The bill cover shows the bill’s number, the date of its introduction and first reading, the committee to which it is referred, the dates it is sent to and received from the printer, as well as any other clerical notations made necessary by a deviation from the ordinary procedure. Assembly bill covers are white, while those used by the Senate are goldenrod. Covers for concurrent and joint resolutions and constitutional amendments are each of a different and distinctive coloring, providing the clerks with an easy method of identifying the various types of proposed legislation.
The bill then goes to the Senate or Assembly Rules Committee where it is assigned to the appropriate policy committee for its first hearing. Bills are assigned according to subject area. During the hearing, the author presents the bill, people testify in support or opposition of the bill, and the Committee acts on the bill. The Committee can pass the bill, pass the bill as amended, or defeat the bill. It takes a majority vote of the membership of the Committee to pass a bill. Bills that require money must also be heard in the Fiscal Committee, Senate and Assembly Appropriations.
