Governor to Seek More Time to Consider Bills

Gov. George Deukmejian, complaining that he needs more time to thoroughly study the crush of bills that the Legislature sends him before it adjourns, said Saturday he will seek a constitutional amendment that would give him the extra time.

In most cases, the governor now has 12 days after a bill reaches him in which to sign or veto it or let the measure become law without his signature. In his regular weekly broadcast address, Deukmejian noted that he faced 1,385 bills sent to him in the final weeks of the last legislative session that adjourned last month.

He said 12 days was enough time to examine legislation when there are “only a few bills to consider, but when there are more than 1,300, as was the case during the last few weeks, the current time frame is extremely inadequate.”

During the first half of the Legislature’s two-year sessions, the governor has 12 days in which to act on bills. At the conclusion of the second year, he has 30 days. The recently adjourned session constituted the first half and will reconvene in January.

In his speech, Deukmejian said the 12-day period should be abolished and replaced with a 30-day period that would enable a governor to “fully consider” all the proposals before him. He said he would ask the Legislature in January to adopt a constitutional amendment containing his proposal and put it before the voters.