Political Reform Act of 1974.

The Political Reform of Act of 1974 defines "expenditure" to include any monetary or nonmonetary payment made by any person that is used for communications that expressly advocate the nomination, election, or defeat of a clearly identified candidate or candidates, or the qualification, passage, or defeat of a clearly identified ballot measure. The act excludes from the definition the costs incurred by a broadcasting station to cover or carry a news story, commentary, or editorial, and the costs incurred in publishing a regularly published newsletter or periodical whose circulation is limited to an organization's members, employees, shareholders, other affiliated individuals, and those who request or purchase the publication. This bill would provide that this exclusion from the definition of "expenditure" does not apply to communications paid for with public moneys by a state or local government agency. The act requires certain persons and committees to file preelection statements disclosing the contributions and independent expenditures made in connection with specified elections. The act defines "statewide election" to mean an election for statewide elective office. This bill would instead require these preelection statements to disclose contributions and independent expenditures made to a state, county, or city general purpose committee, as applicable, or made to support or oppose a candidate or measure appearing on the ballot at a specified election. The bill would change the specified election to the next state primary or general election, as opposed to a statewide primary or general election, for an elected state officer or a candidate for elective state office who is not appearing on the ballot at the next state primary or general election, and for certain state or county general purpose committees. This bill would also make various clarifying and nonsubstantive changes to other provisions of the act. 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.