Ballot measures: fiscal impact statements.

Existing law requires that a draft of an initiative measure be submitted to the Attorney General prior to circulation of the initiative for signatures so that it may appear on the ballot. Existing law requires the Attorney General to prepare the title and summary for the proposed measure. Existing law requires that, if the Attorney General determines that the proposed measure would affect the revenues or expenditures of the state or local government, he or she shall include in the title of the proposed measure either the estimated increase or decrease in revenues or costs to the state or local government, or an opinion as to whether the measure would result in a substantial net change in state or local finances. Existing law requires the title and summary of the Attorney General to be placed on the heading of a petition for the measure and on each page of the petition. This bill would require the fiscal impact statement included in the title and summary of the Attorney General to be in boldface type. Existing law requires that a ballot pamphlet containing information regarding each statewide measure to appear on a statewide election ballot be prepared by the Secretary of State. Existing law further requires the Legislative Analyst to prepare for the ballot pamphlet an analysis of each statewide measure, including a fiscal analysis of each measure showing the amount of any increase or decrease in revenue or cost to state or local government. Existing law requires that any estimate of increased cost to local governments be set out in boldface print in the ballot pamphlet. This bill would also require, for a statewide measure that would result in increased cost to the state, that the Legislative Analyst provide an analysis of the measure's estimated impact on the state, including an estimate of the percentage of the General Fund that would be expended due to the measure. The measure would also require the Legislative Analyst, to the extent practicable, to utilize a uniform method in each analysis to describe the estimated increase or decrease in revenue or cost of a measure. Existing law requires a condensed statement of the ballot title prepared by the Attorney General and the fiscal impact summary of the Legislative Analyst, as applicable, for each statewide measure appearing on the ballot, followed by the words "Yes" and "No." This measure would require that the uniform estimate of increase or decrease in revenue or cost of the measure prepared by the Legislative Analyst be included in the condensed fiscal impact summary. This bill would incorporate changes made by AB 753 that would become operative only if both bills are enacted and this bill is enacted after AB 753.