BILL NUMBER: SB 380 CHAPTERED 07/23/99 CHAPTER 159 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE JULY 23, 1999 APPROVED BY GOVERNOR JULY 22, 1999 PASSED THE SENATE JULY 12, 1999 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY JULY 12, 1999 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JULY 12, 1999 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 28, 1999 AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 5, 1999 INTRODUCED BY Senator Haynes FEBRUARY 11, 1999 An act to amend Sections 6300, 7420, 7441, and 7443 of the Elections Code, relating to the Republican Party, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 380, Haynes. Republican Party National Convention: selection of delegates. Existing law provides procedures relating to the selection of delegates by the Republican Party to the party's national convention. This bill would make those provisions applicable to the selection of delegates to the Republican Party National Convention to the extent that the constitution, bylaws, and rules of the Republican Party do not provide otherwise. The bill would require the California Republican Party to notify the Secretary of State of material changes in the constitution, bylaws, and rules of the Republican Party relating to selection of delegates to the Republican Party National Convention. Under existing law, a new Republican county central committee is elected in each county at each statewide direct primary election. Under existing law, members of the county central committees are elected from supervisor districts or Assembly districts and continue to serve until the election and qualification of the members of the new county central committees. This bill would require, commencing with the March 7, 2000, statewide direct primary election, except for the County of Orange, that members of Republican county central committees elected from odd-numbered Assembly districts be elected for terms ending on the 2nd statewide direct primary election following that election and that members from even-numbered Assembly districts be elected for terms ending on the first statewide direct primary election following that election. After the March 7, 2000, election, the bill would require that members of those Republican county central committees be elected at every 2nd statewide direct primary election to replace members whose terms are expiring. This bill would authorize a county central committee member to run at the next election in a renumbered district even though his or her term has not expired, when district boundaries are redrawn and renumbered in accordance with the decennial census. This bill would provide that members of the Republican county central committees may serve after the expiration of their terms until the election and qualification of the new members replacing them on the committees. Existing law requires a Republican county central committee to take specific actions at its first organizational meeting. This bill would require, after each election, an organizational or reorganizational meeting to take place within 30 days after new county central committee members receive certificates of election. The bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 6300 of the Elections Code is amended to read: 6300. (a) This chapter shall be applicable only to the presidential primary ballot of the Republican Party, and qualified parties for which no other provisions apply. (b) This chapter shall be applicable to the selection of delegates to the Republican Party National Convention to the extent that the constitution, bylaws, and rules of the Republican Party do not provide otherwise. The California Republican Party shall notify the Secretary of State of any material changes in the constitution, bylaws, and rules of the Republican Party relating to the selection of delegates to the Republican Party National Convention. SEC. 2. Section 7420 of the Elections Code is amended to read: 7420. (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), at every direct primary election a county central committee shall be elected in each county. (b) Commencing with the statewide direct primary election on March 7, 2000, except for the County of Orange, the members of each county central committee to be elected from an odd-numbered Assembly district shall be elected for a term that ends on the date of the second statewide direct primary election following that election, and the members elected from an even-numbered Assembly district shall be elected for a term that ends on the date of the first statewide direct primary election following that election. At each statewide direct primary election after the March 7, 2000, election, new members shall be elected to county central committees to replace the members whose terms are expiring and those members shall serve terms that end on the second statewide direct primary election following their election. (c) When district boundaries are redrawn and districts are renumbered in accordance with the decennial census, a member of a county central committee may run for election in a newly numbered district at the next election even though his or her current term of office has not expired. If a person is elected in the newly numbered district and takes the oath of office, the person is deemed to have resigned from his or her previous district office at that time. SEC. 3. Section 7441 of the Elections Code is amended to read: 7441. At the first organizational meeting, a committee shall organize by selecting a chairperson, a secretary, and any other officers and committees as it deems necessary for carrying on the affairs of this party. After each election, an organizational or reorganizational meeting shall take place within 30 days after new county central committee members receive certificates of election. SEC. 4. Section 7443 of the Elections Code is amended to read: 7443. The committees shall perform any other duties and services for this political party as seem to be for the benefit of the party. Members of a county central committee may serve after the expiration date of their terms until the election and qualification of the new members replacing them on the county central committees. SEC. 5. The Legislature finds and declares as follows: (1) The amendments to Section 6300 of the Elections Code made by Section 1 of this act shall be deemed in conformance with the constitution, bylaws, and rules of the Republican Party. (2) It is the intent of the Legislature that nothing in Section 1 of this act shall be deemed to amend any provision of the Open Primary Act (Proposition 198, approved by the voters at the statewide primary election on March 26, 1996). SEC. 6. This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are: In order to effectuate the purposes of this act in the most timely manner possible, so as (1) to comply with rules of the Republican Party relating to the selection of delegates to the Republican Party National Convention and (2) to provide sufficient lead time for implementation of this act's changes in the manner of electing Republican county central committee members, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.