Article 6. Legislative Funds And Administration of California Government Code >> Division 2. >> Title 2. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 1.5. >> Article 6.

Unless specifically exempted from this section, all appropriations for contingent expenses of the Senate and legislative committees thereof, including appropriations previously made which have not reverted to the General Fund, shall be deposited in and credited to the Senate Contingent Fund, which fund is created in the State Treasury. The money in the fund shall be available for the expenses of the Senate and legislative committees thereof, and shall be disbursed under or pursuant to the direction of the Senate as provided in the rules, orders, and resolutions of the Senate, or as provided by the Senate Committee on Rules (which committee has a continuing existence during sessions and between sessions with such powers, duties and responsibilities as the Senate from time to time shall prescribe) as and when thereunto authorized by the Senate. The money in the fund shall be disbursed pursuant to, and the powers, duties and responsibilities of the Senate Committee on Rules shall be as provided by, the rules, orders and resolutions adopted by the Senate at the 1949 Regular Session until modified or superseded by Senate action at a subsequent session.

Unless specifically exempted from this section, all appropriations for contingent expenses of the Assembly and legislative committees thereof, including appropriations previously made which have not reverted to the General Fund, shall be deposited in and credited to the Assembly Contingent Fund, which fund is created in the State Treasury. The money in the fund shall be available for the expenses of the Assembly and legislative committees thereof and shall be disbursed under or pursuant to the direction of the Assembly as provided in the rules, orders, and resolutions of the Assembly, or as provided by the Assembly Rules Committee (which committee has a continuing existence during sessions and between sessions with such powers, duties and responsibilities as the Assembly from time to time shall prescribe) as and when thereunto authorized by the Assembly. The money in the fund shall be disbursed, pursuant to, and the powers, duties and responsibilities of the Assembly Rules Committee shall be as provided by, the rules, orders and resolutions adopted by the Assembly at the 1949 Regular Session until modified or superseded by Assembly action at a subsequent session.

Any money appropriated for legislative printing shall be disbursed under or pursuant to the direction of the Senate or Assembly as provided in the rules, orders, and resolutions of the Senate or Assembly or their joint rules and resolutions.

Appropriations deposited in and credited to the Senate Contingent Fund or the Assembly Contingent Fund shall be continuously available without regard to fiscal years, except that appropriations made at extraordinary or special sessions for the expenses of said sessions shall be maintained as special accounts within the particular funds and shall be available for expenditure for such purpose for a period of one year after the date upon which the appropriation first becomes available for expenditure, and the unexpended balance of any such appropriation shall revert to the fund from which the appropriation was made upon the expiration of one year following the last day of the period of its availability.

Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, on any claim against the Senate Contingent Fund or the Assembly Contingent Fund there may be a certification under penalty of perjury in lieu of an affidavit, and any individual who wilfully makes and subscribes such certificate to a claim which he knows to be false as to any material matter shall be guilty of a felony and upon conviction thereof shall be subject to the penalties prescribed for perjury by the Penal Code.

For the period ending on November 30 of each year, the Assembly Committee on Rules, the Senate Committee on Rules, and the Joint Rules Committee shall annually prepare a report to the public of all expenditures made from the operating fund subject to their direction and control. The report shall be made available to the public by November 30 of the year following that for which it is prepared. The report shall include, but not be limited to, a list of expenditures for each Member and committee of the Legislature in the following categories:
  (a) Out-of-state travel and living expense reimbursement and in-state travel and living expense reimbursement.
  (b) Automotive expenses.
  (c) Building utilities, maintenance, and rent.
  (d) Telephone.
  (e) Postage.
  (f) Printing.
  (g) Office supplies.
  (h) Newsletters.
  (i) Per diem for attendance at legislative sessions.
  (j) Employee salaries and benefits.
  (k) Employee travel and per diem.
  (l) Equipment and furniture.
  (m) Telegraph.
  (n) Freight.
  (o) Publications.
  (p) Study contracts and any other contract not reported under any other category.
  (q) Meals.
  (r) Ceremonies and events.
  (s) First-class air travel.
  (t) Automotive repairs.
  (u) Office alterations.
  (v) All other expenditures.

When expenditures are made from the appropriate contingent fund at the direction of the Assembly Committee on Rules, the Senate Committee on Rules, or the Joint Rules Committee for advances for travel expenses, or for advances for goods or services, or when expenditures are made for advances for legislative printing, the person to whom advances were made shall reconcile the amount of the advance with the amount of the actual expenditure and repay all moneys in excess of the amount expended within 30 days of the date of the expenditure.

The Assembly Committee on Rules and Senate Committee on Rules, and the Joint Rules Committee, shall annually provide to the Director of Finance an itemized statement of proposed expenditures from the Assembly Operating Fund, the Senate Operating Fund, and the Operating Funds of the Assembly and Senate for inclusion in the Governor's Budget for the ensuing fiscal year. The itemized statement of proposed expenditures shall not be subject to the provisions of Section 13320. The itemized statement of proposed expenditures shall include, but not be limited to, the following categories:
  (a) Out-of-state travel and living expense reimbursement and in-state travel and living expense reimbursement.
  (b) Automotive expenses.
  (c) Building utilities, maintenance, and rent.
  (d) Telephone.
  (e) Postage.
  (f) Printing.
  (g) Office supplies.
  (h) Newsletters.
  (i) Per diem for attendance at legislative sessions.
  (j) Employee salaries and benefits.
  (k) Employee travel and per diem.
  (l) Equipment and furniture.
  (m) Telegraph.
  (n) Freight.
  (o) Publications.
  (p) Study contracts and any other contract not reported under any other category.
  (q) Meals.
  (r) Ceremonies and events.
  (s) First-class air travel.
  (t) Automotive repairs.
  (u) Office alterations.
  (v) All other expenditures.

(a) The Joint Rules Committee shall annually contract for an independent audit or audits of all funds and entities of the Legislature, including, but not limited to, the expenditures of the Assembly Operating Fund, the Senate Operating Fund, the Operating Funds of the Assembly and Senate, expenditures for legislative printing, and General Fund expenditures for reimbursement of Members of the Legislature pursuant to Sections 8902 and 8903. These audits shall be made in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
  (b) These audits shall each include, but need not be limited to, an evaluation of:
  (1) The expenditures in the following categories:
  (A) Out-of-state travel and living expense reimbursement and in-state travel and living expense reimbursement.
  (B) Automotive expenses.
  (C) Building utilities, maintenance, and rent.
  (D) Telephone.
  (E) Postage.
  (F) Printing.
  (G) Office supplies.
  (H) Newsletters.
  (I) Per diem for attendance at legislative sessions.
  (J) Employee salaries and benefits.
  (K) Employee travel and per diem.
  (L) Equipment and furniture.
  (M) Telegraph.
  (N) Freight.
  (O) Publications.
  (P) Study contracts and any other contract not reported under any other category.
  (Q) Meals.
  (R) Ceremonies and events.
  (S) First-class air travel.
  (T) Automotive repairs.
  (U) Office alterations.
  (V) All other expenditures.
  (2) The accuracy of the annual fiscal year financial statements of the rules committees.
  (c) These independent audits shall be completed, and reports thereon made to the respective houses of the Legislature, and to the public, by November 30 of each year for the previous fiscal year ending June 30.

No funds from the Assembly Operating Fund, the Senate Operating Fund, the Operating Funds of the Assembly and Senate, or appropriations made for legislative printing, shall be expended for purposes of purchasing goods for resale, except for goods manufactured by any other entity of state government.

Any reference in any code or statute to the Senate Contingent Fund, the Assembly Contingent Fund or the Contingent Funds of the Assembly and Senate shall be deemed a reference, respectively, to the Senate Operating Fund, the Assembly Operating Fund, or the Operating Funds of the Assembly and Senate.