SB 27, as amended, Correa. Political Reform Act of 1974.
(1) Existing law, the Political Reform Act of 1974, provides for the comprehensive regulation of campaign financing, including requiring the reporting of campaign contributions and expenditures, as defined, and imposing other reporting and recordkeeping requirements on campaign committees, as defined. The Fair Political Practices Commission administers and enforces the act. A violation of the act’s provisions is punishable as a misdemeanor.
This bill would revise the definition of “contribution” to include certain payments made by a person to a multipurpose organization, as specified.
This bill would require multipurpose organizations that meet specified criteria to comply with the registration and campaign reporting requirements of the act, as specified, including the disclosure of information relating to the organization’s donors.
This bill would require state ballot measure committees and state candidate committees that raise $1,000,000 or more for an election to maintain an accurate list of the committee’s top 10 contributors. This bill would require a committee to provide accurate lists of these contributors to the Commission, and would require the Commission to post the top 10 contributor lists on its Internet Web site, as specified, and to post updates to those lists when prescribed events occur. The bill would require the Commission to provide copies of the top 10 contributor lists to the Secretary of State, at the Secretary of State’s request, for purposes of posting those lists on the Secretary of State’s Internet Web site.
(2) The act requires a candidate or committee that receives contributions of $5,000 or more from any person to inform the contributor within 2 weeks that he or she may be subject to the act’s reporting requirements.
This bill would require that the candidate or committee inform the contributor within one week for a contribution of $10,000 or more received during the period in which late contribution reports must be filed. The bill would also require the notifications to reference the reporting requirements for multipurpose organizations.
By expanding the scope of existing crimes, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
(3) Existing law requires the Secretary of State to prepare a ballot pamphlet that includes specified information with respect to an election.
This bill would require the Secretary of State to include in the ballot pamphlet a written explanation of the top 10 contributor lists required by the bill, including a description of the Internet Web sites where those lists would be available to the public.
(4) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
(5) The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act’s purposes upon a 2⁄3 vote of each house and compliance with specified procedural requirements.
This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.
(6) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
The bill would delay the operative date of its provisions until July 1, 2014.
Vote: 2⁄3. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(a) Multipurpose organizations, including out-of-state
4organizations, are increasing their political activities in California,
5and it is important to clarify how disclosure requirements apply
6to these organizations to ensure that the public receives the required
7information in an accurate, timely, and transparent manner.
8(b) The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in California Pro-Life
9Council, Inc. v. Randolph (9th Cir. 2007) 507 F.3d 1172, upheld
10the disclosure of a multipurpose organization’s political activities,
11as required by
regulations of the Fair Political Practices
12Commission.
13(c) The disclosure of donors to multipurpose organizations that
14make contributions or expenditures to support or oppose California
15candidates and ballot measures serves the following important
16purposes:
17(1) It provides the electorate with information as to where
18campaign money comes from, increasing its ability to identify the
19supporters of a candidate or ballot measure.
20(2) It deters actual corruption and avoids the appearance of
21corruption by providing increased transparency of contributions
22and expenditures.
23(3) It is an important means of gathering the information
24necessary to detect
violations of the Political Reform Act of 1974.
P4 1(d) The people of California have a compelling interest in
2
receiving clear and easy to use information about who is financing
3state ballot measures and candidate independent expenditure
4committees.
5(e) It is therefore the intent of the Legislature to strengthen the
6laws requiring the disclosure of contributions and expenditures in
7California elections by multipurpose organizations and to require
8committees that raise or spend one million dollars ($1,000,000)
9or more to support or oppose state ballot measures or make
10independent expenditures on behalf of a state candidate to disclose
11a list of their top 10 contributors on the Internet Web site of the
12Fair Political Practices Commission.
Section 9084 of the Elections Code is amended to read:
The ballot pamphlet shall contain all of the following:
15(a) A complete copy of each state measure.
16(b) A copy of the specific constitutional or statutory provision,
17if any, that each state measure would repeal or revise.
18(c) A copy of the arguments and rebuttals for and against each
19state measure.
20(d) A copy of the analysis of each state measure.
21(e) Tables of contents, indexes, art work, graphics, and other
22materials that the
Secretary of State determines will make the ballot
23pamphlet easier to understand or more useful for the average voter.
24(f) A notice, conspicuously printed on the cover of the ballot
25pamphlet, indicating that additional copies of the ballot pamphlet
26will be mailed by the county elections official upon request.
27(g) A written explanation of the judicial retention procedure as
28required by Section 9083.
29(h) The Voter Bill of Rights pursuant to Section 2300.
30(i) If the ballot contains an election for the office of United
31States Senator, information on candidates for United States Senator.
32A candidate for United States Senator may purchase the space to
33place a statement in
the state ballot pamphlet that does not exceed
34250 words. The statement may not make any reference to any
35opponent of the candidate. The statement shall be submitted in
36accordance with timeframes and procedures set forth by the
37Secretary of State for the preparation of the state ballot pamphlet.
38(j) If the ballot contains a question on the confirmation or
39retention of a justice of the Supreme Court, information on justices
40of the Supreme Court who are subject to confirmation or retention.
P5 1(k) If the ballot contains an election for the offices of President
2and Vice President of the United States, a notice that refers voters
3to the Secretary of State’s Internet Web site for information about
4candidates for the offices of President and Vice President of the
5United States.
6(l) A written explanation of the appropriate election procedures
7for party-nominated, voter-nominated, and nonpartisan offices as
8required by Section 9083.5.
9(m) A written explanation of the top 10 contributor lists required
10by Section 84223 of the Government Code, including a description
11of the Internet Web sites where those lists are available to the
12public.
Section 82015 of the Government Code is amended
14to read:
(a) “Contribution” means a payment, a forgiveness of
16a loan, a payment of a loan by a third party, or an enforceable
17promise to make a payment except to the extent that full and
18adequate consideration is received, unless it is clear from the
19surrounding circumstances that it is not made for political purposes.
20(b) (1) A payment made at the behest of a committee as defined
21in subdivision (a) of Section 82013 is a contribution to the
22committee unless full and adequate consideration is received from
23the committee for making the payment.
24(2) A payment made at the behest of a candidate is a contribution
25to
the candidate unless the criteria in either subparagraph (A) or
26(B) are satisfied:
27(A) Full and adequate consideration is received from the
28candidate.
29(B) It is clear from the surrounding circumstances that the
30payment was made for purposes unrelated to his or her candidacy
31for elective office. The following types of payments are presumed
32to be for purposes unrelated to a candidate’s candidacy for elective
33office:
34(i) A payment made principally for personal purposes, in which
35case it may be considered a gift under the provisions of Section
3682028. Payments that are otherwise subject to the limits of Section
3786203 are presumed to be principally for personal purposes.
38(ii) A payment made by a state, local, or federal governmental
39agency or by a nonprofit organization that is exempt from taxation
40under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
P6 1(iii) A payment not covered by clause (i), made principally for
2legislative, governmental, or charitable purposes, in which case it
3is neither a gift nor a contribution. However, payments of this type
4that are made at the behest of a candidate who is an elected officer
5shall be reported within 30 days following the date on which the
6payment or payments equal or exceed five thousand dollars
7($5,000) in the aggregate from the same source in the same
8calendar year in which they are made. The report shall be filed by
9the elected officer with the elected officer’s agency and shall be
10a public record subject to inspection and copying pursuant to
11subdivision
(a) of Section 81008. The report shall contain the
12following information: name of payor, address of payor, amount
13of the payment, date or dates the payment or payments were made,
14the name and address of the payee, a brief description of the goods
15or services provided or purchased, if any, and a description of the
16specific purpose or event for which the payment or payments were
17made. Once the five-thousand-dollar ($5,000) aggregate threshold
18from a single source has been reached for a calendar year, all
19payments for the calendar year made by that source must be
20disclosed within 30 days after the date the threshold was reached
21or the payment was made, whichever occurs later. Within 30 days
22after receipt of the report, state agencies shall forward a copy of
23these reports to the Fair Political Practices Commission, and local
24agencies shall forward a copy of these reports to the officer with
25whom
elected officers of that agency file their campaign
26statements.
27(C) For purposes of subparagraph (B), a payment is made for
28purposes related to a candidate’s candidacy for elective office if
29all or a portion of the payment is used for election-related activities.
30For purposes of this subparagraph, “election-related activities”
31shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
32(i) Communications that contain express advocacy of the
33nomination or election of the candidate or the defeat of his or her
34opponent.
35(ii) Communications that contain reference to the candidate’s
36candidacy for elective office, the candidate’s election campaign,
37or the candidate’s or his or her opponent’s qualifications for
38elective
office.
P7 1(iii) Solicitation of contributions to the candidate or to third
2persons for use in support of the candidate or in opposition to his
3or her opponent.
4(iv) Arranging, coordinating, developing, writing, distributing,
5preparing, or planning of any communication or activity described
6in clause (i), (ii), or (iii).
7(v) Recruiting or coordinating campaign activities of campaign
8volunteers on behalf of the candidate.
9(vi) Preparing campaign budgets.
10(vii) Preparing campaign finance disclosure statements.
11(viii) Communications directed to
voters or potential voters as
12part of activities encouraging or assisting persons to vote if the
13communication contains express advocacy of the nomination or
14election of the candidate or the defeat of his or her opponent.
15(D) A contribution made at the behest of a candidate for a
16different candidate or to a committee not controlled by the
17behesting candidate is not a contribution to the behesting candidate.
18(3) A payment made at the behest of a member of the Public
19Utilities Commission, made principally for legislative,
20governmental, or charitable purposes, is not a contribution.
21However, payments of this type shall be reported within 30 days
22following the date on which the payment or payments equal or
23exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) in the aggregate from the
24same source in
the same calendar year in which they are made.
25The report shall be filed by the member with the Public Utilities
26Commission and shall be a public record subject to inspection and
27copying pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 81008. The report
28shall contain the following information: name of payor, address
29of payor, amount of the payment, date or dates the payment or
30payments were made, the name and address of the payee, a brief
31description of the goods or services provided or purchased, if any,
32and a description of the specific purpose or event for which the
33payment or payments were made. Once the five-thousand-dollar
34
($5,000) aggregate threshold from a single source has been reached
35for a calendar year, all payments for the calendar year made by
36that source must be disclosed within 30 days after the date the
37threshold was reached or the payment was made, whichever occurs
38later. Within 30 days after receipt of the report, the Public Utilities
39Commission shall forward a copy of these reports to the Fair
40Political Practices Commission.
P8 1(c) “Contribution” includes the purchase of tickets for events
2such as dinners, luncheons, rallies, and similar fundraising events;
3the candidate’s own money or property used on behalf of his or
4her candidacy other than personal funds of the candidate used to
5pay either a filing fee for a declaration of candidacy or a candidate
6statement prepared pursuant to Section 13307 of the Elections
7Code; the
granting of discounts or rebates not extended to the
8public generally or the granting of discounts or rebates by television
9and radio stations and newspapers not extended on an equal basis
10to all candidates for the same office; the payment of compensation
11by any person for the personal services or expenses of any other
12person if the services are rendered or expenses incurred on behalf
13of a candidate or committee without payment of full and adequate
14consideration.
15(d) “Contribution” further includes any transfer of anything of
16value received by a committee from another committee, unless
17full and adequate consideration is received.
18(e) “Contribution” does not include amounts received pursuant
19to an enforceable promise to the extent those amounts have been
20previously reported as a
contribution. However, the fact that those
21amounts have been received shall be indicated in the appropriate
22campaign statement.
23(f) “Contribution” does not include a payment made by an
24occupant of a home or office for costs related to any meeting or
25fundraising event held in the occupant’s home or office if the costs
26for the meeting or fundraising event are five hundred dollars ($500)
27or less.
28(g) Notwithstanding the foregoing definition of “contribution,”
29the term does not include volunteer personal services or payments
30made by any individual for his or her own travel expenses if the
31payments are made voluntarily without any understanding or
32agreement that they shall be, directly or indirectly, repaid to him
33or her.
34(h) “Contribution” further includes the payment of public
35moneys by a state or local governmental agency for a
36communication to the public that satisfies both of the following:
37(1) The communication expressly advocates the election or
38defeat of a clearly identified candidate or the qualification, passage,
39or defeat of a clearly identified measure, or, taken as a whole and
40in context, unambiguously urges a particular result in an election.
P9 1(2) The communication is made at the behest of the affected
2candidate or committee.
3(i) “Contribution” further includes a payment made by a person
4to a multipurpose organization as defined and described in Section
584222.
Section 82048.7 of the Government Code is amended
7to read:
(a) “Sponsored committee” means a committee, other
9than a candidate controlled committee, that has one or more
10sponsors. Any person, except a candidate or other individual, may
11sponsor a committee.
12(b) A person sponsors a committee if any of the following apply:
13(1) The committee receives 80 percent or more of its
14contributions from the person or its members, officers, employees,
15or shareholders.
16(2) The person collects contributions for the committee by use
17of payroll deductions or dues from its members, officers, or
18employees.
19(3) The person, alone or in combination with other organizations,
20provides all or nearly all of the administrative services for the
21committee.
22(4) The person, alone or in combination with other organizations,
23sets the policies for soliciting contributions or making expenditures
24of committee funds.
25(c) A sponsor that is a multipurpose organization, as defined in
26subdivision (a) of Section 84222, and that makes contributions or
27expenditures from its general treasury funds shall comply with
28Section 84222.
Section 84105 of the Government Code is amended
30to read:
A candidate or committee that receives contributions
32of five thousand dollars ($5,000) or more from any person shall
33inform the contributor within two weeks of receipt of the
34contributions that he or she may be required to file campaign
35reports, and shall include a reference to the filing requirements for
36multipurpose organizations under Section 84222. However, a
37candidate or committee that receives a contribution of ten thousand
38dollars ($10,000) or more from any person during any period in
39which late contribution reports are required to be filed pursuant to
40Section 84203 shall provide the information to the contributor
P10 1within one week. The notification required by this section is not
2required to be sent to any contributor
who has an identification
3number assigned by the Secretary of State issued pursuant to
4
Section 84101.
Section 84222 is added to the Government Code, to
6read:
(a) For purposes of this title, “multipurpose
8organization” means an organization described in Sections
9501(c)(3) to 501(c)(10), inclusive, of the Internal Revenue Code
10and that is exempt from taxation under Section 501(a) of the
11Internal Revenue Code, a federal or out-of-state political
12organization, a trade association, a professional association, a civic
13organization, a religious organization, a fraternal society, an
14educational institution, or any other association or group of persons
15acting in concert, that is operating for purposes other than making
16contributions or expenditures. “Multipurpose organization” does
17not include a business entity, an individual, or a federal candidate’s
18authorized committee, as defined in Section
431 of Title 2 of the
19United States Code, that is registered and filing reports pursuant
20to the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (Public Law
2192-225).
22(b) A multipurpose organization that makes expenditures or
23contributions and does not qualify as a committee pursuant to
24subdivision (c) may qualify as an independent expenditure
25committee or major donor committee if the multipurpose
26organization satisfies subdivision (b) or (c) of Section 82013.
27(c) Except as provided in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (5), a
28multipurpose organization is a recipient committee within the
29meaning of subdivision (a) of Section 82013 only under one or
30more of the following circumstances:
31(1) The multipurpose organization is a
political committee
32registered with the Federal Election Commission, except as
33provided in subdivision (a) of this section, or a political committee
34registered with another state, and the multipurpose organization
35makes contributions or expenditures in this state in an amount
36equal to or greater than the amount identified in subdivision (a) of
37Section 82013.
38(2) The multipurpose organization solicits and receives payments
39from donors in an amount equal to or greater than the amount
P11 1identified in subdivision (a) of Section 82013 for the purpose of
2making contributions or expenditures.
3(3) The multipurpose organization accepts payments from
4donors in an amount equal to or greater than the amount identified
5in subdivision (a) of Section 82013 subject to a condition,
6agreement,
or understanding with the donor that all or a portion
7of the payments may be used for making contributions or
8expenditures.
9(4) The multipurpose organization has existing funds from a
10donor and a subsequent agreement or understanding is reached
11with the donor that all or a portion of the funds may be used for
12making contributions or expenditures in an amount equal to or
13greater than the amount identified in subdivision (a) of Section
1482013. The date of the subsequent agreement or understanding is
15deemed to be the date of receipt of the payment.
16(5) The multipurpose organization makes contributions or
17expenditures totaling more than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000)
18in a period of 12 months or more than one hundred thousand dollars
19($100,000) in a period of four consecutive calendar
years.
20(A) A multipurpose organization shall not qualify as a committee
21within the meaning of subdivision (a) of Section 82013 pursuant
22to this paragraph if the multipurpose organization makes
23contributions or expenditures using only available nondonor funds.
24A multipurpose organization that makes contributions or
25expenditures with nondonor funds shall briefly describe the source
26of the funds used on its major donor or independent expenditure
27report.
28(B) For purposes of this paragraph, “nondonor funds” means
29investment income, including capital gains, or income earned from
30providing goods, services, or facilities, whether related or unrelated
31to the multipurpose organization’s program, sale of assets, or other
32receipts that are not donations.
33(d) A multipurpose organization that is a committee pursuant
34to paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) shall comply with the
35registration and reporting requirements of this chapter, subject to
36the following:
37(1) The multipurpose organization is not required to comply
38with subdivision (k) of Section 84211 for contributions and
39expenditures made to influence federal or out-of-state elections,
P12 1which shall instead be reported as a single expenditure and be
2described as such on the campaign statement.
3(2) A multipurpose organization registered with the Federal
4Election Commission is not subject to subdivisions (d) and (f) of
5Section 84211 but shall disclose the total amount of contributions
6received pursuant to subdivision
(a) of Section 84211, and shall
7disclose the multipurpose organization’s name and identification
8number registered with the Federal Election Commission on the
9campaign statement.
10(e) (1) A multipurpose organization that is a committee pursuant
11to paragraph (2), (3), (4), or (5) of subdivision (c) shall comply
12with the registration and reporting requirements of this chapter,
13subject to the following, except that if the multipurpose
14organization is the sponsor of a committee as described in
15subdivision (f) it may report required information on its sponsored
16committee statement pursuant to subdivision (f):
17(A) The multipurpose organization shall register in the calendar
18year in which it satisfies any of the criteria in subdivision (c). The
19statement of
organization filed pursuant to Section 84101 shall
20indicate that the organization is filing pursuant to this section as
21a multipurpose organization and state the organization’s nonprofit
22tax exempt status, if any. The statement of organization shall also
23describe the organization’s mission or most significant activities,
24and describe the organization’s political activities. A multipurpose
25organization may comply with the requirement to describe the
26mission or significant activities and political activities by
27referencing where the organization’s Internal Revenue Service
28Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax form may be
29accessed.
30(B) Except as provided in this subparagraph, the registration of
31a multipurpose organization that meets the criteria of paragraph
32(5) of subdivision (c) shall terminate automatically on December
3331 of
the calendar year in which the multipurpose organization is
34registered. The multipurpose organization shall not be required to
35file a semiannual statement pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section
3684200, unless the multipurpose organization has undisclosed
37contributions or expenditures to report, in which case termination
38shall occur automatically upon filing the semiannual statement
39that is due no later than January 31. After the multipurpose
40organization’s registration has terminated, the multipurpose
P13 1organization’s reporting obligations are complete, unless the
2organization qualifies as a committee for purposes of subdivision
3(a) of Section 82013 again in the following calendar year pursuant
4to subdivision (c) of this section. Notwithstanding this subdivision,
5a multipurpose organization may elect to remain registered as a
6committee by submitting written notification to the Secretary of
7State
prior to the end of the calendar year.
8(C) A multipurpose organization shall report all contributions
9received that satisfy the criteria of paragraph (2), (3), or (4) of
10subdivision (c) of this section in the manner required by subdivision
11(f) of Section 84211, and for the balance of its contributions or
12expenditures shall further report contributors based on a last in,
13first out accounting method.
14(2) A multipurpose organization reporting pursuant to this
15subdivision shall disclose total contributions received in an amount
16equal to the multipurpose organization’s total contributions and
17expenditures made in the reporting period. When a multipurpose
18organization reports donors based on the last in, first out accounting
19method, it shall attribute to and include the information required
20by
subdivision (f) of Section 84211 for any donor who donates
21one thousand dollars ($1,000) or more in a calendar year, except
22for the following:
23(A) A donor who designates or restricts the donation for
24purposes other than contributions or expenditures.
25(B) A donor who prohibits the multipurpose organization’s use
26of its donation for contributions or expenditures.
27(C) A private foundation, as defined by subdivision (a) of
28Section 509 of the Internal Revenue Code, that provides a grant
29that does not constitute a taxable expenditure for purposes of
30paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (d) of Section 4945 of the
31Internal Revenue Code.
32(3) A multipurpose organization
that qualifies as a committee
33pursuant to paragraph (5) of subdivision (c) shall not be required
34to include contributions or expenditures made in a prior calendar
35year on the reports filed for the calendar year in which the
36multipurpose organization qualifies as a committee.
37(4) If a multipurpose organization qualifies as a committee
38solely pursuant to paragraph (5) of subdivision (c) and the
39committee is required to report donors based on a last in, first out
40accounting method pursuant to paragraph (1), the multipurpose
P14 1organization shall not be required to disclose donor information
2for a donation received by the multipurpose organization prior to
3July 1, 2014. This paragraph shall not apply with respect to a
4donation made by a donor who knew that the multipurpose
5organization would use the donation to support or oppose a
6
candidate or ballot measure in the state by requesting that the
7donation be used for that purpose or by making the donation in
8response to a message or solicitation indicating the multipurpose
9organization’s intent to use the donation for that purpose.
35 10(4)
end delete
11begin insert(5)end insert A contributor identified and reported in the manner provided
12in subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) that is a multipurpose
13
organization and receives contributions that satisfy the criteria in
14subdivision (c) shall be subject to the requirements of this
15subdivision.
P14 1 16(5)
end delete
17begin insert(6)end insert The commission shall adopt regulations establishing notice
18requirements and reasonable filing deadlines for donors reported
19as contributors based on the last in, first out accounting method.
20(f) A multipurpose organization that is the sponsor of a
21committee as defined in Section 82048.7, that is a membership
22organization, that makes all of its contributions and
expenditures
23from funds derived from dues, assessments, fees, and similar
24payments that do not exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per
25calendar year from a single source, and that elects to report its
26contributions and expenditures on its sponsored committee’s
27
campaign statement pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (e)
28shall report as follows:
29(1) The sponsored committee shall report all contributions and
30expenditures made from the sponsor’s treasury funds on statements
31and reports filed by the committee. The sponsor shall use a last in,
32first out accounting method and disclose the information required
33by subdivision (f) of Section 84211 for any person who pays dues,
34assessments, fees, or similar payments of one thousand dollars
35($1,000) or more to the sponsor’s treasury funds in a calendar year
36and shall disclose all contributions and expenditures made, as
37required by subdivision (k) of Section 84211, on the sponsored
38committee’s campaign statements.
39(2) The sponsored committee shall report all other contributions
40and
expenditures in support of the committee by the sponsor, its
P15 1intermediate units, and the members of those entities. A sponsoring
2organization makes contributions and expenditures in support of
3its sponsored committee when it provides the committee with
4money from its treasury funds, with the exception of establishment
5or administrative costs. With respect to dues, assessments, fees,
6and similar payments channeled through the sponsor or an
7intermediate unit to a sponsored committee, the original source of
8the dues, assessments, fees, and similar payments is the contributor.
9(3) A responsible officer of the sponsor, as well as the treasurer
10of the sponsored committee, shall verify the committee’s campaign
11statement pursuant to Section 81004.
12(g) For purposes of this section, “last in,
first out accounting
13method” means an accounting method by which contributions and
14expenditures are attributed to the multipurpose organization’s
15contributors in reverse chronological order beginning with the
16most recent of its contributors or, if there are any prior
17contributions or expenditures, beginning with the most recent
18contributor for which unattributed contributions remain.
Section 84223 is added to the Government Code, to
20read:
(a) A committee primarily formed to support or oppose
22a state ballot measure or state candidate that raises one million
23dollars ($1,000,000) or more for an election shall maintain an
24accurate list of the committee’s top 10 contributors, as specified
25by Commission regulations. A current list of the top 10 contributors
26shall be provided to the Commission for disclosure on the
27Commission’s Internet Web site, as provided in subdivision (c).
28(b) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (4), the list of top 10
29contributors shall identify the names of the 10 persons who have
30made the largest cumulative contributions to the committee, the
31total amount of each
person’s contributions, the city and state of
32the person, the person’s committee identification number, if any,
33and any other information deemed necessary by the Commission.
34If any of the top 10 contributors identified on the list are
35committees pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 82013, the
36Commission may require, by regulation, that the list also identify
37the top 10 contributors to those contributing committees.
38(2) (A) A committee primarily formed to support or oppose a
39state ballot measure shall count the cumulative amount of
40contributions received by the committee from a person for the
P16 1period beginning 12 months prior to the date the committee made
2its first expenditure to qualify, support, or oppose the measure and
3ending with the current date.
4(B) A committee primarily formed to support or oppose a state
5candidate shall count the cumulative amount of contributions
6received by the committee from a person for the primary and
7general elections combined.
8(3) The aggregation rules of Section 85311 and any
9implementing regulations adopted by the Commission shall apply
10in identifying the persons who have made the top 10 cumulative
11contributions to a committee.
12(4) A person who makes contributions to a committee in a
13cumulative amount of less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000)
14shall not be identified or disclosed as a top 10 contributor to a
15committee pursuant to this section.
16(c) (1) The Commission shall adopt regulations to
govern the
17manner in which the Commission shall display top 10 contributor
18lists provided by a committee that is subject to this section, and
19the Commission shall post the top 10 contributor lists on its Internet
20Web site in the manner prescribed by those regulations. The
21Commission shall provide the top 10 contributor lists to the
22Secretary of State, upon the request of the Secretary of State, for
23the purpose of additionally posting the contributor lists on the
24Secretary of State’s Internet Web site.
25(2) A committee shall provide an updated top 10 contributor
26list to the Commission when any of the following occurs:
27(A) A new person qualifies as a top 10 contributor to the
28committee.
29(B) A person who is an existing top 10
contributor makes
30additional contributions to the committee.
31(C) A change occurs that alters the relative ranking order of the
32top 10 contributors.
33(3) The 10 persons who have made the largest cumulative
34contributions to a committee shall be listed in order from largest
35contribution amount to smallest amount. If two or more
36contributors of identical amounts meet the threshold for inclusion
37in the list of top 10 contributors, the order of disclosure shall be
38made beginning with the most recent contributor of that amount.
39(4) The Commission shall post or update a top 10 contributor
40list within five business days or, during the 16 days before the
P17 1election, within 48 hours of a contributor qualifying for the list or
2of
any change to the list.
3(d) In listing the top 10 contributors, a committee shall use
4reasonable efforts to identify and state the actual individuals or
5corporations that are the true sources of the contributions made to
6the committee from other persons or committees.
7(e) In addition to any other lists that the Commission is required
8to post on its Internet Web site, the Commission shall compile,
9maintain, and display on its Internet Web site a current list of the
10top 10 contributors supporting and opposing each state ballot
11measure, as prescribed by Commission regulations.
Section 88001 of the Government Code is amended
13to read:
The ballot pamphlet shall contain all of the following:
15(a) A complete copy of each state measure.
16(b) A copy of the specific constitutional or statutory provision,
17if any, that would be repealed or revised by each state measure.
18(c) A copy of the arguments and rebuttals for and against each
19state measure.
20(d) A copy of the analysis of each state measure.
21(e) Tables of contents, indexes, art work, graphics, and other
22materials that the Secretary of State determines will
make the ballot
23pamphlet easier to understand or more useful for the average voter.
24(f) A notice, conspicuously printed on the cover of the ballot
25pamphlet, indicating that additional copies of the ballot pamphlet
26will be mailed by the county elections official upon request.
27(g) A written explanation of the judicial retention procedure as
28required by Section 9083 of the Elections Code.
29(h) The Voter Bill of Rights pursuant to Section 2300 of the
30Elections Code.
31(i) If the ballot contains an election for the office of United
32States Senator, information on candidates for United States Senator.
33A candidate for United States Senator may purchase the space to
34place
a statement in the state ballot pamphlet that does not exceed
35250 words. The statement may not make any reference to any
36opponent of the candidate. The statement shall be submitted in
37accordance with timeframes and procedures set forth by the
38Secretary of State for the preparation of the state ballot pamphlet.
P18 1(j) If the ballot contains a question as to the confirmation or
2retention of a justice of the Supreme Court, information on justices
3of the Supreme Court who are subject to confirmation or retention.
4(k) If the ballot contains an election for the offices of President
5and Vice President of the United States, a notice that refers voters
6to the Secretary of State’s Internet Web site for information about
7candidates for the offices of President and Vice President of the
8United
States.
9(l) A written explanation of the appropriate election procedures
10for party-nominated, voter-nominated, and nonpartisan offices as
11required by Section 9083.5 of the Elections Code.
12(m) A written explanation of the top 10 contributor lists required
13by Section 84223, including a description of the Internet Web sites
14where those lists are available to the public.
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
16Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
17the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
18district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or
19infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty
20for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of
21the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within
22the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
23Constitution.
Sections 1, 6, and 7 of this act shall become operative
25on July 1, 2014. The changes made to Section 9084 of the Elections
26Code by Section 2 of this act and the changes made to Sections
2782015, 82048.7, 84105, and 88001 of the Government Code by
28Sections 3, 4, 5, and 8 of this act shall become operative on July
291, 2014.
The Legislature finds and declares that this bill
31furthers the purposes of the Political Reform Act of 1974 within
32the meaning of subdivision (a) of Section 81012 of the Government
33Code.
This act is an urgency statute necessary for the
35immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within
36the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into
37immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
P19 1In order to implement these proposals at the earliest possible
2time prior to the 2014 General Election, it is necessary that this
3act take immediate effect.
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