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AB-2882 Campaign contributions.(2017-2018)

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Date Published: 02/16/2018 09:00 PM
AB2882:v99#DOCUMENT

Revised  March 15, 2018

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2882

Introduced by Assembly Member Harper
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Lackey)(Coauthors: Assembly Members Lackey and Gallagher)

February 16, 2018

An act to amend Section 85704 of the Government Code, relating to campaign disclosure.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2882, as introduced, Harper. Campaign contributions.
The Political Reform Act of 1974 establishes certain limits on the amount of contributions that a person or group can make to a candidate for elective state office, or to a committee. Existing law prohibits a person from making a contribution to a committee or candidate that is earmarked unless the contribution is disclosed in compliance with the requirements for contributions made by an intermediary. Dues, assessments, fees, and similar payments made to a membership organization or its sponsored committee in an amount less than $500 per calendar year from a single source for the purpose of making contributions or expenditures are not considered earmarked.
This bill would reduce this exception for payments to a membership organization or its sponsored committee to $100.
Existing law makes a knowing or willful violation of the Political Reform Act of 1974 a misdemeanor and subjects offenders to criminal penalties. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
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 of the Legislature 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: YES  

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


SECTION 1.

 Section 85704 of the Government Code is amended to read:

85704.
 (a) A person shall not make any contribution to a committee or candidate that is earmarked for a contribution to any other particular committee, ballot measure, or candidate unless the contribution is fully disclosed pursuant to Section 84302.
(b) For purposes of subdivision (a), a contribution is earmarked if the contribution is made under any of the following circumstances:
(1) The committee or candidate receiving the contribution solicited the contribution for the purpose of making a contribution to another specifically identified committee, ballot measure, or candidate, requested the contributor to expressly consent to such use, and the contributor consents to such use.
(2) The contribution was made subject to a condition or agreement with the contributor that all or a portion of the contribution would be used to make a contribution to another specifically identified committee, ballot measure, or candidate.
(3) After the contribution was made, the contributor and the committee or candidate receiving the contribution reached a subsequent agreement that all or a portion of the contribution would be used to make a contribution to another specifically identified committee, ballot measure, or candidate.
(c) Notwithstanding subdivisions (a) and (b), dues, assessments, fees, and similar payments made to a membership organization or its sponsored committee in an amount less than five hundred dollars ($500) one hundred dollars ($100) per calendar year from a single source for the purpose of making contributions or expenditures shall not be considered earmarked.
(d) The committee making the earmarked contribution shall provide the committee receiving the earmarked contribution with the name and address of the contributor or contributors who earmarked their funds and the amount of the earmarked contribution from each contributor at the time it makes the contribution. If the committee making the contribution received earmarked contributions that exceed the amount contributed, or received contributions that were not earmarked, the committee making the contribution shall use a reasonable accounting method to determine which contributors to identify pursuant to this subdivision, but in no case shall the same contribution be disclosed more than one time to avoid disclosure of additional contributors who earmarked their funds.
(e) Earmarked contributions shall be disclosed on reports required by Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 84100) as follows:
(1) A contributor who qualifies as a committee pursuant to Section 82013 and who makes a contribution to a committee but earmarks the funds to another specifically identified committee pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (b) shall disclose the specifically identified committee as the recipient of the contribution and the other committee as an intermediary at the time the earmarked contribution is made. The specifically identified committee shall disclose the contributor and intermediary at the time the funds are received from the intermediary. The intermediary committee shall disclose receipt of the funds as a miscellaneous increase to cash at the time the funds are received and shall disclose the expenditure as the transfer of an earmarked contribution from the contributor to the specifically identified committee at the time the funds are transferred to the specifically identified committee.
(2) A contributor who qualifies as a committee pursuant to Section 82013 and who makes a contribution to a committee and subsequently earmarks the funds pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) shall include a notation on the contributor’s next statement that the original contribution was subsequently earmarked, including the name of the specifically identified committee, ballot measure, or candidate supported or opposed. The committee that previously received the funds shall also include a notation on its next statement that the original contribution was subsequently earmarked and shall disclose the original contributor to any new committee to which it transfers the earmarked funds. The new committee shall disclose the true source of the contribution with a notation that the contribution was earmarked to the specific ballot measure or candidate.
(3) A contributor who qualifies as a committee pursuant to Section 82013 and who earmarks a contribution to a specifically identified ballot measure or candidate shall disclose a contribution to the committee that received the contribution with a notation that the contribution was earmarked to the specific ballot measure or candidate. Compliance with this paragraph satisfies the contributor’s disclosure obligations under this title. The committee receiving the earmarked contribution shall disclose the contributor with a notation that the contribution was earmarked to the specific ballot measure or candidate when the contribution is received. The committee receiving the funds is solely responsible for disclosing the ultimate use of the earmarked contribution, whether by contribution or expenditure, at the time the funds are used. If the committee receiving the earmarked contribution contributes any portion of the contribution to another committee to support or oppose the specifically identified ballot measure or candidate, that committee shall disclose the true source of the contribution to the new committee receiving the earmarked funds for disclosure on the new committee’s campaign report. The new committee shall disclose the true source of the contribution with a notation that the contribution was earmarked to the specific ballot measure or candidate.
(f) A violation of this section shall not be based solely on the timing of contributions made or received.

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.
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REVISIONS:
Heading—Line 2.
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