BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 2219
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          CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
          AB 2219 (Fong)
          As Amended  August 11, 2014
          Majority vote
           
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          |ASSEMBLY:  |74-0 |(May 1, 2014)   |SENATE: |36-0 |(August 13,    |
          |           |     |                |        |     |2014)          |
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           Original Committee Reference:    E. & R.
           
           SUMMARY  :  Allows county elections officials to discontinue  
          verifying signatures on a petition once an initiative or  
          referendum has qualified for the ballot, as specified.   
          Specifically,  this bill  :  

          1)Requires an elections official or registrar of voters, when  
            conducting a full check of all signatures filed for a  
            statewide initiative or referendum petition, to submit one or  
            more reports to the Secretary of State (SOS) showing the  
            number of signatures of qualified voters that have been  
            verified as of the date.  Requires the SOS to determine the  
            number of reports required to be submitted and the manner of  
            their submission.

          2)Requires the SOS to maintain a list indicating the number of  
            verified signatures of qualified voters who have signed the  
            petition based on the most recent reports submitted.  Provides  
            that if the SOS determines, prior to each county completing  
            the examination of each signature filed, that based on the  
            list the petition is signed by the requisite number of voters  
            needed to declare the petition sufficient, the SOS must  
            immediately notify the elections official or registrar of  
            voters of every county or city and county in the state of this  
            fact.  

          3)Permits an elections official or registrar of voters,  
            immediately after receipt of the notification described above,  
            to suspend signature verification until receipt of a  
            certificate from the SOS showing that the petition has been  
            signed by the requisite number of qualified voters pursuant to  
            current law, or until otherwise instructed by the SOS.

          4)Provides that if an elections official determines, prior to  








                                                                  AB 2219
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            completing the examination of each signature filed for a  
            county initiative or referendum, that the petition is signed  
            by the requisite number of qualified voters to declare the  
            petition sufficient, the election official may terminate the  
            verification of the remaining unverified signatures. 

          5)Makes corresponding changes. 

           The Senate amendments  add double-jointing language to avoid  
          chaptering problems with SB 1253 (Steinberg) of the current  
          legislative session.   

           AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY  , this bill was substantially similar  
          to the version passed by the Senate.  
           
          FISCAL EFFECT  :  According to the Senate Appropriations  
          Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs.

           COMMENTS  :  According to the author, "Under existing law, county  
          elections officials are required to continue to examine and  
          verify petition signatures even after the number has exceeded  
          the required amount of signatures to qualify the measure for the  
          ballot.  
          "This bill permits county elections officials to discontinue  
          verifying signatures on a petition once an initiative measure  
          has qualified for the ballot, as specified.  AB 2219 has the  
          potential to decrease the cost and staff time spent on  
          continuing to verify signatures that will have no impact on the  
          petition's disposition.
            
          "Specifically, AB 2219 allows a county elections official to  
          suspend signature verification on initiative or referendum  
          petitions once it has been determined by the Secretary of State  
          that the measure has the requisite number of valid signatures to  
          qualify the measure for the ballot.  Additionally, this bill  
          permits the county elections official to end signature  
          verification on a petition for a county measure if it is  
          determined by the elections official that the petition has the  
          requisite number of signatures to qualify the measure for the  
          ballot."

          The Senate amendments make technical changes to avoid chaptering  
          problems with SB 1253.  This bill, as amended in the Senate, is  
          consistent with Assembly actions. 









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          Please see the policy committee analysis for a full discussion  
          of this bill.


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Nichole Becker / E. & R. / (916)  
          319-2094 


          FN: 0004566