Assembly panel advances bill to modernize behested payment reporting

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.