Legislature. Legislation and Proceedings.
"California Legislature Transparency Act"
initiative constitutional amendment & statute
*PASSED*
Official Summary
Prohibits Legislature from passing any bill unless published on Internet for 72 hours before vote, except in the case of an emergency. Requires Legislature to record its proceedings and post on Internet. Authorizes use of recordings.
Fiscal Impact: One-time costs of $1 million to $2 million and ongoing costs of about $1 million annually to record legislative meetings and make videos of those meetings available on the Internet.
- Official CA Voter Guide Summary
- Legislative Analyst Office Analysis
- Show Me The Money (as of Oct 22)
- support: $10,700,000
- oppose: $27,000
- Ballotpedia Summary
Notes
- authorizes any person to record legislative proceedings by audio or video, except closed session proceedings
- allows recordings to be used for any "legitimate" purpose without payment of any fees to state
- requires that the Legislature records all meetings (except closed sessions) and have those recordings available on the internet within 24 hours, downloadable for 20 years
- Exemption for "emergency": Governor has declared a state of emergency, and 2/3 of house votes to pass the bill faster than 72 hour waiting period allows
- State Constitution currently requires meetings that are not closed-door of Legislature to be open to the public; live videos of most of these meetings are available on the internet, archived and available for use.
- Currently, these recordings cannot be used for political or commercial purposes.