Political Reform Act of 1974: gifts.

The Political Reform Act of 1974 permits a lobbyist or lobbying firm, as defined, to make gifts to one person aggregating not more than $10 in a calendar month. This bill would prohibit a lobbyist employer, as defined, from making gifts to a Member of the Legislature aggregating more than $10 in a calendar month. Existing law makes a willful violation of the Political Reform Act of 1974 a misdemeanor and subjects offenders to criminal penalties. This bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating additional crimes. 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. 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 23 vote of each house and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.