Political Reform Act of 1974: PERS: STRS: gift limits.

The Political Reform Act of 1974 (PRA) prohibits a member of a state board or commission, or a designated employee of a state or local government agency, from accepting gifts from any single source in any calendar year with a total value of more than $250, as adjusted biennially by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) , if the receipt of income or gifts from that source is subject to disclosure on a statement of economic interests. Existing law makes a knowing or willful violation of the Political Reform Act of 1974 a misdemeanor and authorizes the FPPC to assess a monetary penalty if it finds a violation of the PRA has been committed. This bill would prohibit any member of the board of, and any designated employee of, the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) or State Teachers' Retirement System (STRS) from accepting gifts in any calendar year with a total value of more than $50 from any single person who has secured a contract with, or submitted a contract proposal to, PERS or STRS within the previous 5 years. A gift would not be deemed to have been accepted if the gift or its equivalent dollar value is returned to the donor of the gift within 30 days after receipt of the gift. Because a knowing or willful violation of this provision would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would disqualify a vendor or contractor that makes gifts in violation of the above-described gift limit on 2 separate occasions in a 5-year period from bidding on, and being awarded, any contract for a period of 2 years from the date of the 2nd penalty assessment made by the FPPC for commission of the violation. 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.