9023.
(a) For purposes of this section, a “professional petition firm” means an entity that pays individuals to circulate petitions and gather signatures for the purpose of qualifying an initiative on a state or local election ballot.(b) A professional petition firm shall register annually with the Secretary of State in order to be eligible to pay individuals to circulate petitions and collect signatures in order to qualify an initiative on a state or local election ballot. Registration shall include the full name, address, and partners, owners, or officers of the firm. This information shall be accompanied by a registration fee to be established by the Secretary of State.
(c) The Secretary of State shall use the registration fees to maintain on its Internet Web site a directory of professional petition firms and to defray any other costs associated with its requirements as described in this section.
(d) A member of a professional petition firm shall review the law relating to obtaining petition signatures, including prohibitions, with each paid petition circulator, individually or in a group, as a condition of his or her hiring. A copy of the training materials provided to the paid circulators shall be submitted by the firm to the Secretary of State. A statement, signed by a paid petition circulator and the individual who conducted the review, that the paid petition circulator has received the review, required by this subdivision, of the relevant law relating to obtaining petition signatures, shall be submitted by the professional petition firm to the Secretary of State.
(e) Nothing in this section shall abridge or restrict the provisions of Section 9021.