk.
Bills from previous sessions: microfiche, Fiche Cabinet 8, Drawers 4 to 7 (1967–2004).
Bills prior to 1967:
- San Francisco Public Library Government Information Center (1867– )
- U.C. Berkeley Law Library (1913– with some gaps, call number: KFC 5)

Online Sources

Full-text bills for recent years are also available online via these sources:

California Legislative Information (1999 to present)
Select "Bill Information," and then "Bill Search."
Select the desired session, then enter the bill number — e.g., SB 5 — in the "Bill Number" text box.
more...less...
Free from the California Legislature. Covers 1999 to the present. For 1993 to 1998, use the California Legislative Portal site
California Legislative Portal (1993-2016)
Use the "Bill Search" function.
Select the desired session and "House," then enter the bill number in the Search text box.
more...less...
Free from the California Legislature. Covers 1993 to 2016. For 2017 and later, use the California Legislative Information site.
CA Full-Text Bills - Lexis Advance
Covers 1991-92 to the present. Use "Search within results" to pinpoint what you need. For a date restriction, use the odd-numbered year of the legislative session you're researching.
Sample bill-number search:
"1993 bill text" and cite("a.b. 100")
California Proposed Legislation (Bills) - Westlaw
For the current legislative session.
Sample bill-number search:
adv: citation("a.b. 100")
California Historical Proposed Legislation (Bills) - Westlaw
Full-text bills from 2005 to the session prior to the current session. Sample bill-number search:
adv: citation("a.b. 100")
To limit to a specific year, add a date restriction. For example:
adv: citation("a.b. 100") and date(is 2013)