With the end of the legislative session rapidly approaching next week, many of CAW's top priorities are awaiting action on the floors of the Senate and Assembly. AB 341 (which requires business and apartment recycling and creates a new waste reduction blueprint for the state), AB 1149 (which creates domestic markets for recycled plastic), and SB 568 (which prohibits the distribution of polysterene take-out food containers) are among the bills that await action in the coming week.

This helpful FAQ, created by Scott Lay from AroundtheCapitol.com, gives you a sense of what to expect on these bills over the next couple weeks:

When does the Legislature leave and return?
The Legislature is scheduled to recess for the Interim Study Recess on
Friday, September 9 and return for the second year of the biennium on
Wednesday, January 4, 2012. The governor may call the Legislature back
in a special session for "extraordinary circumstances," including a
state fiscal emergency.

My bill is still in committee. Is it dead?
The first rule of the Legislature is that there are very few absolutes.
However, if a bill is still in committee, it is very unlikely to be
acted on until after the Legislature returns in January.

How long does the governor have to act on bills?
During the last 12 days of session, the normal 12 day requirement for
the governor to act on bills is extended to 30 days. Thus, the governor
has until Monday, October 10 to act on any bill passed after August 28.

When does a bill that the governor signed take effect?
Regular bills that do not include an "urgency clause" take effect on
January 1, 2012. Bills with an urgency clause take effect immediately
after the governor signs them. An urgency bill will include the
following sentence at the end of the bill text: "This act is an
urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public
peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the
Constitution and shall go into immediate effect."

What is "Enrolling and Engrossing"?
After a bill is approved by both houses and before it is sent to the
governor, it is put through a process including proofreading.

If the governor vetoes a bill, can the Legislature override it? When?
Any veto of the governor may be overridden by a two-thirds vote when the
Legislature returns in January, or if it returns in special session
before January. There is no deadline for overriding a veto before the
two-year session ends next August.

What is a "gut and amend"?
At the end-of-session, sometimes the entire content of a bill is emptied
and new language is placed in to the bill. This generally requires a
two-thirds vote during the end of session.