California Assembly Adopts Rule Reducing Number of Bills Each Legislator Can Introduce

The California Assembly has adopted a new rule reducing the number of bills each legislator can introduce from 50 to 35, a move aimed at streamlining the legislative process. This change, announced at the start of the session on Monday, comes under the leadership of Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas.

Senate President pro tem Mike McGuire (D-North Coast) told CalMatters, which first reported the change, that he is open to discussing a similar reduction for senators.

Currently, legislators can request waivers to exceed the cap, a provision often utilized. In the most recent session, 19 of the 40 state senators and 24 of the 80 Assembly members either hit or exceeded their respective limits, according to the Digital Democracy database.

The sheer volume of legislation introduced during the 2023-2024 session—4,821 bills, with 2,252 ultimately sent to Governor Gavin Newsom—highlights the legislative burden this new rule seeks to address.

Limiting bill introductions aims to encourage lawmakers to focus on higher-priority issues and improve the efficiency of the legislative process.

This isn’t the first adjustment to bill limits. In 2002, then-Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg reduced the cap from 40 to 30. Later, in 2017, Speaker Anthony Rendon increased it to 50. The current reduction to 35 reflects ongoing efforts to balance legislative ambition with practical governance.

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