Sacramento, CA – Assemblymember Joan Buchanan (D-Alamo) announced the unanimous passage of her bill, AB 732, out of the Assembly this morning. This legislation would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to draft an easy to understand table, outlining the fiscal impact of implementing a bond measure on both state and local governments. The bill has passed through the Assembly Committee on Elections and Redistricting, the Assembly Committee on Appropriations and the Assembly Floor without a single "no" vote. The bill now moves to the Senate.

"AB 732 is a commonsense bill that helps voters better understand proposed bond measures", Buchanan stated. "Over the past decade general fund bond debt service has increased 110%. During the same period general fund revenues have only increased 30%. That means funding for other programs increased less than 30%, most notably education funding, which only increased 19%. It is critically important to have informed voters. This bill takes an important step by making the bond and its fiscal impact easier to understand".

Assembly Bill 732 stems from a recommendation by the Little Hoover Commission. According to the Little Hoover Commission's 2009 report, Bond Spending: Expanding and Enhancing Oversight, the report suggests improving the information given to voters in order to help them have a clearer picture of the implications of approving or rejecting a state bond measure.

Assemblymember Buchanan believes that during such difficult fiscal times, voters need as much information as possible when voting on bond measures. The need for this information was best articulated by the voters themselves in a 2006 statewide poll by the Center for Governmental Studies which found that over 60% of California voters thought ballot initiatives were "often confusing" or "deceptive." AB 732 aims to correct this critical issue.

Contact: Susanna Schlendorf @ (925) 998-4442