BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2771
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Date of Hearing: May 3, 2006
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Judy Chu, Chair
AB 2771 (Leno) - As Amended: April 3, 2006
Policy Committee: ElectionsVote:6-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill:
1)Provides that any general purpose committee, small contributor
committee, or slate mailer organization that is otherwise
required to file reports to the Secretary of State (SOS)
online or electronically, and that has not cumulatively
received contributions or made expenditures totaling $50,000
within three years of the applicable beginning date for
calculating cumulative totals, need not file online or
electronically until the earlier of (a) January 1, 2010, or
(b) until the first filing date more than six months after the
Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) has certified that
the SOS's free online filing processes are sufficiently simple
to access and use.
2)Permits the SOS, when developing a means free filing of
campaign reports online or electronically, to include some
enhanced functions as long as the method does not include any
additional services beyond those needed to file the campaign
reports.
FISCAL EFFECT
Minor fiscal impact to the SOS.
COMMENTS
AB 2771
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1)Background . SB 49 (Karnette)/Chapter 866 of 1997, required the
SOS to develop a process whereby reports and statements
required under the PRA could be filed online and viewed by the
public. SB 49 also required certain candidates, committees,
slate mailer organizations, lobbyists, lobbyist employers, and
lobbying firms to file campaign reports online. AB 696
(Longville)/ Chapter 917 of 2001, required the SOS, by
December 31, 2002, to provide a means whereby individuals
subject to online and electronic filing disclosure
requirements of the PRA could do so free of charge. However,
more than three years after the deadline, the SOS has not yet
completed the free online filing method for all individuals
required to file online or electronically. While all quarterly
lobbying disclosure forms can be filed online or
electronically for free, there are a number of campaign
disclosure forms that cannot be filed online or electronically
for free.
2)Purpose . This bill would temporarily suspend the electronic
filing requirement for certain general purpose committees and
slate mailer organizations until 2010 or until the first
filing due six months after SOS has finished the free filing
system, whichever comes first. The suspension would apply only
for those committees and slate mailer organizations that did
not reach the cumulative thresholds for filing electronically
within the first three years of the beginning date for
calculating cumulative totals. That means that committees and
slate mailer organizations that existed prior to January 1,
2000 will not be required to file online or electronically
unless they reached the threshold for mandatory online filing
before January 1, 2003-the date by which the free filing
system was required to be in operation.
3)Related Legislation . AB 2902 (Nunez), also on today's
committee agenda, requires the SOS to report to the
Legislature on the implementation and development of online
and electronic filing of campaign reports, with a specific
emphasis on the status of the development of a method by which
filers may file required reports online or electronically free
of charge.
AB 2771
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Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081