[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6622859,"mediaKeyId","2781227-e7f56ef5a9a2cc55dffd99171e1a8745","parentId",2781227,"title","Committee clears bill to clarify certification duty, criminalize misleading return envelopes and ensure voter guides in jails","audioSeconds",611,"startMs",3777000,"endMs",4388000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2781227-e7f56ef5a9a2cc55dffd99171e1a8745&start=3777&end=4388","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2781227-e7f56ef5a9a2cc55dffd99171e1a8745/thumbnail_3777000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6622859/California/Committee-clears-bill-to-clarify-certification-duty-criminalize-misleading-return-envelopes-and-ensure-voter-guides-in-jails","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6622859-732e51d59dd05338ec43805c9b490a9b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770789847&Signature=CXCFcW8WTDYTrftDHtSVtjOdmqBGQMfzIbwJWc0ZpmTUG0hlA7mStqCsBTxJdd-JshOo5g8~mGY4f~vaaAXIABvjVWc5iDm8jCAHelv5hWZiIvHGdz1Ev1BIXLzgV6-c6P5gIzbz7f9MccCJthc8dI4LLS3e7Vo3oyaJyIn4l~j70ezStzORWIW4btCLhEeg3N5ZCh7HICQ8DXnZoQsRtP-9CuGPZwFjDDSKkqUq-78qLQmUhdLiY9fpDHtOJpV-6O3oal~SMibJqBrGQ0piis-xzo0T7TrqCEmtWJHoRs5hw2-~PQEA-Pqy4LCUJfY-eHOIm70erA3EX0rdlv47JA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","California State Assembly","date","2025-03-26T00:00:00Z","article","AB 331, authored by Assemblymember Pellerin, was approved by the Assembly Elections Committee and re-referred to the Committee on Public Safety. The bill contains three main elements: it clarifies that an elections official’s duty to certify and report election results is ministerial and nondiscretionary; it makes distributing misleading unofficial ballot return envelopes a criminal offense; and it requires that state and county voter information guides delivered to jails be in a format acceptable to jail administrators so that detained registered voters receive them.

Tiffany Brokaw, deputy attorney general, testified on behalf of Attorney General Rob Bonta and said the bill “clarify[s] and strengthen[s] California's election laws” by addressing delayed certification trends that have appeared in other states and by ensuring jailed voters receive voter guides in a usable format. Brokaw said the bill’s jail-delivery language was drafted to be flexible to allow case-by-case accommodation where staples or other binding methods are not accepted in certain facilities.

Tim Cromartie, deputy secretary of state for legislation, spoke for Secretary of State Shirley Weber and expressed concerns about the bill’s provision that could require the Secretary of State to assume custody of county election materials and carry out a county’s canvass duties. Cromartie said the Secretary of State’s office does not currently have the systems, secure facilities or trained staff to perform ballot tabulation and signature verification on behalf of a county and that the authors and the Attorney General’s office were working with the Secretary of State to address implementation issues.

Committee members and the author said they would continue to work with the Secretary of State’s office and county elections officials to refine the bill language and that the intent is to preserve timely certification and to deter misleading conduct that could misdirect ballots. The committee voted to pass AB 331 and re-refer it to Public Safety.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Assembly Elections Committee (1)","oneSentenceSummary","AB 331, authored by Assemblymember Pellerin, was passed by the Assembly Elections Committee; the bill clarifies certification duties, bars misleading unofficial ballot return envelopes, and requires voter guides be deliverable to jails in an acceptable format.","taxTitle","California State Assembly, House, Legislative, California","taxId",17099,"location","California","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6622864,"Committee advances bill to require accessible parking and curbside voting at vote centers",864,2914000,3778000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2781227-e7f56ef5a9a2cc55dffd99171e1a8745&start=2914&end=3778","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2781227-e7f56ef5a9a2cc55dffd99171e1a8745/thumbnail_2914000.jpg","/articles/6622864/California/Committee-advances-bill-to-require-accessible-parking-and-curbside-voting-at-vote-centers","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6622864-fbba17035146bea48e96af9e0369203a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770789847&Signature=gwE1dXQgLsauT3yKN5higghB7xUTlA9a9fYnFpzBOED4gV~gz3uAtfycMdcP7KA3aPe1nTu5~Bew-b8aA00HkOorPXou6HVZ5aLCClgn4IwVif7yAeaPx84LNVxHD~oupeQ8b1H9Rq-YNZoOfh2zAZfreHx1YEFAx1PSmtxazvN3hNQVsNYETCA-G7OaBuAxg6~Lz2iNOzIGOF4vh1O4dC9E0EhzOMWlZVKZcYlBupXri360qQ7QOBXpn3z~jiE1qEQoA~-AqobKuV99S0wd-hfS6P~BSb4no74ZPEt~j-pa9Rwa6758WBoj~BASP1BymHOpXjSQgUcqyekIBQxNxg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","AB 287, authored by Assemblymember Tom Lackey, was approved by the Assembly Elections Committee after testimony from county elections officials, disability advocates and school district representatives. The bill requires public buildings used as vote centers and polling places to provide election officials with adequate interior space, accessible parking spaces and designated curbside voting locations when requested.

Aaron Navaras, assistant registrar-recorder/county clerk for Los Angeles County, said the bill clarifies the obligation for schools and public buildings to provide space for voting equipment and storage and to make free accessible parking and curbside voting areas available. \"This bill would provide election administrators with more efficient operations, but most importantly, to make polling places and vote centers in California more accessible to voters with disabilities,\" Navaras told the committee.

Eric Harris, director of public policy at Disability Rights California, testified the measure “helps close [a] gap” by ensuring accessible parking and curbside spaces are available if requested, and that those elements are “core components of the voting location.” LA County staff said about one in four vote centers lacked a ready place for curbside or accessible parking; a Los Angeles Unified School District representative urged amendments to address under-parked older campuses and to allow reimbursement for reasonable costs of storing or relocating school items during the voting period.

Committee members voiced broad support and requested collaboration with school districts to identify sites that can accommodate the requirements without displacing students or staff. The committee passed AB 287; the recorded outcome was reported as 6 to 0.","AB 287 would require public buildings used as vote centers to provide accessible parking and specified curbside voting spaces, and clarify space and storage obligations; the Assembly Elections Committee passed the bill.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6622869,"Assembly panel advances bill to modernize behested payment reporting",501,2386000,2887000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2781227-e7f56ef5a9a2cc55dffd99171e1a8745&start=2386&end=2887","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2781227-e7f56ef5a9a2cc55dffd99171e1a8745/thumbnail_2386000.jpg","/articles/6622869/California/Assembly-panel-advances-bill-to-modernize-behested-payment-reporting","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6622869-305d1f1d600bdfe047b4caa41b2f2e75/orig.mp4?Expires=1770789847&Signature=jSpaKpqJTsOiNGf6S5qhWyTl4VPS34PbF~2-D0qezUO7Tpu6qSDdJTQ5aiU61oGVZmek35t9YjAb1lNEtYJVWUdE1G3faXManr5tG6mRAHw5MAv8XvuPrOIeKgmwTX9jPnr90dL5K~gDtY4ltOxLCecq~LTCHVxHBGuohmHWNKCSgKv9C17D835YZFR9xzWaDcK5IQYRKE4d7u8k~fLxO0eOX8bDZ9BH1-vNEqN0UMIgQi5LPc2aHoCLjSkHuXFOFk9~Ft4zy8skR8fkioLsPdcCKnZsrQOw~lJjizyuwa0NTLD~C2uavFhlKJ-3o2DvwyH3TPKewvjqZWUwJx44ew__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","AB 775, a bill by Assemblymember Bill Fong to change how behested (called “behest” in state practice) payment reports are filed and posted, was approved by the Assembly Elections Committee and referred to the Appropriations Committee.

The bill would extend the filing deadline to within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter in which a payment was received, require certain state officials to file reports directly with the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) through its electronic system, and establish a $1,000 threshold for subsequent payments from the same donor after an initial reported payment. Adam Silver, chair of the Fair Political Practices Commission, testified the measure would make behest payment data “timely and easily accessible,” noting many local jurisdictions do not currently post these reports online.

AB 775 seeks to align local and state disclosure practices and to codify information already on the behest payment form. The author said the change is intended to “modernize and streamline the filing process and to improve transparency.” The FPPC chair told the committee that online posting and quarterly reporting will help the public, press and watchdog groups track behest payment activity across jurisdictions.

Committee members spoke in favor and said the bill will help candidates and officials comply with reporting deadlines. One member noted additional work could be done later to simplify candidate filing obligations and the committee expressed willingness to work with the author on implementation details.

The committee voted to approve AB 775 as amended and re-refer it to the Appropriations Committee. The committee initially recorded the vote as 5 to 0 and kept the roll open for absent members; additional aye votes were recorded on the roll before final adjournment.","The Assembly Elections Committee voted to pass AB 775, a measure to standardize filing and online disclosure of behested (behest) payment reports and to set a lower reporting threshold for subsequent payments from the same donor.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6622855,"Elections Committee adopts rules and advances five consent-calendar bills",2435,2183000,4618000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2781227-e7f56ef5a9a2cc55dffd99171e1a8745&start=2183&end=4618","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2781227-e7f56ef5a9a2cc55dffd99171e1a8745/thumbnail_2183000.jpg","/articles/6622855/California/Elections-Committee-adopts-rules-and-advances-five-consent-calendar-bills","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6622855-e438a1d95ff6258de96fadd43ec5a7e1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770789847&Signature=Up640ZRDjtmeLkZkH6KU6EDlfZmfoxhgzn-EHH0ZuoLFMjbBd~Cxz6-14mLX8W7~uxVrUOQeY2yxy5KhzGHRQWuL2ALhJwtpPJ5K6x909ccr5fRqefhQhrebC-F6mBWyK81GecHjOML-ITXCUIr~xVyhgnoIUX7Y5JziYhzKlJGFvaCzOexQEgqQy~jnJAD2zL7byQ897Lq0FW1SGLljrrMv4u2524r5SSdNYEtn041cJ0MB3zGaCuqW7~G3h4-Cy7L9~YBpiZDAKFFLezsUxUWoR7rTDhMDJFejWMy8mx7h~piEJ4lIovU6dvPJCxj6LHMHVQwo7S3KGpsuzBx00A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Assembly Elections Committee adopted its rules for the 2025–26 legislative session and approved the committee's consent calendar at the March 26 hearing. Chair Pellerin said the proposed rules were similar to prior sessions’ rules with technical clarifications, and the committee adopted them by voice/roll vote with the roll kept open for absent members.

The committee's consent calendar contained five bills designated for consent consideration. The committee secretary read the items and the committee moved the consent calendar as a group. The five consent items were: AB 17 (filed as consent), AB 94 (Bennett), AB 359 (Ramos), AB 502 (Pellerin) and AB 604 (Berman). Motions sent the listed measures to the committee on Appropriations or to the consent calendar with recommendations as stated in the agenda.

Committee procedures announced at the start of the hearing limited primary witness testimony to two supporters and two opponents at two minutes each, and limited other witnesses to stating name, organization and position. The chair said the committee seeks orderly participation and warned that disruptive conduct could result in removal.

The committee adopted the consent calendar and the rules and recorded ayes as members joined; committee staff kept the roll open to allow for members arriving late to add their votes before final adjournment.","At its March 26 hearing the Assembly Elections Committee adopted committee rules for the 2025–26 session and moved five bills on the consent calendar forward; the committee set witness limits and clarified public testimony procedures.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee clears bill to clarify certification duty, criminalize misleading return envelopes and ensure voter guides in jails

Committee advances bill to require accessible parking and curbside voting at vote centers

Assembly panel advances bill to modernize behested payment reporting

Elections Committee adopts rules and advances five consent-calendar bills