HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 1005

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Government Operations & Elections: 1/22/13, 2/12/13 [DPS].

Appropriations: 2/19/13, 2/28/13 [DP2S], 2/10/14 [DP3S].

Brief Summary of Third Substitute Bill

Requires lobbyists, lobbyist employers, and certain government entities that lobby to file lobbying reports over the Internet.
Requires the Public Disclosure Commission to develop a computer system to accommodate electronic filing of lobbying reports compatible with the current system.

Majority Report: The third substitute bill be substituted therefor and the third substitute bill do pass. Signed by 30 members: Representatives Hunter, Chair; Ormsby, Vice Chair; Chandler, Ranking Minority Member; Ross, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Wilcox, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Buys, Carlyle, Christian, Cody, Dunshee, Fagan, Green, Haigh, Haler, Harris, Hudgins, G. Hunt, S. Hunt, Jinkins, Kagi, Lytton, Morrell, Parker, Pettigrew, Schmick, Seaquist, Springer, Sullivan, Taylor and Tharinger.

Background:

The Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) was created and empowered by an initiative of the people to provide timely and meaningful public access to information about the financing of political campaigns, lobbyist expenditures, and the financial affairs of public officials and candidates, and to ensure compliance with contribution limits and other campaign finance restrictions.

In 1999 electronic filing was made available to candidates, public officials, and political committees for filing financial affairs reports, contribution reports, and expenditure reports. By 2002 electronic filing was mandatory. Electronic filing was made available to lobbyists and lobbyist employers for submitting their reports in 2002, although it is not mandatory. Electronic filing includes, but is not limited to, filing by diskette, modem, satellite, or over the Internet. Funding was made available to the PDC in the fiscal year 2008 budget for a feasibility study to determine the cost to design, develop, implement, and maintain an application to accommodate electronic filing by lobbyists, lobbyist employers, and public agencies, as well as a database and query system compatible with current computer architecture, technology, and operating systems.

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Summary of Third Substitute Bill:

Agencies required to report lobbying expenditures must file all required reports to the PDC electronically over the internet. Beginning January 1, 2015, all lobbyists and lobbyists' employers required to report lobbying activities must file the required reports electronically over the internet.

The PDC is directed to design, develop, implement, and maintain computer hardware and software or other applications and a database and query system compatible with current architecture, technology, and operating systems to accommodate electronic filing of lobbying reports.

Third Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:

The third substitute bill removes the following provisions:

the elimination of the Legislative and Executive Ethics Boards and the transfer of ethics enforcement duties to the PDC;
the requirement for political committees, lobbyists, lobbyist employers, government entities that employ lobbyists, and elected officials that receive a salary or compensation to pay an annual fee to design, develop, implement, and maintain the computer system to accommodate electronic filing required by Chapter 42.17A RCW;
the creation of the Public Disclosure Electronic Filing Account;
the requirement to change the composition of the PDC from five to seven members; and
allowing the PDC members to contribute to candidates and ballot propositions.