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CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

95

Introduced by Assembly Member Boerner

February 10, 2026

An act to add Section 85201.5 to the Government Code, relating to the Political Reform Act of 1974.

Vote: 2/3   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: yes

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

The Political Reform Act of 1974 provides for the comprehensive regulation of campaign financing, including requiring the reporting of campaign contributions and expenditures and imposing other reporting and recordkeeping requirements on campaign committees.

This bill would, commencing January 1, 2029, require an individual who files a statement of intention to be a a candidate for elective office with a candidate controlled committee to complete a training course on the requirements of the Political Reform Act of 1974 with respect to campaigns for the office for which they intend to be a candidate. For a candidate who does not complete the training, the bill would prohibit any committee they control, as specified, the candidate controlled committee from receiving contributions until the candidate completes the training. The bill would, commencing January 1, 2029, also require the treasurer for a candidate controlled committee to complete a training course on the requirements of the act that apply to the committee. The bill would prohibit a committee whose treasurer does not complete the training course from accepting contributions until the training course is completed. The bill would exempt from these requirements an individual who is required to complete, and has completed, a similar training offered by a local government ethics agency. The bill would also exempt from these requirements a candidate who indicates on their statement of intention that they do not intend to qualify as a committee that receives campaign contributions in excess of $2,000, as specified.

By prohibiting a committee’s receipt of contributions if specified conditions are not satisfied, as set forth above, the bill would create a new crime and thereby establish a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act’s purposes upon a ⅔ vote of each house of the Legislature and compliance with specified procedural requirements.

This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 85201.5 is added to the Government Code, to read:

85201.5.

(a) (1) Commencing January 1, 2029, except as provided in subdivision (d), a candidate for elective office, or an individual who intends to be a candidate for elective office, office with a candidate controlled committee registered pursuant to Section 84101 shall complete a training course on the requirements of this title for campaigns for the office for which they intend to be a candidate, identified on the registration, as provided in paragraph (2).

(2) (A) If an individual files a statement of intention to be a candidate the candidate controlled committee registers pursuant to Section 84101 before January 1, 2029, and the individual is a candidate or still intends to be a candidate as of in an election occurring after January 1, 2029, the individual candidate shall complete the training course by or before February 28, 2029.

(B) If the individual files a statement of intention to be a candidate candidate controlled committee registers pursuant to Section 84101 on or after January 1, 2029, and the individual candidate has never completed the training course for the office identified on the statement of intention, registration, the individual candidate shall complete the training course no later than 30 days after filing the statement of intention. the candidate controlled committee registers pursuant to Section 84101.

(3) If a candidate does not complete the training course by the applicable deadline provided in paragraph (2), any the candidate controlled committee controlled by the candidate for purposes of the office for which they intend to be a candidate shall be prohibited from accepting a contribution until the date the candidate completes the training course.

(b) (1) Commencing January 1, 2029, except as provided in subdivision (d), the treasurer for a candidate candidate controlled committee shall complete a training course on the requirements of this title that apply to the committee, as provided in paragraph (2).

(2) (A) For a committee that submits its registration registers pursuant to Section 84101 before January 1, 2029, and has not terminated as of February 28, 2029, if the individual identified as the treasurer on the committee’s registration has not completed a training course developed by the commission, the individual shall complete the training course by February 28, 2029.

(B) For a committee that submits its registration registers pursuant to Section 84101 on or after January 1, 2029, if the individual identified as the treasurer on the committee’s registration has not completed a training course developed by the commission within four years before the date the registration was submitted, the individual shall complete the training course within 30 days of the date the registration was submitted. after the candidate controlled committee registers pursuant to Section 84101.

(3) If a treasurer does not complete the training course by the applicable deadline provided in paragraph (2), the committee shall be prohibited from accepting a contribution until the date the treasurer completes the training course.

(c) The commission shall develop, maintain, and offer the training courses required by subdivisions (a) and (b). The courses shall be available on demand through an online platform, internet webpage, or application. application and may be completed at the convenience of the individual, subject to the deadlines provided in this section. The training course for candidates shall not exceed 90 minutes in length, and the training course for treasurers shall not exceed 120 minutes in length.

(d) This section does not apply to either of the following:

(1) An an individual who is required to complete, and has completed, similar trainings required by a local government ethics agency by the applicable deadlines specified in subdivisions (a) and (b). The commission shall have discretion to determine whether another training is similar to a training developed by the commission.

SEC. 2.

No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution.

SEC. 3.

The Legislature finds and declares that this bill furthers the purposes of the Political Reform Act of 1974 within the meaning of subdivision (a) of Section 81012 of the Government Code.