Political Reform Act of 1974: contribution limits.

The Political Reform Act of 1974 prohibits a person, other than a small contributor committee or political party committee, from making to a candidate for elective state office, for statewide elective office, or for the office of Governor, and prohibits those candidates from accepting from a person, a contribution totaling more than a specified amount per election. For a candidate for elective state office other than a candidate for statewide elective office, the limitation on contributions is $3,000 per election, as that amount is adjusted by the Fair Political Practices Commission in January of every odd-numbered year. The act, beginning January 1, 2021, subjects a candidate for city or county office to this contribution limit. However, this contribution limit and related provisions of the act do not apply in a jurisdiction in which the county or city imposes a limit on contributions. This bill would clarify that the contribution limitation and related provisions of the act would not be applicable to a candidate for elective county or city office that is subject to a mandatory limit on contributions adopted by the city or county. The bill would make conforming changes. 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 of the Legislature and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.