Political Reform Act of 1974: online disclosure.

The Political Reform Act of 1974 requires specified candidates, committees, slate mailer organizations, and lobbyists, lobbying firms, and lobbyist employers to file campaign statements and reports online or electronically with the Secretary of State, as specified. The act requires certain of these entities to also file campaign statements and reports with local filing officers, as specified. This bill, with certain exceptions, would authorize a local government agency to require an elected officer, candidate, committee, or other person required to file specified statements, reports, or other documents to file those statements, reports, or other documents online or electronically with a local filing officer. The bill would prescribe criteria that must be satisfied by a local government agency that requires online or electronic filing of statements, reports, or other documents, as specified, including, among others, that the system be available free of charge to filers and to the public for viewing filings, and that the system include a procedure for filers to comply with the requirement that they sign statements and reports under penalty of perjury. 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.