California 2015-2016 Regular Session Status: Passed Senate

SB 45 — Political Reform Act of 1974: mass mailing prohibition.

Last action — Re-referred to Com. on RLS. pursuant to Assembly Rule 96.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed Assembly
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 2015-2016 Regular Session. It reached “Passed Senate” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

The Political Reform Act of 1974 prohibits mass mailings from being sent at public expense. The act defines "mass mailing" as over 200 substantially similar pieces of mail, not including form letters or other mail, that are sent in response to an unsolicited request, letter, or other inquiry. Existing regulations of the Fair Political Practices Commission add further definitional criteria for mass mailings and specify certain exceptions to the act's prohibition against mass mailings. This bill would prohibit a mass mailing that complies with the Commission's regulatory criteria from being sent within the 90 days preceding an election by or on behalf of a candidate whose name will appear on the ballot for a city, county, or special district elective office. A willful violation of the act's provisions is punishable as a misdemeanor. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandate local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. 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 and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Re-referred to Com. on RLS. pursuant to Assembly Rule 96.

  2. From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on L. & E.

  3. Referred to Coms. on L. & E. and J., E.D., & E.

  4. In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

  5. Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 631.) Ordered to the Assembly.

  6. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  7. From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.

  8. Set for hearing April 13.

  9. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 418.) (March 25). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  10. Set for hearing March 25.

  11. Re-referred to Com. on L. & I.R.

  12. (Corrected March 10).

  13. From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS.

  14. Referred to Com. on RLS.

  15. Read first time.

  16. From printer. May be acted upon on or after January 14.

  17. Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Sponsors

  • Mendoza · Primary

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

  • Mendoza

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (121)

121 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

3rd Reading

Passed 38 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 35001
Democratic 3000
Total 38001
% of votes cast 97%0%0%3%
How each member voted (39)
Member Party Vote
Bates — Yea
Hueso — Yea
Huff — Yea
Leno — Yea
Monning — Yea
Pavley — Yea
Vidak — Yea
Allen — Yea
Cannella — Yea
Mitchell — Yea
De León — Yea
Fuller — Yea
Runner — Not Voting
Galgiani — Yea
Hall — Yea
Hernandez — Yea
Hertzberg — Yea
Hill — Yea
Anderson — Yea
Beall — Yea
Block — Yea
Lara — Yea
Leyva — Yea
Liu — Yea
Mendoza — Yea
Moorlach — Yea
Morrell — Yea
Nielsen — Yea
Pan — Yea
Roth — Yea
Wieckowski — Yea
Wolk — Yea
Hancock — Yea
Beth Gaines — Yea
Bill Berryhill — Yea
Mark Stone — Yea
Jackson, Corey A. Democratic Yea
McGuire, Mike Democratic Yea
Nguyen, Stephanie Democratic Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

elections
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 45 do?
The Political Reform Act of 1974 prohibits mass mailings from being sent at public expense. The act defines "mass mailing" as over 200 substantially similar pieces of mail, not including form letters or other mail, that are sent in response to an unsolicited request, letter, or other inquiry. Existing regulations of the Fair Political Practices Commission add further definitional criteria for mass mailings and specify certain exceptions to the act's prohibition against mass mailings. This bill would prohibit a mass mailing that complies with the Commission's regulatory criteria from being sent within the 90 days preceding an election by or on behalf of a candidate whose name will appear on the ballot for a city, county, or special district elective office. A willful violation of the act's provisions is punishable as a misdemeanor. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandate local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. 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 and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.
Who sponsors SB 45?
SB 45 is sponsored by Mendoza.
What is the current status of SB 45?
This bill died with 2015-2016 Regular Session. It reached “Passed Senate” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track SB 45?
Track SB 45 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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