BILL NUMBER: SB 310 INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Senator Anderson FEBRUARY 23, 2015 An act to amend Section 81001 of the Government Code, relating to the Political Reform Act of 1974. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 310, as introduced, Anderson. The Political Reform Act of 1974. Existing law, the Political Reform Act of 1974, provides for the comprehensive regulation of campaign financing. Existing law sets forth findings and declarations supporting the necessity of campaign finance regulation. This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to that provision. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 81001 of the Government Code is amended to read: 81001. The people find and declare as follows: (a) State and local government should serve the needs and respond to the wishes of all citizens equally, without regard to their wealth; (b) Public officials, whether elected or appointed, should perform their dutiesin an impartial mannerimpartially , free from bias caused by their own financial interests or the financial interests of persons who have supported them; (c) Costs of conducting election campaigns have increased greatly in recent years, and candidates have been forced to finance their campaigns by seeking large contributions from lobbyists and organizations who thereby gain disproportionate influence over governmental decisions; (d) The influence of large campaign contributors is increased because existing laws for disclosure of campaign receipts and expenditures have proved to be inadequate; (e) Lobbyists often make their contributions to incumbents who cannot be effectively challenged because of election laws and abusive practices which give the incumbent an unfair advantage; (f) The wealthy individuals and organizations which make large campaign contributions frequently extend their influence by employing lobbyists and spending large amounts to influence legislative and administrative actions; (g) The influence of large campaign contributors in ballot measure elections is increased because the ballot pamphlet mailed to the voters by the state is difficult to read and almost impossible for a layman to understand; and (h) Previous laws regulating political practices have suffered from inadequate enforcement by state and local authorities.