Established in 1969 by the California Senate Rules Committee, the Senate Office of Research (SOR) is a nonpartisan office that provides research for Senate members and committees. Its mission is to produce comprehensive and reliable research to inform effective public policy.
SOR policy consultants specialize in subject areas and have a range of expertise and skills. They work with state senators throughout the stages of the legislative process—by generating problem-solving ideas, gathering and analyzing data, preparing briefing papers, crafting legislation, organizing informational hearings, and assessing implementation of enacted laws.
Other primary roles of SOR are to prepare information and analyses for the Senate Rules Committee as it considers the confirmation of governor’s appointees to state agencies; track and analyze emerging federal issues; and serve as a liaison with academic institutions and other researchers outside the Capitol to help bring their research into policy discussions.
Thank you for visiting this site, which contains our published reports. We hope the information presented here is helpful to you, as we strive to provide thorough and objective analysis on matters that impact all Californians.
What's New
Federal Update: The Changing Landscape of Federal Environmental Review Under NEPA
Victoria Pluim, August 2026
This report provides an overview of NEPA, traces the evolution of NEPA implementation across administrations, and describes recent court decisions that have reshaped agencies’ authority and obligations. It then examines the second Trump administration’s overhaul of NEPA implementation, covering both the dismantling of the prior regulatory framework and the new framework being built in its place.
Federal Update: The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act
Ted Link-Oberstar, July 2026
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is the most significant federal housing legislation in a generation, reshaping the major federal programs and financing tools through which the federal government supports housing production and preservation. It modernizes and streamlines various regulatory processes, creates competitive grants to support and expand housing development, and modifies some funding programs to encourage and incentivize production. This federal update briefly covers each of the law’s nearly 60 sections, providing more extensive treatment of those provisions likely to be of greatest significance for California and of interest to policymakers. The report also provides brief background on the federal-state relationship in housing policy and includes an appendix that lists each section.