Attorneys: annual membership fees.

Existing law, the State Bar Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of attorneys by the State Bar of California, a public corporation. The State Bar is governed by a board of trustees. Existing law, until January 1, 2014, requires the board to charge an annual membership fee for active members of up to $315 for 2013. Existing law requires the board to charge an annual membership fee for inactive members of up to $75. Existing law requires the State Bar, until January 1, 2014, to allocate $20 of those fees to support nonprofit organizations that provide free legal services to persons of limited means, except to the extent that a member elects not to support those activities. This bill would, until January 1, 2015, require the board to charge the annual membership fee for active members described above. The bill would require the board to increase each of the annual membership fees described above by an additional $30, to be allocated only to support nonprofit organizations that provide free legal services to persons of limited means, except to the extent that a member elects not to support those activities. The bill would require that the invoice provided to members for payment of the annual membership fee provide each member the option of deducting $30 from the annual membership fee if the member elects not to have this amount allocated for the purposes described above. Existing law generally authorizes the Controller to offset any amount due a state agency from a person or entity against any amount owing the person or entity by any state agency, as specified, and requires the Controller, in conjunction with the Franchise Tax Board, to develop a program to provide for multiple offsets to various participating state agencies, as specified. This bill would authorize and direct the State Bar of California to participate as a state agency in the program described above for the collection of specified fines, penalties, assessments, costs, or reimbursements owed to the State Bar of California.