Bill Text: CA AB596 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Elections: ballot disclosures.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Engrossed) 2025-09-13 - Motion to reconsider made by Assembly Member Ortega. [AB596 Detail]
Download: California-2025-AB596-Amended.html
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Amended
IN
Senate
September 09, 2025 |
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Amended
IN
Senate
June 12, 2025 |
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Amended
IN
Assembly
March 10, 2025 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 596
| Introduced by Assembly Member |
February 13, 2025 |
An act to add Section 6403.7 to the Labor Code, relating to occupational safety. amend Section 9051 of the Elections Code, relating to elections.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 596, as amended, McKinnor Occupational safety: face coverings. Elections: ballot disclosures.
Under existing law, the ballot label for a statewide measure contains a condensed version of the ballot title and summary prepared by the Attorney General, including a fiscal impact summary prepared by the Legislative Analyst, followed by a listing of the names of the measure’s supporters and opponents. Existing law requires the Secretary of State to create an internet website or to use other available technology to consolidate information about each state ballot measure, including a list of the top 10 contributors supporting or opposing a measure, if compiled by the Fair Political Practices Commission.
This bill would require the 3 largest contributors of $100,000 or more to all committees that paid for the circulation of a statewide initiative or statewide
referendum measure to also be printed on the ballot immediately following the names of the measure’s supporters and opponents. The Secretary of State would be required to make a copy of the top contributors available for public examination prior to printing that information on ballots, and voters would be authorized to seek a writ of mandate requiring the identified contributors to be amended or deleted. The bill would specify words and phrases that may be left out of a top contributor’s name in order to shorten the name when printed on the ballot.
The bill would apply its provisions only to proposed statewide initiative or statewide referendum measures for which the Attorney General delivers a circulating title and summary to the proponents on or after January 1, 2026. To the extent the bill would increase the duties of county elections officials relative to examining initiative and referendum petitions and printing ballots, it would impose a state-mandated local
program.
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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law established and requires the Division of Occupational Safety and Health within the Department of Industrial Relations to enforce all occupational safety and health standards, as specified. Existing law establishes the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board within the department to promulgate and enforce occupational safety and health standards for the state. A violation of these standards and regulations under specific circumstances is a crime.
Until February 3, 2025, existing regulations promulgated by the board, in all areas of employment except as specified, prohibit an employer from preventing any employee from wearing a face covering, including a respirator, as specified, unless it would create a safety hazard. Existing regulations define various terms for purposes of this prohibition.
This bill would prohibit an employer from preventing any employee from wearing a face covering, including a respirator, unless it would create a safety hazard. Notwithstanding that provision, the bill would authorize an employer, for identification purposes, to ask any person on the worksite to momentarily remove their face covering, as provided. Consistent with the above-referenced regulations, the bill would define terms for purposes of these provisions.
Because a violation of the above-described prohibition constitutes a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
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.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YESBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 9051 of the Elections Code is amended to read:9051.
(a) (1) The ballot title and summary may differ from the legislative, circulating, or other title and summary of the measure and shall not exceed 100 words, not including the fiscal impact statement.(2) The ballot title and summary shall include a summary of the Legislative Analyst’s estimate of the net state and local government fiscal impact prepared pursuant to Section 9087 of this code and Section 88003 of the Government Code.
(b) (1) The condensed ballot title and summary for a statewide initiative measure, or measure proposed by the Legislature, shall not contain more than 75 words and shall be a condensed version of the ballot title and summary
including the financial impact summary prepared pursuant to Section 9087 of this code and Section 88003 of the Government Code.
(2) The condensed title and summary for a statewide referendum measure shall not contain more than 75 words, including the ballot title that shall be in the form of a question as specified in Section 303.1.
(c) (1) The ballot label for a statewide initiative measure, or measure proposed by the Legislature, shall include the condensed ballot title and summary described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b), followed by the following:
(A) After the text “Supporters:”, a listing of nonprofit organizations, businesses, or individuals taken from the signers or the text of the argument in favor of the ballot measure printed in the state voter information guide. The list of
supporters shall not exceed 125 characters in length. Each supporter shall be separated by a semicolon. A nonprofit organization, business, or individual shall not be listed unless they support the ballot measure.
(B) After the text “Opponents:”, a listing of nonprofit organizations, businesses, or individuals taken from the signers or the text of the argument against the ballot measure printed in the state voter information guide. The list of opponents shall not exceed 125 characters in length. Each opponent shall be separated by a semicolon. A nonprofit organization, business, or individual shall not be listed unless they oppose the ballot measure.
(C) A supporter or opponent shall not be listed pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (B) unless it is one of the following:
(i) A nonprofit organization that was not
originally created as a committee described in Section 82013 of the Government Code, that has been in existence for at least four years, and that, during the four-year period prior to the time that the organization is listed pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (B), either has received contributions from more than 500 donors or has had at least one full-time employee.
(ii) A business that has been in existence for at least four years and that has had at least one full-time employee during the four-year period prior to the time that the organization is listed pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (B).
(iii) A current or former elected official, who may be listed with the official’s title (e.g., “State Senator Mary Smith,” “Assembly Member Carlos Garcia,” or “former Eureka City Council Member Amy Lee”). These titles may be shortened (e.g. “Senator” or “Sen.” for “State Senator” or “Asm.” for
“Assembly Member”).
(iv) An individual who is not a current or former elected official may be listed only with the individual’s first and last name and an honorific (e.g., “Dr.,” “M.D.,” “Ph.D.,” or “Esquire”), with no other title or designation, unless it is a title representing a nonprofit organization or business that meets the requirements of clause (i) or (ii) and that is eligible to be listed under subparagraph (A) if the individual supports the ballot measure or under subparagraph (B) if the individual opposes the ballot measure.
(D) Spaces, commas, semicolons, and any other characters count towards the 125-character limit in subparagraphs (A) and (B).
(E) A supporter or opponent shall not be listed pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (B) if the supporter or opponent is a political party or is representing a
political party.
(F) The name of a nonprofit organization or business included in the list of supporters and opponents as required by this subdivision may be shortened by the proponents or opponents who submit it using acronyms, abbreviations, or by leaving out words in the entity’s name, as long as doing so would not confuse voters with another well-known organization or business that did not take the same position on the ballot measure (e.g., “Hot Air Balloon Flyers of Montana Education Fund” may be shortened to “Hot Air Balloons Montana”).
(G) Supporters and opponents listed on the ballot label pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (B) shall be added as text after the condensed ballot title and summary and shall be separated by semicolons. Supporters and opponents need not be displayed on separate horizontal lines on the ballot. If no list of supporters is provided by the proponents
or there are none that meet the requirements of this section, then “Supporters:” shall be followed by “None submitted.” If no list of opponents is provided by the opponents or there are none that meet the requirements of this section, then “Opponents:” shall be followed by “None submitted.”
(H) If the ballot emphasizes the text “Supporters:” or “Opponents:” by use of boldface font, underlining, or any other method that differentiates that text from the list of supporters or opponents that follow, the text “Supporters:” or “Opponents:” may be displayed with only the initial letter capitalized. If that text is not emphasized, then each letter of that text shall be capitalized.
(I) If including the list of Supporters and Opponents in the ballot labels as required by this section would necessitate the printing of an extra ballot card compared to the ballot labels not including them,
the type size of the part of all of the ballot labels starting with “Supporters:” may be reduced by the minimal amount needed to stop them from necessitating an extra ballot card, as long as the type size is no smaller than 8-point and as long as the type size is reduced by the same amount for all ballot measures.
(2) (A) The proponents of a statewide initiative measure or measure proposed by the Legislature, or, commencing January 1, 2025, the supporters of the statute subject to a statewide referendum, shall provide the list of supporters described in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) to the Secretary of State when submitting the arguments supporting the ballot measure.
(i) For every supporter listed that is a nonprofit organization, a business, or an individual whose title includes a nonprofit organization or business, the supporters shall include a signed
statement by a representative of the nonprofit organization or business, under penalty of perjury, that includes its name and business address and that attests (I) that the nonprofit organization or business supports the measure, (II) that the nonprofit organization or business has been in existence for at least four years, (III) that the nonprofit organization or business has had at least one full-time employee for the last four years, or, if it is a nonprofit organization, that it has had at least 500 donors in the last four years, and (IV) that it was not originally created as a committee described in Section 82013 of the Government Code.
(ii) For every supporter listed that is an individual, the proponents shall include a signed statement by the individual that includes the individual’s name and address and attests that the individual supports the measure.
(B) The opponents of
a statewide initiative measure or measure proposed by the Legislature, or, commencing January 1, 2025, the opponents of the statute subject to a statewide referendum, shall provide the list of opponents described in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) to the Secretary of State when submitting the arguments opposing the ballot measure.
(i) For every opponent listed that is a nonprofit organization, a business, or an individual whose title includes a nonprofit organization or business, the opponents shall include a signed statement by a representative of the nonprofit organization or business, under penalty of perjury, that includes its name and business address and that attests (I) that the nonprofit organization or business opposes the measure, (II) that the nonprofit organization or business has been in existence for at least four years, (III) that the nonprofit organization or business has had at least one full-time employee for the last four
years, or, if it is a nonprofit organization, that it has had at least 500 donors in the last four years, and (IV) that it was not originally created as a committee described in Section 82013 of the Government Code.
(ii) For every opponent listed that is an individual, the opponents shall include a signed statement by the individual that includes the individual’s name and address and attests that the individual opposes the measure.
(C) In order to enable the Secretary of State to determine whether the nonprofit organizations and businesses listed in the supporters or opponents have been in existence for at least four years, the proponents and opponents shall submit with the list of supporters and opponents described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) a certified copy of the articles of incorporation, articles of organization, or similar document for each nonprofit organization or
business on the list that verifies that the nonprofit organization or business has been in existence for at least four years.
(D) The Secretary of State shall confirm that a submission listing supporters or opponents includes the documentation required by subparagraphs (A) through (C) and otherwise meets the requirements of this section. The Secretary of State shall ask the proponents or opponents to resubmit a list if the requirements are not met. The Secretary of State may establish deadlines by when proponents or opponents must resubmit a list and any other documents required by the Secretary of State to meet the deadline in subdivision (b) of Section 9050.
(d) (1) Commencing January 1, 2025, the ballot label for a statewide referendum measure shall include the condensed title and summary described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b), followed by a listing
of the names of supporters and opponents in the ballot arguments printed in the state voter information guide as described in subdivision (c).
(2) For purposes of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c), “Supporters” shall be listed on the ballot label as “Supporters of the law” for statewide referendum measures.
(3) For purposes of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c), “Opponents” shall be listed on the ballot label as “Opponents of the law” for statewide referendum measures.
(e) (1) The Secretary of State shall identify the three top contributors as described in Section 84501 of the Government Code with the largest amounts of cumulative contributions of one hundred thousand dollars
($100,000) or more to all committees formed pursuant to Section 82013 of the Government Code that paid for the circulation of the statewide initiative measure, including a constitutional amendment proposed by the voters, or statewide referendum measure.
(2) (A) (i) For a statewide initiative measure, including a constitutional amendment proposed by the voters, after a blank line which may be half of a line in height, the text “Top Funders of Petition to Qualify Ballot Measure:” followed by the names of the three top contributors identified in paragraph (1) shall be printed immediately following the text described in subdivision (c).
(ii) For a statewide referendum measure, after a blank line which may be half of a line in height, the text “Top Funders of Petition to Overturn the Law:” followed by the names of the three top contributors
identified in paragraph (1) shall be printed immediately following the text described in subdivision (c).
(B) For purposes of subparagraph (A), each top contributor shall be separated by a semicolon. If there are no top contributors, then instead of top contributors, the text “None of $100,000 or more.”
(3) If the ballot emphasizes the text “Top Funders of Petition to Qualify Ballot Measure:” or “Top Funders of Petition to Overturn the Law:” by use of boldface font, underlining, or any other method that differentiates that text from the list of supporters or opponents that follow, the text may be displayed with only the initial letter capitalized. If that text is not emphasized, then each letter of that text shall be capitalized.
(4) If including the list of top contributors in the ballot labels as required by this
section would necessitate the printing of an extra ballot card compared to the ballot labels not including them, the type size of the part of all of the ballot labels may be reduced by the minimal amount needed to stop them from necessitating an extra ballot card, as long as the type size is no smaller than 8-point and as long as the type size is reduced by the same amount for all ballot measures.
(5) (A) The disclosure of the name of a top contributor pursuant to this section shall be shortened by doing all of the following:
(i) Using approved abbreviations as described in subparagraph (B).
(ii) Leaving out “A,” “An,” or “The” at the beginning of an entity name.
(iii) Leaving out the following words or phrases at the end of the
top contributor’s name:
(I) Legal entity designators such as “incorporated,” “committee,” “corporation,” “limited liability corporation,” “LP,” “partnership,” “political action committee,” “S Corporation,” or abbreviations of these terms.
(II) The words “and affiliated entities,” “and its subsidiaries,” “action fund,” “AFL-CIO,” “California,” “council,” “group,” “leadership fund,” “of America,” “of California,” “regional council,” “state council,” and “USA.”
(III) Any other words or phrases that the Secretary of State determines are not essential to a voter being able to recognize the top contributors.
(iv) If a top contributor is a committee pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 82013 and is a sponsored committee pursuant to Section 82048.7, only the
name of the sponsor or sponsor shall be disclosed.
(v) Replacing the name of a top contributor that is a candidate controlled committee with the name of the candidate, including their office if they are currently an officeholder, followed by the word “Committee.”
(vi) Replacing the name of a top contributor that is a Yes/No ballot measure committee on Proposition or Measure X with “Yes/No on X: Committee #” followed by the committee’s identification number.
(B) Approved abbreviations are any of the following:
(i) The two-letter postal abbreviations for states, such as “CA” for “California.”
(ii) All of the following: “&” for “and,” “Air” for “Airlines,” “Assoc.” for “Association,”
“Co.” for “Company,” “Co-op” for “Cooperative,” “Fed.” for “Federation,” “Invest.” for “Investments,” “LA” for “Los Angeles,” “Prop.” For “Proposition,” “NorCal” for “Northern California,” “SoCal” for “Southern California,” “Tech.” for “Technology” or “Technologies,” “Yes/No on” for “Yes/No on Measure,” “Yes/No on” for “Yes/No on Proposition,” and “Yes/No on” for “Yes/No on Prop.”
(iii) Any other abbreviations that the Secretary of State determines are likely to be widely recognizable by voters and unambiguous in their intended meaning within entity names.
(6) The text required to be printed pursuant to this subdivision does not count toward the 75-word limit for the condensed title and summary.
(7) The Secretary of State shall make a copy of the top contributors identified pursuant to paragraph (1) available for
public examination prior to the printing of that information on any ballot, in the same manner and at the same time as the public examination period for the condensed title and summary pursuant to Section 13282. A voter may seek a writ of mandate requiring the identified contributors, or a portion thereof, to be amended or deleted. The provisions set forth in Section 9092 concerning the issuance of the writ and the nature of the proceedings shall be applicable to this section.
(e)
(f) In providing the ballot title and summary, the Attorney General shall give a true and impartial statement of the purpose of the measure in such language that the
ballot title and summary shall neither be an argument, nor be likely to create prejudice, for or against the proposed measure.
(f)
(g) The Attorney General shall invite and consider public comment in preparing each ballot title and summary.
SEC. 2.
This act applies only to a proposed statewide initiative or statewide referendum measure for which the official summary date, as that term is defined in Section 336 of the Elections Code, occurs on or after January 1, 2026.SEC. 3.
The provisions of this act are severable. If any provision of this act or its application is held invalid, that invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application.SEC. 4.
If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.(a)For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(1)“Face covering” means a surgical mask, a medical procedure mask, a respirator worn voluntarily, or a tightly woven fabric or nonwoven material of at least two layers that completely covers the nose and mouth and is secured to the head with ties, ear loops, or elastic bands that go behind the head. If gaiters are worn, they shall have two layers of fabric or be folded to make two layers. A face covering is a solid piece of material without slits, visible holes, or punctures that fits snugly over the nose, mouth, and chin with no large gaps on the outside of the face.
(A)“Face covering” includes clear face coverings or cloth face coverings with a clear plastic panel that otherwise meet this definition and which may be used to facilitate communication with people who are deaf or hard of hearing or others who need to see a speaker’s mouth or facial expressions to understand speech or sign language respectively.
(B)“Face covering” does not include a scarf, ski mask, balaclava, bandana, turtleneck, collar, or single layer of fabric.
(2)“Respirator” means a respiratory protection device approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to protect the wearer from particulate matter, including, but not limited to, an N95 filtering facepiece respirator.
(b)(1)An employer shall not prevent any employee from wearing a face covering, including a respirator, unless it would create a safety hazard.
(2)Notwithstanding paragraph (1), for identification purposes, an employer may require any person on the worksite to momentarily remove their face covering, including a respirator, unless the removal of that covering would create a safety hazard.
(c)This section shall not limit more protective or stringent local health department orders or guidance.
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.
