Amended by Stats. 2001, Ch. 917, Sec. 1. Effective October 14, 2001.
This chapter may be known and may be cited as the Online Disclosure Act.
Chapter 4.6 - Online Disclosure Act of 1997
California Government Code — §§ 84600-84616
Sections (8)
Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 845, Sec. 1. (SB 1349) Effective January 1, 2017.
The Legislature finds and declares as follows:
(a)The people of California enacted one of the nation’s most comprehensive campaign and lobbying financial disclosure laws when they voted for Proposition 9, the Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative statute.
(b)Public access to campaign and lobbying disclosure information is a vital and integral component of a fully informed electorate.
(c)Advances in technology have made it necessary for the State of California to develop a new, data-driven online filing and disclosure system that provides public disclosure of campaign finance and lobbying information in a
user-friendly, easily understandable format.
(d)Members of the public, including voters, journalists, and researchers, should be able to access campaign finance and lobbying information in a robust and flexible manner, including through searches and visual displays such as graphs and maps.
Added by Stats. 2006, Ch. 69, Sec. 19. Effective July 12, 2006.
(a)The Secretary of State shall, on or before June 30, 2007, fully implement this chapter as specified in Section 84602, including completing online lobbying registration forms so that all forms can be filed online as specified in Section 84602.
(b)On or before February 1, 2007, the Secretary of State shall report to the Legislature on all of the following:
(1)The implementation and development of the online and electronic filing and disclosure requirements of this chapter, with specific emphasis on the status of the development of a means or method described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 84602.
(2)Whether and to what extent any means or method has been deployed that allows filers to submit required filings free of charge, with an emphasis on the types of filers who are not yet able to complete all required online or electronic filings free of charge, what aspects of the filings are missing that prevent those filers from being able to complete all required online or electronic filings free of charge, the costs to those filers, and, if applicable, why a means or method has not yet been deployed and when one is likely to be deployed.
(3)What resources are necessary to complete efforts to allow filers to submit required filings free of charge, when completion is expected, and an explanation of why the original full allocation of requested funding did not provide the statutorily required free filing system.
(c)Additional reports to the Legislature pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be due on July 1, and December 1, of each year, until a means or method has been deployed that allows all filers who are required to file reports online or electronically to file those reports free of charge.
Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 50, Sec. 171. (AB 378) Effective January 1, 2022.
The Secretary of State shall conspicuously post on the Secretary of State’s internet website hyperlinks to the internet website of any local government agency that contains publicly-disclosed campaign finance information. The Secretary of State shall update these hyperlinks no later than December 31 of each year.
Added by Stats. 1999, Ch. 208, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2000.
The Secretary of State shall disclose online pursuant to this chapter an index of the identification numbers, as assigned pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 84101, of every person, entity, or committee that is obligated to make a disclosure pursuant to Chapter 4. This index shall be updated monthly except for the six-week period preceding any statewide regular or special election, during which period the index shall be updated weekly.
Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 433, Sec. 3. Effective September 16, 1999. Conditionally repealed pursuant to Sec. 78 of Stats. 2025, Ch. 278.
The Secretary of State, once all state-mandated development, procurement, and oversight requirements have been met, shall make public their availability to accept reports online or electronically. Any filer may then commence voluntarily filing online or electronically any required report or statement that is otherwise required to be filed with the Secretary of State pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 84100) or Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 86100) of this title.
Added by Stats. 1997, Ch. 866, Sec. 1. Effective October 11, 1997.
Pursuant to Section 8314, no employee or official of a state or local government agency shall utilize, for political or campaign purposes, public facilities or resources to retrieve or maintain any of the data produced by the requirements of this chapter.
Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 506, Sec. 2. (SB 1001) Effective January 1, 2013.
(a)The Political Disclosure, Accountability, Transparency, and Access Fund is hereby established in the State Treasury. Moneys collected pursuant to Section 84101.5 and one-half of the moneys collected pursuant to Section 86102 shall be deposited in the Political Disclosure, Accountability, Transparency, and Access Fund.
(b)(1) Moneys deposited in the Political Disclosure, Accountability, Transparency, and Access Fund are subject to appropriation by the Legislature and shall be expended for the maintenance, repair, and improvement of the online or electronic disclosure program implemented by the Secretary of State pursuant to this
chapter.
(2)In addition to paragraph (1), the Secretary of State may also use moneys deposited in the Political Disclosure, Accountability, Transparency, and Access Fund for purposes of implementing the act that added this section.
(c)Any expenditure of moneys from the Political Disclosure, Accountability, Transparency, and Access Fund for the purposes described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) is subject to the project approval and oversight process established by the California Technology Agency pursuant to Section 11546.