Senate Bill No. 965

Introduced by Senator Anderson

February 8, 2016

An act to amend Section 9004 of the Elections Code, relating to initiatives.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 965, as introduced, Anderson. Initiatives: circulating title and summary.

Existing law requires the Attorney General to prepare a circulating title and summary of the chief purposes and points of a proposed initiative measure, as specified, upon receiving the text of the measure, and after a 30-day public review period.

This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to that provision.

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 9004 of the Elections Code is amended
to read:

9004.  

(a) Upon begin delete receipt of end delete begin insert receiving end insert the text of a proposed
initiative measure, and after the public review period provided for
in Section 9002, the Attorney General shall prepare a circulating
title and summary of the chief purposes and points of the proposed
begin insert initiative end insert measure. The circulating title and summary shall not
exceed 100 words. The Attorney General shall also provide a
unique numeric identifier for each proposed initiative measure.
The circulating title and summary shall be prepared in the manner
provided for the preparation of ballot titles and summaries in
Article 5 (commencing with Section 9050), the provisions of
which, in regard to the preparation, filing, and settlement of ballot
titles and summaries, begin delete are applicable end delete begin insert apply end insert to the circulating title
and summary.

(b) The Attorney General shall provide a copy of the circulating
title and summary and its unique numeric identifier to the
proponents and to the Secretary of State within 15 days after begin delete receipt
of end delete begin insert receiving end insert the fiscal estimate or opinion prepared by the
Department of Finance and the Legislative Analyst pursuant to
Section 9005. The date the copy begin insert of the circulating title and
summary end insert is delivered or mailed to the proponents is the “official
summary date.”

(c) Upon begin delete receipt of end delete begin insert receiving end insert the circulating title and summary
from the Attorney General, the Secretary of State shall, within one
business day, notify the proponents and county elections official
of each county of the official summary date and provide a copy
of the circulating title and summary to each county elections
official. begin delete This end delete begin insert The end insert notification shall also include a complete
schedule showing the maximum filing deadline, and the
certification deadline by the counties to the Secretary of State.