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AB-1418 The Political Reform Act of 1974: omnibus bill.(2013-2014)

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Assembly Bill No. 1418
CHAPTER 654

An act to amend Sections 81008, 83109, and 84102 of the Government Code, relating to the Political Reform Act of 1974.

[ Approved by Governor  October 08, 2013. Filed with Secretary of State  October 08, 2013. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 1418, Committee on Elections and Redistricting. The Political Reform Act of 1974: omnibus bill.
(1) Existing law, the Political Reform Act of 1974, requires each campaign committee, as specified, to file a statement of organization. For a campaign committee that does not support or oppose one or more candidates or ballot measures as its primary activity, the statement of organization must include, among other things, a brief description of the committee’s political activities, including whether it supports or opposes candidates or measures and whether such candidates or measures have common characteristics, such as a political party affiliation.
This bill would change the requirement that a campaign committee that does not support or oppose one or more candidates or ballot measures as its primary activity include in the description of the committee’s political activities the common characteristics of candidates or measures it supports or opposes, such as a political party affiliation, to instead require that the description of the committee’s political activities include common characteristics of candidates or measures, such as a political party preference.
(2) The act requires a committee that is controlled by a candidate for partisan office to provide a statement indicating the political party with which the candidate is affiliated.
This bill would instead require a committee that is controlled by a candidate for partisan office or voter-nominated office to provide a statement indicating the political party for which the candidate has disclosed a preference.
(3) The act provides that any report or statement filed pursuant to the act is a public record that must be open for public inspection and copying, as specified. The act requires that campaign statements filed pursuant to the act made available on the Internet by the Secretary of State. The act further requires that the statements be open for public inspection and reproduction on the Saturday preceding a statewide primary or statewide general election at specified locations.
This bill would repeal the requirement that campaign statements be open for public inspection and reproduction on the Saturday preceding a statewide primary or statewide general election at the specified locations.
(4) The act establishes the Fair Political Practices Commission and authorizes the Commission to appoint officers, counsel, and employees consistent with applicable civil service laws. The act provides that a nonclerical position under the Commission shall not be included in the same class in the civil service classification plan with any position of any other department or agency.
This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.
(5) 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.
Vote: 2/3   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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


SECTION 1.

 Section 81008 of the Government Code is amended to read:

81008.
 Every report and statement filed pursuant to this title is a public record open for public inspection and reproduction during regular business hours, commencing as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than the second business day following the day on which it was received. No conditions whatsoever shall be imposed upon persons desiring to inspect or reproduce reports and statements filed under this title, nor shall any information or identification be required from these persons. Copies shall be provided at a charge not to exceed ten cents ($0.10) per page. In addition, the filing officer may charge a retrieval fee not to exceed five dollars ($5) per request for copies of reports and statements which are five or more years old. A request for more than one report or statement or report and statement at the same time shall be considered a single request.

SEC. 2.

 Section 83109 of the Government Code is amended to read:

83109.
 For purposes of Section 19818.6, a nonclerical position under the Commission shall not be included in the same class in the civil service classification plan with any position of any other department or agency.

SEC. 3.

 Section 84102 of the Government Code is amended to read:

84102.
 The statement of organization required by Section 84101 shall include all of the following:
(a) The name, street address, and telephone number, if any, of the committee. In the case of a sponsored committee, the name of the committee shall include the name of its sponsor. If a committee has more than one sponsor, and the sponsors are members of an industry or other identifiable group, a term identifying that industry or group shall be included in the name of the committee.
(b) In the case of a sponsored committee, the name, street address, and telephone number of each sponsor.
(c) The full name, street address, and telephone number, if any, of the treasurer and any other principal officers.
(1) A committee with more than one principal officer shall identify its principal officers as follows:
(A) A committee with three or fewer principal officers shall identify all principal officers.
(B) A committee with more than three principal officers shall identify no fewer than three principal officers.
(2) If no individual other than the treasurer is a principal officer, the treasurer shall be identified as both the treasurer and the principal officer.
(d) The full name and office sought by a candidate, and the title and ballot number, if any, of any measure, that the committee supports or opposes as its primary activity. A committee that does not support or oppose one or more candidates or ballot measures as its primary activity shall provide a brief description of its political activities, including whether it supports or opposes candidates or measures and whether such candidates or measures have common characteristics, such as a political party preference.
(e) A statement whether the committee is independent or controlled and, if it is controlled, the name of each candidate or state measure proponent by which it is controlled, or the name of any controlled committee with which it acts jointly. If a committee is controlled by a candidate for partisan or voter-nominated office, the controlled committee shall indicate the political party, if any, for which the candidate has disclosed a preference.
(f) For a committee that is a committee by virtue of subdivision (a) or (b) of Section 82013, the name and address of the financial institution in which the committee has established an account and the account number.
(g) Other information as shall be required by the rules or regulations of the Commission consistent with the purposes and provisions of this chapter.

SEC. 4.

 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.