“California needs a simplified and streamlined Political Reform Act to improve democracy and increase accountability.”
-Jodi Remke, FPPC Chairwoman
The Fair Political Practices Commission, charged with the implementation, interpretation and frontline enforcement of the Political Reform Act, launched its Political Reform Act Revision Project. The Commission is partnering with the law schools at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California Davis and California Froward to conduct a comprehensive review of the Act, The review is to ensure that amendments to the law, first enacted in 1974 as Proposition 9, are given clarity and continuity, and to modernize the law for the next generation of political activity and technology.
According to the Commission, the goals of the project are to:
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Redraft the Act with “plain English” using the simplest, most straightforward language to express ideas and minimize legalese.
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Incorporate key provisions from regulations into the Act.
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Reorganize the Act to have all related provisions in the same chapter with self-explanatory titles for each chapter and section.
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Repeal or amend current statutes that are inaccurate or inoperative as a result of judicial decisions and other changes in law.The project’s motivation, according to the Commission, were instances where the Commission confronts public officials with allegations of misconduct — only to have the Act’s complexity offered as justification for noncompliance. This, the Commission observed, may diminish the significance of California’s strong ethical rules. Additionally, potential candidates in smaller races are discouraged from running when faced with either navigating the intricate campaign finance rules alone or having to hire a professional treasurer to assist them.The Commission noted that public participation and feedback is essential to the project’s success, and it seeks comments and suggestions from the public to pracomment@fppc.ca.gov or visit http://www.cafwd.org/pracomment.
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