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AB-2357 Political Reform Act of 1974.(2009-2010)

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AB2357:v98#DOCUMENT

Amended  IN  Assembly  April 08, 2010

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2009–2010 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2357


Introduced  by  Assembly Member Saldana

February 19, 2010


An act to amend Section 84400 84211 of the Government Code, relating to the Political Reform Act of 1974.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2357, as amended, Saldana. Political Reform Act of 1974.
The Political Reform Act of 1974 provides for the regulation of political campaign financing, including the reporting and disclosure of campaign contributions and expenditures. Under the act, elected officers, candidates for elective office, and campaign committees are required to file periodic campaign statements that disclose specified information for specified reporting periods, including the amount of contributions and loans received, the amount of expenditures made, and the identities of donors and recipients of expenditures.
This bill would require that a campaign statement filed by a committee primarily formed for the qualification or support of, or opposition to, an initiative or ballot measure also disclose the amount of each expenditure made in connection with a poll or survey used in a communication to influence voters regarding the qualification or passage of an initiative or ballot measure, as well as the amount of each expenditure made in connection with a poll or survey used to gauge the public’s opinion of the ballot title and summary of an initiative or ballot measure.
Existing law makes a knowing or willful violation of the Political Reform Act of 1974 a misdemeanor and subjects offenders to criminal penalties.
This bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating additional crimes.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act’s purposes upon a 2/3 vote of each house and compliance with specified procedural requirements.
This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.

The Political Reform Act of 1974 provides for the regulation of political campaign financing, including the reporting and disclosure of campaign contributions and expenditures, and establishes the Fair Political Practices Commission to enforce the provisions of the act. Under the act, the Commission may not exempt any candidate or committee from the reporting requirements of the act.

This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.

Vote: MAJORITY2/3   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NOYES   Local Program: NOYES  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 84211 of the Government Code is amended to read:

84211.
 Each campaign statement required by this article shall contain all of the following information:
(a) The total amount of contributions received during the period covered by the campaign statement and the total cumulative amount of contributions received.
(b) The total amount of expenditures made during the period covered by the campaign statement and the total cumulative amount of expenditures made.
(c) The total amount of contributions received during the period covered by the campaign statement from persons who have given a cumulative amount of one hundred dollars ($100) or more.
(d) The total amount of contributions received during the period covered by the campaign statement from persons who have given a cumulative amount of less than one hundred dollars ($100).
(e) The balance of cash and cash equivalents on hand at the beginning and the end of the period covered by the campaign statement.
(f) If the cumulative amount of contributions (including loans) received from a person is one hundred dollars ($100) or more and a contribution or loan has been received from that person during the period covered by the campaign statement, all of the following:
(1) His or her full name.
(2) His or her street address.
(3) His or her occupation.
(4) The name of his or her employer, or if self-employed, the name of the business.
(5) The date and amount received for each contribution received during the period covered by the campaign statement and if the contribution is a loan, the interest rate for the loan.
(6) The cumulative amount of contributions.
(g) If the cumulative amount of loans received from or made to a person is one hundred dollars ($100) or more, and a loan has been received from or made to a person during the period covered by the campaign statement, or is outstanding during the period covered by the campaign statement, all of the following:
(1) His or her full name.
(2) His or her street address.
(3) His or her occupation.
(4) The name of his or her employer, or if self-employed, the name of the business.
(5) The original date and amount of each loan.
(6) The due date and interest rate of the loan.
(7) The cumulative payment made or received to date at the end of the reporting period.
(8) The balance outstanding at the end of the reporting period.
(9) The cumulative amount of contributions.
(h) For each person, other than the filer, who is directly, indirectly, or contingently liable for repayment of a loan received or outstanding during the period covered by the campaign statement, all of the following:
(1) His or her full name.
(2) His or her street address.
(3) His or her occupation.
(4) The name of his or her employer, or if self-employed, the name of the business.
(5) The amount of his or her maximum liability outstanding.
(i) The total amount of expenditures made during the period covered by the campaign statement to persons who have received one hundred dollars ($100) or more.
(j) The total amount of expenditures made during the period covered by the campaign statement to persons who have received less than one hundred dollars ($100).
(k) For each person to whom an expenditure of one hundred dollars ($100) or more has been made during the period covered by the campaign statement, all of the following:
(1) His or her full name.
(2) His or her street address.
(3) The amount of each expenditure.
(4) A brief description of the consideration for which each expenditure was made.
(5) In the case of an expenditure which is a contribution to a candidate, elected officer, or committee or an independent expenditure to support or oppose a candidate or measure, in addition to the information required in paragraphs (1) to (4) above, inclusive, the date of the contribution or independent expenditure, the cumulative amount of contributions made to a candidate, elected officer, or committee, or the cumulative amount of independent expenditures made relative to a candidate or measure; the full name of the candidate, and the office and district for which he or she seeks nomination or election, or the number or letter of the measure; and the jurisdiction in which the measure or candidate is voted upon.
(6) The information required in paragraphs (1) to (4), inclusive, for each person, if different from the payee, who has provided consideration for an expenditure of five hundred dollars ($500) or more during the period covered by the campaign statement.
For purposes of subdivisions (i), (j), and (k) only, the terms “expenditure” or “expenditures” mean means any individual payment or accrued expense, unless it is clear from surrounding circumstances that a series of payments or accrued expenses are for a single service or product.
(l) In the case of a controlled committee, an official committee of a political party, or an organization formed or existing primarily for political purposes, the amount and source of any miscellaneous receipt.
(m) If a committee is listed pursuant to subdivision (f), (g), (h), (k), (l), or (q), the number assigned to the committee by the Secretary of State shall be listed, or if no number has been assigned, the full name and street address of the treasurer of the committee.
(n) In a campaign statement filed by a candidate who is a candidate in both a state primary and general election, his or her controlled committee, or a committee primarily formed to support or oppose such a candidate, the total amount of contributions received and the total amount of expenditures made for the period January 1 through to June 30, inclusive, and the total amount of contributions received and expenditures made for the period July 1 through to December 31, inclusive.
(o) The full name, residential or business address, and telephone number of the filer, or in the case of a campaign statement filed by a committee defined by subdivision (a) of Section 82013, the name, street address, and telephone number of the committee and of the committee treasurer. In the case of a committee defined by subdivision (b) or (c) of Section 82013, the name that the filer uses on campaign statements shall be the name by which the filer is identified for other legal purposes or any name by which the filer is commonly known to the public.
(p) If the campaign statement is filed by a candidate, the name, street address, and treasurer of any committee of which he or she has knowledge which has received contributions or made expenditures on behalf of his or her candidacy and whether the committee is controlled by the candidate.
(q) A contribution need not be reported nor shall it be deemed accepted if it is not cashed, negotiated, or deposited and is returned to the contributor before the closing date of the campaign statement on which the contribution would otherwise be reported.
(r) If a committee primarily formed for the qualification or support of, or opposition to, an initiative or ballot measure is required to report an expenditure to a business entity pursuant to subdivision (k) and 50 percent or more of the business entity is owned by a candidate or person controlling the committee, by an officer or employee of the committee, or by a spouse of any of these individuals, the committee’s campaign statement shall also contain, in addition to the information required by subdivision (k), that person’s name, the relationship of that person to the committee, and a description of that person’s ownership interest or position with the business entity.
(s) If a committee primarily formed for the qualification or support of, or opposition to, an initiative or ballot measure is required to report an expenditure to a business entity pursuant to subdivision (k), and a candidate or person controlling the committee, an officer or employee of the committee, or a spouse of any of these individuals is an officer, partner, consultant, or employee of the business entity, the committee’s campaign statement shall also contain, in addition to the information required by subdivision (k), that person’s name, the relationship of that person to the committee, and a description of that person’s ownership interest or position with the business entity.
(t) If the campaign statement is filed by a committee, as defined in subdivision (b) or (c) of Section 82013, information sufficient to identify the nature and interests of the filer, including:
(1) If the filer is an individual, the name and address of the filer’s employer, if any, or his or her principal place of business if the filer is self-employed, and a description of the business activity in which the filer or his or her employer is engaged.
(2) If the filer is a business entity, a description of the business activity in which it is engaged.
(3) If the filer is an industry, trade, or professional association, a description of the industry, trade, or profession which it represents, including a specific description of any portion or faction of the industry, trade, or profession which the association exclusively or primarily represents.
(4) If the filer is not an individual, business entity, or industry, trade, or professional association, a statement of the person’s nature and purposes, including a description of any industry, trade, profession, or other group with a common economic interest which the person principally represents or from which its membership or financial support is principally derived.
(u) If the campaign statement is filed by a committee primarily formed for the qualification or support of, or opposition to, an initiative or ballot measure, both of the following:
(1) The amount of each expenditure made in connection with a poll or survey used in a communication to influence voters regarding the qualification or passage of an initiative or ballot measure.
(2) The amount of each expenditure made in connection with a poll or survey used to gauge the public’s opinion of the ballot title and summary of an initiative or ballot measure.

SEC. 2.

 No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.

SEC. 3.

 The Legislature finds and declares that this bill furthers the purposes of the Political Reform Act of 1974 within the meaning of subdivision (a) of Section 81012 of the Government Code.
SECTION 1.Section 84400 of the Government Code is amended to read:
84400.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Commission shall have no power to exempt any person, including any candidate or committee, from any of the requirements imposed by the provisions of this chapter.