Inland Lawmaker Seeks Cap on Legislative Proposals

An Inland Empire lawmaker has proposed a bill she says will make state government more efficient and less expensive by halving the number of bills that members of the California Assembly can introduce in a two- year legislative session.

“Every year, we witness thousands of unnecessary new laws proposed in Sacramento,” said Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore. “The legislative process should be used to enact or repeal laws to further the public good, rather than further one’s political ego.”

Melendez on Wednesday introduced House Resolution 14, which proposes to limit the number of bills that an Assembly member can introduce in a two-year legislative cycle to 20, instead of the 40 currently allowed under the Assembly’s rules.

Melendez noted that in the 2013-14 session, 2,766 bills were introduced in the Assembly and another 2,020 were proposed in the Senate. Of that total, 1,738 bills were passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the governor.

Had House Resolution 14 been in effect, the number of Assembly bills submitted for consideration would not have exceeded 1,600, according to Melendez.

“This resolution will force the Legislature to prioritize its policy agenda by making legislators focus on the real issues at hand,” Melendez said. “With every bill introduced costing taxpayers $25,000 in limited state resources, only the issues directly benefiting the public good should be addressed.”

The resolution has not yet been assigned to a committee for hearings.

Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez represents the 67th Assembly District, which includes the communities of Lake Elsinore, Canyon Lake, Murrieta, Menifee, Wildomar and a portion of Hemet. It also includes the Riverside County unincorporated areas of Lake Mathews, Good Hope, Nuevo, and Winchester.

– City News Service.

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