BILL NUMBER: AB 1924 CHAPTERED 08/01/08 CHAPTER 216 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE AUGUST 1, 2008 APPROVED BY GOVERNOR AUGUST 1, 2008 PASSED THE SENATE JULY 2, 2008 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY JULY 14, 2008 AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 30, 2008 AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 18, 2008 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Jeffries FEBRUARY 12, 2008 An act to amend Section 326.5 of the Penal Code, relating to bingo. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1924, Jeffries. Charitable bingo: overhead. The California Constitution allows the Legislature, by statute, to authorize cities and counties to provide for bingo games for charitable purposes. Existing law requires that the proceeds of bingo games be used only for charitable purposes, with certain exceptions, including an exception providing that no more than 20% of the proceeds before the deduction for prizes, or $2,000 per month, whichever is less, may be used for the rental of property and for overhead. This bill, with respect to bingo games conducted by the Lake Elsinore Elks Lodge only, would increase the amount of bingo proceeds that may be used for rental and overhead, as described above, to 20% of the proceeds before the deduction for prizes, or $3,000 per month, whichever is less, and would require that the amount of proceeds otherwise permitted, as specified, be used only for the purpose of financing the rebuilding of the facility and replacing equipment that was destroyed by fire in 2007. The bill would provide that these provisions are to remain in effect only until the cost of rebuilding the facility is repaid, or January 1, 2019, whichever occurs first. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 326.5 of the Penal Code is amended to read: 326.5. (a) Neither this chapter nor Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 330) applies to any bingo game that is conducted in a city, county, or city and county pursuant to an ordinance enacted under Section 19 of Article IV of the California Constitution, if the ordinance allows games to be conducted only by organizations exempted from the payment of the bank and corporation tax by Sections 23701a, 23701b, 23701d, 23701e, 23701f, 23701g, and 23701 of the Revenue and Taxation Code and by mobilehome park associations and senior citizens organizations; and if the receipts of those games are used only for charitable purposes. (b) It is a misdemeanor for any person to receive or pay a profit, wage, or salary from any bingo game authorized by Section 19 of Article IV of the California Constitution. Security personnel employed by the organization conducting the bingo game may be paid from the revenues of bingo games, as provided in subdivisions (j) and (k). (c) A violation of subdivision (b) shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000), which fine is deposited in the general fund of the city, county, or city and county that enacted the ordinance authorizing the bingo game. A violation of any provision of this section, other than subdivision (b), is a misdemeanor. (d) The city, county, or city and county that enacted the ordinance authorizing the bingo game may bring an action to enjoin a violation of this section. (e) No minors shall be allowed to participate in any bingo game. (f) An organization authorized to conduct bingo games pursuant to subdivision (a) shall conduct a bingo game only on property owned or leased by it, or property whose use is donated to the organization, and which property is used by that organization for an office or for performance of the purposes for which the organization is organized. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to require that the property owned or leased by, or whose use is donated to, the organization be used or leased exclusively by, or donated exclusively to, that organization. (g) All bingo games shall be open to the public, not just to the members of the authorized organization. (h) A bingo game shall be operated and staffed only by members of the authorized organization that organized it. Those members shall not receive a profit, wage, or salary from any bingo game. Only the organization authorized to conduct a bingo game shall operate such a game, or participate in the promotion, supervision, or any other phase of a bingo game. This subdivision does not preclude the employment of security personnel who are not members of the authorized organization at a bingo game by the organization conducting the game. (i) No individual, corporation, partnership, or other legal entity, except the organization authorized to conduct a bingo game, shall hold a financial interest in the conduct of a bingo game. (j) With respect to organizations exempt from payment of the bank and corporation tax by Section 23701d of the Revenue and Taxation Code, all profits derived from a bingo game shall be kept in a special fund or account and shall not be commingled with any other fund or account. Those profits shall be used only for charitable purposes. (k) With respect to other organizations authorized to conduct bingo games pursuant to this section, all proceeds derived from a bingo game shall be kept in a special fund or account and shall not be commingled with any other fund or account. Proceeds are the receipts of bingo games conducted by organizations not within subdivision (j). Those proceeds shall be used only for charitable purposes, except as follows: (1) The proceeds may be used for prizes. (2) (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), a portion of the proceeds, not to exceed 20 percent of the proceeds before the deduction for prizes, or two thousand dollars ($2,000) per month, whichever is less, may be used for the rental of property and for overhead, including the purchase of bingo equipment, administrative expenses, security equipment, and security personnel. (B) For the purposes of bingo games conducted by the Lake Elsinore Elks Lodge, a portion of the proceeds, not to exceed 20 percent of the proceeds before the deduction for prizes, or three thousand dollars ($3,000) per month, whichever is less, may be used for the rental of property and for overhead, including the purchase of bingo equipment, administrative expenses, security equipment, and security personnel. Any amount of the proceeds that is additional to that permitted under subparagraph (A), up to one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), shall be used for the purpose of financing the rebuilding of the facility and the replacement of equipment which was destroyed by fire in 2007. The exception to subparagraph (A) that is provided by this subparagraph shall remain in effect only until the cost of rebuilding the facility is repaid, or January 1, 2019, whichever occurs first. (3) The proceeds may be used to pay license fees. (4) A city, county, or city and county that enacts an ordinance permitting bingo games may specify in the ordinance that if the monthly gross receipts from bingo games of an organization within this subdivision exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000), a minimum percentage of the proceeds shall be used only for charitable purposes not relating to the conducting of bingo games and that the balance shall be used for prizes, rental of property, overhead, administrative expenses, and payment of license fees. The amount of proceeds used for rental of property, overhead, and administrative expenses is subject to the limitations specified in paragraph (2). () (1) A city, county, or city and county may impose a license fee on each organization that it authorizes to conduct bingo games. The fee, whether for the initial license or renewal, shall not exceed fifty dollars ($50) annually, except as provided in paragraph (2). If an application for a license is denied, one-half of any license fee paid shall be refunded to the organization. (2) In lieu of the license fee permitted under paragraph (1), a city, county, or city and county may impose a license fee of fifty dollars ($50) paid upon application. If an application for a license is denied, one-half of the application fee shall be refunded to the organization. An additional fee for law enforcement and public safety costs incurred by the city, county, or city and county that are directly related to bingo activities may be imposed and shall be collected monthly by the city, county, or city and county issuing the license; however, the fee shall not exceed the actual costs incurred in providing the service. (m) No person shall be allowed to participate in a bingo game, unless the person is physically present at the time and place where the bingo game is being conducted. (n) The total value of prizes awarded during the conduct of any bingo games shall not exceed two hundred fifty dollars ($250) in cash or kind, or both, for each separate game which is held. (o) As used in this section, "bingo" means a game of chance in which prizes are awarded on the basis of designated numbers or symbols on a card that conform to numbers or symbols selected at random. Notwithstanding Section 330c, as used in this section, the game of bingo includes cards having numbers or symbols that are concealed and preprinted in a manner providing for distribution of prizes. The winning cards shall not be known prior to the game by any person participating in the playing or operation of the bingo game. All preprinted cards shall bear the legend, "for sale or use only in a bingo game authorized under California law and pursuant to local ordinance." It is the intention of the Legislature that bingo as defined in this subdivision applies exclusively to this section and shall not be applied in the construction or enforcement of any other provision of law. SEC. 2. Due to the unique circumstances regarding the Lake Elsinore Elks Lodge and the destruction of its facility by fire in 2007, the Legislature hereby finds and declares that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution. Therefore, the special legislation contained in Section 1 of this act is necessarily applicable only to the Lake Elsinore Elks Lodge.