BILL NUMBER: AB 6AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 26, 2009 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Saldana DECEMBER 1, 2008 An act to add section 9023 to the Elections Code, relating to elections. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 6, as amended, Saldana. Initiatives: paid circulators. Existing law regulates the process of proposing initiative measures to the people and sets forth qualifications for persons who circulate initiative petitions in the state.This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to require employees of entities who are paid to circulate and collect signatures on initiative petitions to register as lobbyists with the Secretary of State.This bill would require a professional petition firm, as defined, that pays petition circulators to gather signatures for state or local ballot initiatives to register with the Secretary of State and pay an unspecified registration fee. The bill would require the Secretary of State to use the fees collected to provide mandatory training regarding laws relating to petition circulation to designated officers of each firm. The Secretary of State would also be required to maintain a directory of professional petition firms on its website. This bill would require an officer of the firm to brief petition circulators on the relevant law regarding circulation of petitions as a condition of hiring and to submit to the Secretary of State a statement signed by each petition circulator that he or she has received the briefing. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:noyes . State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 9023 is added to the Elections Code , to read: 9023. (a) For purposes of this section, a "professional petition firm" means an entity that pays individuals to circulate petitions and gather signatures for the purpose of qualifying an initiative on a state or local election ballot. (b) A professional petition firm shall register annually with the Secretary of State in order to be eligible to pay individuals to circulate petitions and collect signatures in order to qualify an initiative on a state or local election ballot. Registration shall include the full name, address, and partners, owners, or officers of the firm. This information shall be accompanied by a registration fee of $__. (c) Money collected from registration fees shall be used by the Secretary of State to develop and conduct a training course that covers the relevant law pertaining to signature gathering and a designated officer of each professional petition firm shall attend the training course. The Secretary of State shall also use registration fees to maintain on its Internet Website a directory of professional petition firms. (d) An officer of the professional petition firm who has completed the training course described in subdivision (c) shall review the law relating to obtaining petition signatures, including prohibitions, with each paid petition circulator, individually or in a group, as a condition of their hiring. A statement, signed by a paid petition circulator, that they have received the review, required by this subdivision, of the relevant law relating to obtaining petition signatures, shall be submitted by the professional petition firm to the Secretary of State. (e) Nothing in this section shall abridge or restrict the provisions of Section 9021.SECTION 1.It is the intent of the Legislature to require employees of entities who are paid to circulate and collect signatures on initiative petitions to register as lobbyists with the Secretary of State.