Citizen Legislature Project

Citizen Legislature Project
Join Citizens for California Reform in our effort to bring accountability back to Sacramento by returning California to a Part Time Legislature.
Since statehood, California has experimented with how frequently and for what periods of time the Legislature should meet in session. Sessions have been one year or two years, limited and unlimited in duration, with and without mandatory intervening recesses, and limited to certain legislative matters during specific types of legislative sessions.

The biggest change came in 1966 when California voters enacted a sweeping revision of the State Constitution, including a provision providing for a full-time Legislature with no limitation on the duration of a legislative session.

Our full-time Legislature has failed the people of California. The result is a Legislature dominated by career politicians beholden to special interests. A part-time Legislature will replace professional politicians with citizen legislators and break the stranglehold of these special interests.

Full-time politicians are completely out of touch with the people they represent. By shortening the legislative season, we will take power away from Sacramento and return it to our local communities to ensure that legislators have a better sense of the needs of their communities.

Citizens for California Reform has filed proposed ballot initiative language with the state’s Attorney General to create a part-time, citizen-legislature.

The Citizen Legislature Act outlines a legislative session, which will convene in regular session on the first Monday in January of each year for a period not to exceed 30 calendar days. The Legislature will then reconvene in regular session on the first Monday in May for a period not to exceed 60 calendar days.


THE CITIZEN LEGISLATURE ACT
SECTION 1. Title.
This Act shall be known and may be cited as “The Citizen Legislature Act.”
SECTION 2. Findings and Purposes.
The People of the State of California hereby make the following findings and declare that
their purpose in enacting this Act is as follows:
(a) California’s experiment with a “full-time” Legislature has failed. The result has been
a Legislature dominated by career politicians beholden to special interests. Legislators do not
work “full-time” yet they receive full-time pay and benefits, more than double the amount of all
other states. Yet, with all of these incentives, they continually fail to accomplish their most
important job, passing a balanced state budget on-time.
(b) California needs and deserves a Legislature that is only interested in conducting the
people’s business. Most states have a part-time Legislature, including some of the largest and
most populous. A part-time Legislature will replace professional politicians with citizen
legislators and will break the stranglehold of special interests. It will reduce the number of
unnecessary and self-serving bills and will result in a more responsible and accountable
government institution.
(c) In order to further these and the purposes stated in section 1.5, the people hereby
amend the California Constitution to enact the “Citizen Legislature Act.”
SECTION 3. Constitutional Amendment
Section 3.5 of Article IV of the California Constitution is added to read as follows:
Sec. 3.5(a) The Legislature shall reconvene in regular session on the first Monday in
January of each year for a period not to exceed 30 calendar days, whereupon the Legislature
shall stand in recess. The Legislature shall reconvene in regular session on the first Monday in
May for a period not to exceed 60 calendar days.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the Legislature may reconvene for an additional
period of 5 days following recess or adjournment to reconsider bills vetoed by the Governor
pursuant to section 10.
SECTION 4. Operative Date/Severability
(a) Section 3.5 shall become effective immediately, however it shall become operative for
the biennium session commencing on the first Monday in December in 2012.
(b) If any part of this measure or the application to any person or circumstance is held
invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications which can reasonably be
given effect without the invalid provision or application.

Frequently Asked Questions
Citizen Legislature
What is a Citizen Legislature? A Citizen Legislature is composed of every-day citizens, not professional politicians, who meet on a part-time basis to pass the state budget and consider new legislation.

Why does California need a Citizen Legislature? California’s experiment with a “full-time” Legislature has failed. The result has been a legislature dominated by career politicians beholden to special interests that continually fails to accomplish their most important job, passing a balanced state budget on time.

How will a Citizen Legislature help California? A Citizen Legislature will break the stranglehold of special interests, provide Californians with better representation and shakeup the status quo in Sacramento. It will also reduce the number of unnecessary and self-servicing bills and will result in a more responsible and accountable government institution.

Is California too big for a Part-Time Citizen Legislature? No, but California is too big for a legislature that fails year after year to pass an on time budget and is no long responsive to the people. Most states have a part-time Legislature, including some of the largest and most populous.

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