BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 1861
                                                                  Page 1

          Date of Hearing:   April 28, 2014

                            ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON BUDGET
                                Skinner, Nancy, Chair
                 AB 1861 (Harkey) - As Introduced:  February 19, 2014
           
          SUBJECT  :   Budget Act of 2013

           SUMMARY  :   Amends the 2013 Budget Act by removing Voter  
          Identification Procedures from the list of suspended  
          state-mandated local programs and appropriates $7.553 million  
          from the General Fund to pay for the mandate claims.

          Specifically this bill:

             1)   Removes the Voter Identification Procedures mandate from  
               the list of suspended state-mandates under the 2013 Budget  
               Act.

             2)   Moves the Voter Identification Procedures mandate to the  
               list of mandates to be funded and appropriates $7.553  
               million for the current year.

             3)   Takes effect immediately.

           EXISTING LAW  

             1)   Makes it optional for local agencies to comply with the  
               Voter Identification Procedures by suspending the  
               requirement for local election officials to compare  
               signatures on provisional ballot envelopes with signatures  
               on voter registration materials and, if the signatures do  
               not match, reject the provisional ballot.  

           FISCAL EFFECT  :   This would have a General Fund impact of $7.553  
          million in the current year, and ongoing costs to fund the  
          mandate into the future. 

           COMMENTS  :   

          The 2013 Budget Act suspended the Voter Identification  
          Procedures mandate and this bill will reverse the action taken  
          in the 2013 Budget Act.  

          The Commission on State Mandates determined that there were  








                                                                  AB 1861
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          costs associated with the implementation of this mandate and  
          therefore, the Governor proposed to suspend the mandate before  
          local agencies could be reimbursed.  

          When a mandate is suspended, state statutes are not changed, but  
          each local government may choose whether or not to comply with  
          the statutory requirements without being reimbursed.   Local  
          governments are not required to notify the state if they decide  
          to implement a suspended mandate.   

          On March 25, 2014, the Assembly Subcommittee No. 4 reviewed the  
          Governor's 2014-15 budget proposal on State Mandates, which  
          included the continuation of the suspension of the Voter  
          Identification Procedures mandate.  

          According to the author, AB 1861 would strengthen election  
          integrity by reinstating and funding the mandate that signatures  
          be verified on provisional ballots that are cast in elections.  

           REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :   

           Support:   
          California State Association of Counties

           Opposition 
           
          None received.
           
          Analysis Prepared by  :    Genevieve Morelos / BUDGET / (916)  
          319-2099