Plain English Breakdown
The official text states that no reimbursement is required for a 'specified reason,' but does not list what that specific reason is.
Changes to Reporting Rules for Behested Payments
AB-775 changes when elected officials and Public Utilities Commission members must report payments they asked others to make, adds new details about relationships with payees or legal proceedings involving payers, and updates filing methods.
What This Bill Does
- Requires reports of behested payments totaling more than $5,000 from the same source in a calendar year within 30 days after each quarter ends instead of 30 days after payment.
- Sets a lower reporting threshold for later payments from the same source at $1,000 per calendar quarter once the initial report is filed.
- Mandates that reports include details about any relationship between nonprofit payees and the official's immediate family or staff if the payee is a nonprofit organization.
- Requires officials to describe any legal proceedings involving the payer before them at the time of payment or within 12 months prior, where the payer was named in the decision.
- Allows officials to submit a good faith estimate for amounts or dates if they cannot get exact numbers from the payee by the deadline despite trying reasonable efforts.
- Moves filing requirements to an electronic system that sends immediate confirmation, though local officers may file locally if reports are posted online within 10 days.
Who It Names or Affects
- Elected officials
- Members of the Public Utilities Commission
Terms To Know
- Behested payment
- A payment made because an elected official, committee member, or agent asked for it, often for personal, charitable, legislative, or governmental reasons.
- Aggregate
- The total amount of money added together from the same source over a specific time period.
Limits and Unknowns
- The bill does not specify an effective date in the provided text.
- The exact reason why no state reimbursement is required for local costs is stated as 'specified' but not detailed here.
- Specific procedural requirements needed to amend the Political Reform Act of 1974 are mentioned but not fully described.