Amended in Assembly May 12, 2014

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 2746

Introduced by Committee on Judiciary (Assembly Members Wieckowski (Chair), Alejo, Chau, Dickinson, Garcia, Muratsuchi, and Stone)

March 4, 2014

An act to amend begin delete Section end delete begin insert Sections end insert 6140 begin insert and 6140.03 end insert of the Business and Professions Code, relating to attorneys.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2746, as amended, Committee on Judiciary. Attorneys: annual membership fees.

Existing law, the State Bar Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of attorneys by the State Bar of California, a public corporation. The State Bar is governed by a board of trustees. Existing law, until January 1, 2015, requires the board to charge an annual membership fee for active members of up to $315 for 2014. begin insert Existing law requires the board to charge an annual membership fee for inactive members of up to $75. end insert

This bill would, until January 1, 2016, require the board to charge the annual membership fee for active members described above for 2015.

begin insert

Existing law requires the board to increase each of the annual membership fees described above by an additional $30, to be allocated only to support nonprofit organizations that provide free legal services to persons of limited means, except to the extent that a member elects not to support those activities. Existing law requires that the invoice provided to members for payment of the annual membership fee provide each member the option of deducting $30 from the annual membership fee if the member elects not to have this amount allocated for these purposes.

end insert begin insert

This bill would increase that optional, additional amount to $38.

end insert

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 6140 of the Business and Professions
Code is amended to read:

6140.  

(a) The board shall fix the annual membership fee for
active members for 2015 at a sum not exceeding three hundred
fifteen dollars ($315).

(b) The annual membership fee for active members is payable
on or before the first day of February of each year. If the board
finds it appropriate and feasible, it may provide by rule for payment
of fees on an installment basis with interest, by credit card, or other
means, and may charge members choosing any alternative method
of payment an additional fee to defray costs incurred by that
election.

(c) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2016,
and, as of that date, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that
is enacted before January 1, 2016, deletes or extends that date.

begin insert

begin insert SEC. 2. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Section 6140.03 of the end insert begin insert Business and Professions Code end insert
begin insert is amended to read: end insert

6140.03.  

(a) The board shall increase each of the annual
membership fees fixed by Sections 6140 and 6141 by an additional
begin delete thirty dollars ($30), end delete begin insert thirty-eight dollars ($38), end insert to be allocated only
for the purposes established pursuant to Section 6033, except to
the extent that a member elects not to support those activities.

(b) The invoice provided to members for payment of the annual
membership fee shall provide each member the option of deducting
begin delete thirty dollars ($30) end delete begin insert thirty-eight dollars ($38) end insert from the annual
membership fee if the member elects not to have this amount
allocated for the purposes established pursuant to Section 6033.