Attorneys: annual license fees: free legal services.

The State Bar Act provides for the licensure and regulation of attorneys by the State Bar of California, a public corporation governed by a board of trustees. Existing law, until January 1, 2020, requires the board to charge an annual license fee for active licensees of up to $315 for 2019. Existing law requires the board to charge an annual license fee for inactive licensees of up to $65. Existing law requires the board to increase each of the annual license fees by an additional $40, to be allocated only to support nonprofit organizations that provide free legal services to persons of limited means, except to the extent that a licensee elects not to support those activities. Existing law requires that the invoice provided to licensees for payment of the annual license fee provide each licensee the option of deducting $40 from the annual license fee if the licensee elects not to have this amount allocated for these purposes. This bill would make the $40 fee increase mandatory and would remove the requirement that the fee invoice provide the option of deducting $40. This bill would include a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIII A of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature.