Governor Vetoes the State Bar Fee Bill

• Jurisdiction: California,United States
• Citation: Vol. 11 No. 2009 Pg. 01
• Publication year: 2009
• Pages: 01
• Year: 2009
• topic: Business of Law,Corporate / Commercial,Civil Procedure,Public Sector Law

California Bar Journal 2009.

CBJ - November 2009 #01. Governor vetoes the State Bar fee bill

California Bar Journal
November 2009

Governor vetoes the State Bar fee bill

By Nancy McCarthy
Staff Writer

Reacting to Gov. Schwarzenegger's veto of the State Bar dues bill last month, bar President Howard Miller said the governor's concerns are "legitimate" and may force the bar to make some necessary changes. "Events such as the governor's veto message can challenge the State Bar to renew itself as an institution and its service to the public and the legal profession," Miller said. (Read Gov. Schwarzenegger's and State Bar President Howard Miller's messages.)

Although SB 641 - authorizing collection of $410 in 2010 dues from active members - won passage in both houses of the legislature by wide margins, Schwarzenegger said he would not sign the bill "because the State Bar cannot continue with business as usual." In particular, he criticized the agency for a recent state audit that found inefficiencies in the discipline operation, the embezzlement of $675,000 by a former employee and the unauthorized disclosure of the rating of a candidate for the appellate bench.

"As the organization charged with regulating the professional conduct of its members, the conduct of the State Bar itself must be above reproach," Schwarzenegger wrote in his veto message. "Regrettably, it is not."

He encouraged the bar to "resolve these issues as soon as possible" so the legislature can reintroduce a dues bill early next year.

The bar faced a similar crisis in 1997 after Gov. Pete Wilson...