Friday, February 21, was the last day to introduce bills for the 2020 Legislative Session. We saw 735 new bills introduced between the two houses (512 ABs and 223 SBs) on the final day. That means the total number of bills introduced this Session is 2,203. The total number of bill introductions by the deadline of 2,203 includes 1,527 ABs and 676 SBs.

During the last four days, the final week for introductions, we saw 1,450 new bills proposed. There were 1,120 bills introduced during just the final two days. This count does not include constitutional amendments and resolutions. And, of course, committees can still introduce bills past the deadline, rule waivers, etc.

By way of comparison, the following are the bill introduction totals from the past seven years:

As can be seen, as a general rule, the second year of the 2-year Legislative Session has fewer bill introductions. Nonetheless, the 2020 Session has more bill introductions than prior even-numbered years during the past decade.

After the Session concludes on August 31, we will take a closer look to determine how many of these measures made it through the legislative process. And, after Governor Newsom finishes acting on bills September 30, we will examine how many of the bills he ultimately signs or vetoes. Stay tuned.