BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE COMMITTEE ON ELECTIONS, REAPPORTIONMENT AND
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
Senator Loni Hancock, Chair
BILL NO: AB 1149 HEARING DATE:
6/16/09
AUTHOR: DAVIS ANALYSIS BY:
Darren Chesin
AMENDED: AS INTRODUCED
FISCAL: NO
SUBJECT
Political Reform Act of 1974: electronic filing
DESCRIPTION
Existing law requires that candidates for, and current
holders of, specified elected or appointed state and local
offices and designated employees of state and local
agencies file Statements of Economic Interests (SEIs)
disclosing their financial interests, including
investments, real property interests, and income.
Existing law establishes a pilot project which permits Los
Angeles, Merced, Orange, and Stanislaus counties to permit
the electronic filing of an SEI in accordance with
regulations adopted by the Fair Political Practices
Commission (FPPC). The pilot project covers reporting
periods in 2008 through 2011.
Existing law requires a county participating in the pilot
project to submit a report to the FPPC not later than July
1, 2011. The report must include a listing and estimate of
associated operational efficiencies, related savings and
associated costs from implementing and operating the pilot
program; a listing of the safety, security, or privacy
issues encountered and an explanation of how those issues
were addressed; available information related to feedback
from electronic filing participants; and any other relevant
information on the implementation of the pilot program.
The FPPC is required to transmit the county reports
received, as well as any comments on the reports, to the
Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) no later than August 15,
2011, and requires the LAO to provide a report to the
Legislature evaluating the pilot project not later than
March 1, 2012. The FPPC, in conjunction with the LAO, may
develop additional criteria for the report to be submitted
to the FPPC by participating counties.
This bill makes two minor changes to a pilot project that
allows four counties to permit SEIs to be filed
electronically. Specifically, this bill:
Provides that the aforementioned pilot project shall be
effective for the reporting years of 2008 to 2010,
instead of 2008 to 2011; and
Moves up the deadline for the LAO to provide a report to
the Legislature evaluating the pilot project from March
1, 2012 to February 1, 2012.
COMMENTS
According to the author , AB 1149 makes technical amendments
to AB 2607
(Davis) Chapter 498 of 2008 which authorized the Counties
of Los
Angeles, Merced, Orange, and Stanislaus to participate in a
pilot program to permit the electronic filing of SEIs. AB
2607 requires the pilot project to be complete by January
1, 2012, and further requires the pilot project to include
the reporting periods of 2008 to 2011. However, because
public officials are required to file SEIs annually
outlining economic interests during the previous year, the
deadline for a public official to file his or her SEI for
the 2011 calendar year will fall months after the January
1, 2012 end date for the pilot project created by AB 2607.
To resolve this conflict, this bill would change the
reporting periods that are covered by the pilot project to
the 2008 to 2010 reporting periods. This bill also moves
up the deadline for the LAO to provide a report to the
Legislature evaluating the pilot project from March 1, 2012
to February 1, 2012.
PRIOR ACTION
Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee: 7-0
Assembly Floor: 78-0
AB 1149 (DAVIS) Page
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POSITIONS
Sponsor: California Association of Clerks and Election
Officials (CACEO)
Support: Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC)
Oppose: None received
AB 1149 (DAVIS) Page
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