Political Reform Act of 1974: online filing system.

(1) The Political Reform Act of 1974 generally requires elected officials, candidates for elective office, and committees formed primarily to support or oppose a candidate for public office or a ballot measure, along with other entities, to file periodic campaign statements. The act requires that these campaign statements contain prescribed information related to campaign contributions and expenditures of the filing entities. The Online Disclosure Act, which is also a part of the Political Reform Act of 1974, requires the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Fair Political Practices Commission, to develop online and electronic filing processes for use by these persons and entities. The Online Disclosure Act requires the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Commission, to develop and certify for public use an online filing and disclosure system for campaign statements and reports that provides public disclosure of campaign finance and lobbying information in a user-friendly, easily understandable format meeting certain requirements. The Online Disclosure Act requires the Secretary of State to make this online filing and disclosure system available for use no later than February 1, 2019, with an extension to December 31, 2019, if the Secretary of State provides a specified report. This bill would extend the date for the Secretary of State to make the filing and disclosure system available for use to February 2021, with no provision allowing for an extension. The bill would appropriate $6,992,000 from the General Fund to the Secretary of State for expenditure in the 2019–20 fiscal year in augmentation of Item 0890-001-0001 of Section 2 of the Budget Act of 2019 to fund 7 positions and contracted services to design, develop, and implement a campaign finance and lobby activity electronic reporting and internet disclosure system to replace the current California Lobbying and Campaign Contribution and Expenditure Search System. (2) 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. (3) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.