Political Reform Act of 1974: lobbyists and committees: fees.

(1) Existing provisions of the Political Reform Act of 1974 require a committee, as defined, to file a statement of organization with the Secretary of State and, as applicable, to file semiannual campaign statements. This bill would require the Secretary of State to charge each committee that is required to file a statement of organization, and would require each committee to pay, except as specified and subject to specified deadlines, a fee of $50 per year until the committee is terminated. (2) Existing provisions of the Political Reform Act of 1974 regulate the activities of lobbyists, lobbying firms, and lobbyist employers, as defined, in connection with attempts to influence legislative and administrative action by legislative and other state officials. The act requires that lobbying firms and lobbyist employers register with the Secretary of State, and authorizes the Secretary of State to charge each lobbying firm and lobbyist employer a fee of up to $25 per year for each lobbyist required to be listed on its registration statement. This bill instead would require the Secretary of State to charge each lobbying firm and lobbyist employer a fee of $50 per year for each lobbyist required to be listed on its registration statement. (3) This bill would establish the Political Disclosure, Accountability, Transparency, and Access Fund in the State Treasury and require that moneys collected as fees from committees, as described in (1) above, and one-half of fees collected from lobbying firms and lobbyist employers, as described in (2) above, be deposited in this fund. The bill would require that the other 12 of the fees collected from lobbying firms and lobbyist employers be deposited in the General Fund. The bill would require that moneys deposited in the Political Disclosure, Accountability, Transparency, and Access Fund be expended for the maintenance, repair, and improvement of the online or electronic disclosure program implemented by the Secretary of State, except that the bill would also allow the Secretary of State to use these moneys for purposes of implementing the bill. The bill would provide that expenditures from this fund for purposes of the maintenance, repair, and improvement of the online or electronic disclosure program are subject to the project approval and oversight process established by the California Technology Agency, as specified. (4) 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.