CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill No. 358


Introduced by Senator Stern

February 14, 2017


An act to add Section 84602.3 to the Government Code, relating to the Political Reform Act of 1974.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 358, as introduced, Stern. Political Reform Act of 1974: Secretary of State: online filing and disclosure system.
The Political Reform Act of 1974 generally requires elected officials, candidates for elective office, and committees formed primarily to support or oppose a candidate for public office or a ballot measure, along with other entities, to file periodic campaign statements. The act requires that these campaign statements contain prescribed information related to campaign contributions and expenditures of the filing entities. Existing law, the Online Disclosure Act, requires the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Fair Political Practices Commission, to develop online and electronic filing processes for use by these persons and entities.
This bill would also require the Secretary of State to conspicuously post on his or her Internet Web site hyperlinks to the Internet Web site of any local government agency that contains publically-disclosed campaign finance information and to update these hyperlinks accordingly.
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 of the Legislature and compliance with specified procedural requirements.
This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.
Vote: 2/3   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 84602.3 is added to the Government Code, to read:

84602.3.
 The Secretary of State shall conspicuously post on his or her Internet Web site hyperlinks to the Internet Web site of any local government agency that contains publically-disclosed campaign finance information. The Secretary of State shall update these hyperlinks no later than December 31 of each year.

SEC. 2.

 The Legislature finds and declares that this bill furthers the purposes of the Political Reform Act of 1974 within the meaning of subdivision (a) of Section 81012 of the Government Code.