BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 753
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 29, 2009

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Kevin De Leon, Chair

                    AB 753 (Adams) - As Amended:  April 13, 2009 

          Policy Committee:                              ElectionsVote:7-0  
          (Consent)

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:               

           SUMMARY  

          This bill standardizes and clarifies terminology and procedures  
          for the preparation of titles, summaries, and ballot labels for  
          state ballot measures, and reorganizes provisions of current law  
          governing the preparation of titles, summaries, and ballot  
          labels for state ballot measures. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Negligible fiscal impact.

           COMMENTS  

           Purpose  .  According to the author, this is a code clean-up  
          measure to reorganize, update, and clarify the Elections Code  
          provisions regarding ballot labels, titles, and summaries.  The  
          author indicates that current law is confusing because the  
          terminology is not consistent in the codes or in keeping with  
          current practices.  In addition, the code is not well organized,  
          making it difficult for voters and people wanting to use and  
          understand the initiative process to adhere to the requirements.  
           AB 753 is intended to make the terminology consistent  
          throughout the code to make the process easier to understand and  
          follow for members of the public.

          Sponsored by the Secretary of State, the bill clarifies and  
          standardizes the terminology that is used to refer to the  
          various summaries.  The summary appearing at the top of an  
          initiative or referendum petition would be known as the  
          "circulating title and summary."  The summary in the state  
          ballot pamphlet would be known as the "ballot title and  








                                                                  AB 753
                                                                  Page  2

          summary," and the name of a statewide measure that appears on  
          the ballot would be the "ballot title."  Finally, the text  
          appearing on the ballot itself to describe a statewide measure  
          would be known as the "ballot label."  In addition to clarifying  
          and standardizing terminology, the bill reorganizes the Election  
          Code provisions that establish the procedures for the  
          preparation of those summaries.  This reorganization is mostly  
          non-substantive.

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081