BILL NUMBER: AB 1501	CHAPTERED  01/22/04

	CHAPTER  9
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE  JANUARY 22, 2004
	APPROVED BY GOVERNOR  JANUARY 21, 2004
	PASSED THE ASSEMBLY  JANUARY 12, 2004
	PASSED THE SENATE  SEPTEMBER 8, 2003
	AMENDED IN SENATE  AUGUST 26, 2003
	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 23, 2003

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Levine

                        FEBRUARY 21, 2003

   An act to amend Section 85401 of the Government Code, relating to
the Political Reform Act of 1974, and declaring the urgency thereof,
to take effect immediately.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1501, Levine.  Political Reform Act of 1974.
   Under the Political Reform Act of 1974, a candidate for elective
state office may voluntarily accept specified expenditure limits for
his or her campaign for office.  Under existing law, the candidate is
required to file a statement of acceptance or rejection of the
voluntary expenditure at the time he or she files the statement of
intention.
   This bill would authorize a candidate, until the deadline for
filing nomination papers, to change his or her statement of
acceptance or rejection of voluntary expenditure limits, provided he
or she has not exceeded the voluntary expenditure limits.  The bill
would prohibit a candidate from changing his or her statement more
than twice after the initial filing of the nomination papers.
   Existing law makes a violation of the act subject to
administrative, civil, and criminal penalties.
   This bill would impose a state-mandated local program by imposing
these penalties on persons who violate the provisions of this bill.
  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
with a 2/3 vote of each house and compliance with specified
procedural requirements.
   This bill, which would declare that it furthers the purposes of
the act, would therefore require a 2/3 vote.
   The bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an
urgency statute.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


  SECTION 1.  Section 85401 of the Government Code, as added by
Chapter 102 of the Statutes of 2000, is amended to read:
   85401.  (a) Each candidate for elective state office shall file a
statement of acceptance or rejection of the voluntary expenditure
limits set forth in Section 85400 at the time he or she files the
statement of intention specified in Section 85200.
   (b) A candidate may, until the deadline for filing nomination
papers set forth in Section 8020 of the Elections Code, change his or
her statement of acceptance or rejection of voluntary expenditure
limits provided he or she has not exceeded the voluntary expenditure
limits.  A candidate may not change his or her statement of
acceptance or rejection of voluntary expenditure limits more than
twice after the initial filing of nomination papers for that election
and office.
   (c) Any candidate for elective state office who declined to accept
the voluntary expenditure limits but who nevertheless does not
exceed the limits in the primary, special primary, or special
election, may file a statement of acceptance of the expenditure
limits for a general or special runoff election within 14 days
following the primary, special primary, or special election.
  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.
  SEC. 4.  This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the
meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into immediate
effect.  The facts constituting the necessity are:
   In order that its provisions apply to candidates' filings for the
2004 statewide primary election, it is necessary for this act to take
effect immediately.