Each bill that is passed by the Legislature and approved by the Governor is assigned a chapter number by the Secretary of State in the order in which they become law. These chaptered bills are statutes, and ordinarily become part of the California Codes.

From A Guide for Accessing California Legislative Information on the Internet

Citation Example:

• for a California Statute: Chapter 252

• When it was a Bill: AB 2273 (Assembly Bill 2273)

Where to Find:

Once a bill is signed into law, the Office of Federal Regulation assigns it a Public Law number and Statute citation number. A Statute, also referred to as an Act, is the individual law and the number represents the order in which it became law. The text of the Public laws contain the following information:

• Public law number
• Date of enactment
• Bill number
• Popular name of the law
• Statutes at Large citation
• U.S. Code citation
• Legislative history

Citation Example for a Statute: 119 STAT. 2171

• When it was a Bill: S. 1285
• When it became a Public Law: 109-101  (the 101st law passed during the 109th Congress)

Where to Find:

1. The bill number is H.R2967.
2. The identical bill, S.1285 is the bill carried forward for approval to law.
3. When it became a public law, the public law number is 109-101.
4. The corresponding statute is 119 STAT. 2171.