Last Updated September 3, 2024
The following bills have been signed into law since the last update; they go into effect on January 1, 2025.
AB 2001 (Minor and cleanup changes to Political Reform Act)
AB 2631 (Requires the FPPC to create, maintain, and make available a local agency ethics training course that satisfies certain requirements)
AB 3197 (Allows a county elections official to require the use of a standardized form for all elections petitions and papers circulated in the county related to elections for local government)
SB 948 (Specifies that a candidate who receives campaign contributions for an election but does not file to run in the primary election, or who wins an election outright in the primary election without the need for a general election, can transfer campaign funds raised for the general election to a committee for any subsequent election, subject to attribution and contribution limits)
SB 1027 (Requires the Secretary of State to redact the bank account number and the names of persons authorized to obtain bank account records from a committee’s Statement of Organization before providing the statement to the public)
The Legislature adjourned for the year on Saturday, August 31. Below are noteworthy bills that were passed by both houses of the Legislature and now await the Governor’s signature or veto. The Governor has until September 30 to sign or veto bills.
SB 1243: since the last update, SB 1243 has been amended to lower the monetary threshold from $1,000 to $500, make additional clarifications as to what is subject to the Levine Act, and address chaptering issues with SB 1181.
SB 1181: since the last update, SB 1181 has been amended to remove provisions relating to a notice on public agendas about the Levine Act, and to make additional changes to the Levine Act. The amendments also address chaptering issues with SB 1243.
AB 2839: prohibits the distribution of campaign advertisements and other election communications that contain media that has been digitally altered in a deceptive way, except as specified. Allows a court to issue injunctive relief prohibiting the distribution of such content, and to award general or special damages against a person that distributed the content. This bill now contains an urgency clause and will go into effect immediately if signed into law; it would apply 120 days before and 60 days after the election.
AB 2655: requires large online platforms to remove materially deceptive and digitally modified or created content related to elections, or to label that content within 72 hours of a user reporting it, during specified periods before and after an election, if the content is reported to the platform.
AB 2355: requires any political advertisement, as specified, that is published or distributed by a political committee, to include a disclaimer if content in the ad was generated or substantially altered using artificial intelligence (AI).
SB 1174: prohibits a local government from enacting or enforcing any local requirement that a person must present identification when voting or submitting a ballot at a polling location.
AB 2041, authorizing campaign funds to be used for costs related to security expenses, is now an urgency bill and will go into effect immediately if approved by the Governor.
SB 1170 (use of campaign funds for reasonable and necessary mental health care expenses) and AB 2803 (prohibiting use of campaign funds to pay or reimburse a fine, penalty, judgment, or settlement, or legal expenses, related to the candidate’s or elected officer’s conviction of a felony involving fraud or certain public trust crimes) have been joined together, as they both amend Section 89513. Both are awaiting the Governor’s signature or veto.
AB 1784: Clarifies that state law prohibits a person from running for more than one office at a primary election. Allows a person who has filed to be a candidate at a primary election, other than a candidate for statewide office, to withdraw that candidacy until the filing deadline for that office.
SB 1337: modifies the requirements for what is included on petitions for state referenda.
SB 1441: requires a proponent to conclude an examination of an election petition for insufficiency no later than 60 days from the date the examination commenced. Requires costs, as defined, incurred by the county elections official past the fifth business day of the examination to be paid by the proponent.
The following bills did not pass the Legislature and will not be moving forward this year:
AB 270/SB 24 (public campaign finance programs); AB 868 (DATA Act, creating a public record of digital campaign ads); AB 2911 (raises the 84308 contribution threshold to $1,500); AB 3239 (use of campaign funds for travel for emotional support animals); SB 1404 (to transfer the duty to conduct audits of lobbying entities from FTB to the FPPC); SB 1151 (codify provisions similar to FARA)
Federal Legislation
H.R. 8281: House Republicans and a handful of Democrats on July 10 approved a bill that seeks to expand proof-of-citizenship requirements to vote in federal elections and impose voter roll purge requirements on states, legislation that has been touted by former President Trump. The legislation — formally titled the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act — cleared the House in a 221-198 vote, with five Democrats voting yes.