20250AB__113097AMD INTRODUCED 2025-02-20 AMENDED_SENATE 2025-06-23 AMENDED_SENATE 2026-06-11 2025 AB AMD Introduced by Assembly Members Berman and Blanca Rubio (Principal coauthor: Senator Umberg) <caml:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</caml:Contribution><caml:House>ASSEMBLY</caml:House><caml:Name>Berman</caml:Name></caml:Legislator>"?> LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Berman LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Blanca Rubio PRINCIPAL_COAUTHOR SENATE Umberg

An act to amend

Section of the Government Code, relating to the Political Reform Act of 1974. the Political Reform Act of Political Reform Act of 1974: campaign disclosures. Existing law, the Political Reform Act of 1974, requires a person paid by a committee to post content supporting or opposing a candidate or ballot measure on an internet website, web application, or digital application to include a disclaimer stating that they were paid by the committee in connection with the post, except as specified. Existing law requires the committee to notify the person paid to post the content of this requirement.

Existing law authorizes the Fair Political Practices Commission to seek injunctive relief to compel compliance with this disclaimer requirement. Existing law exempts a person who violates the disclaimer requirement from administrative, civil, and criminal penalties established by the act. This bill would remove the exemption for administrative, civil, and criminal penalties and instead provide that if the required disclaimer is not included, the person paid to post the content and the committee who paid them are jointly and severally liable for any administrative or civil penalties incurred for the violation.

The bill would require the committee to inform the person that failure to include the disclaimer may result in penalties under the Political Reform Act of 1974. The bill would also require the committee to include a statement on their campaign report, as specified, that the payment was provided for a paid thirty party post. A violation of the Political Reform Act of is punishable as a misdemeanor. By creating a new crime under the act, the bill would establish a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act’s purposes upon a 2 vote of each house of the Legislature and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.

Existing law, the Dental Practice Act, establishes the Dental Board of California in the Department of Consumer Affairs to license and regulate the practice of dentistry.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>This bill would require the board to develop, implement, and maintain an outreach and support program to recruit students from underserved communities in the state to pursue education and licensure in the field of dentistry. The bill would establish duties the board would be required to carry out in that regard, including conducting at least outreach activities per year focused on students from underserved communities.

The bill would require the board to provide a

summary of actions taken pursuant to the bill’s provisions as part of its report to the Legislature through the sunset review process.</xhtml:p>"?> TWO_THIRDS NO YES YES NO NO NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section of the Government Code is amended to read: 84513. (a)

(1) If a committee pays a person to post content on an internet website, web application, or digital application for the purpose of supporting or opposing a candidate for elective office or a ballot measure, the person shall concurrently include a disclaimer with that content stating that the person was paid by the committee in connection with the posting.

(2) The disclaimer required by this subdivision shall be readily legible to an average viewer or, if the content is in audio format, shall be clearly audible. A disclaimer that states, or is substantially similar to, the following satisfies the requirement in this subdivision: “The author was paid by [name of committee and committee identification number] in connection with this posting.”

(3) This subdivision does not apply to the following: (

A) Content requiring a disclosure pursuant to

Section 84504.3 or subdivision (

c) of

Section 84511. (

B) Content posted on the committee’s own website, profile, or landing page by a person compensated by the committee to post such content. (

C) Content posted by a compensated employee of a committee on the employee’s own social media page or account where the only expense or cost of the communication is compensated staff time. This exception shall not apply if the compensated employee of the committee’s principal duties are to post content on their own social media page or account. (

b) A committee described in subdivision (

a) shall notify the person paid to post the content of the requirement to include a disclaimer and that failure to include the disclaimer may result in penalties under the Political Reform Act of 1974. (c)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>(1)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, a person in violation of subdivision (

a) is not subject to administrative, civil, or criminal penalties under this title.</xhtml:p>"?> (c)

(1) Notwithstanding any other law, if a person accepts payment from a committee to post content that is subject to subdivision (a), and does not include the required disclaimer, that person and the committee shall be jointly and severally liable for any civil or administrative penalties incurred for the violation.

(2) If a person violates subdivision (a), the Commission may seek injunctive relief to compel compliance pursuant to

Section after the person is notified of the requirement in subdivision (a). (

d) If a committee pays a person as described in subdivision (

a) and that payment is required to be reported on a campaign report pursuant to subdivision (

k) of

Section of the Government Code, the committee shall include on the campaign report a statement that the payment was provided for a paid third party post.

SEC. 2. No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to

Section of

Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of

Section of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of

Section of

Article XIII B of the California Constitution.

SEC. 3. The Legislature finds and declares that this bill furthers the purposes of the Political Reform Act of within the meaning of subdivision (

a) of

Section of the Government Code. <caml:Num>SECTION 1.</caml:Num><caml:Content><xhtml:p>The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(a)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>There continues to be a recognized shortage of dental care professionals in underserved communities throughout the state, and increasing access to dental education and professional licensure for individuals from these communities is essential to ensuring equitable access to oral health care.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(b)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>According to the California Future Health Workforce Commission, the state is projected to face challenges in ensuring adequate access to dental care by 2030, not due to a lack of dentists overall, but because of a maldistribution of the dental workforce.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(c)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Without targeted efforts to improve workforce distribution and address systemic barriers such as reimbursement rates and regional workforce shortages, underserved areas will continue to experience limited access to dental providers.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(d)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>The federal Health Resources and Services Administration has designated over Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas in California, where millions of residents lack adequate access to dental care providers.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(e)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Less than percent the state’s dentists are identified as Latino or Black, despite those groups comprising approximately percent of the state’s population, resulting in significant barriers to accessing culturally and linguistically competent care for patients.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(f)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>The cost and complexity of applying to dental school and obtaining licensure are significant barriers for students from underserved communities, especially those who are first-generation college students.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(g)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Expanding awareness of existing state programs, such as the California Dental Corps Loan Repayment Program, and offering application guidance can help more qualified candidates from underserved areas enter the dental profession and serve in high-need regions.</xhtml:p></caml:Content></caml:BillSection><caml:BillSection id="id_0E8A8177-0451-4AC0-9487-E71C2B7EEC3B"><caml:Num>SEC. 2.</caml:Num><caml:ActionLine action="IS_ADDED" xlink:href="urn:caml:codes:BPC:caml#xpointer(%2Fcaml%3ALawDoc%2Fcaml%3ACode%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'DIVISION'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'2.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'CHAPTER'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'4.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'ARTICLE'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'10.'%5D)" xlink:label="fractionType: LAW_SPREAD||commencingWith: 1980" xlink:type="locator">Article 10 (commencing with

Section 1980) is added to

Chapter of Division of the <caml:DocName>Business and Professions Code</caml:DocName>, to read:</caml:ActionLine><caml:Fragment><caml:LawHeading id="id_B9139FA4-AB70-418B-AA58-DF6FF75A8051" type="ARTICLE"><caml:Num>10.</caml:Num><caml:LawHeadingVersion id="id_D16C77F6-25A2-444A-BA5B-E76DB7312D6A"><caml:LawHeadingText>Outreach and Support Program</caml:LawHeadingText></caml:LawHeadingVersion><caml:LawSection id="id_A27BA817-F3BD-483D-B6B4-6EAAC295C931"><caml:Num>1980.</caml:Num><caml:LawSectionVersion id="id_9D9E350B-C662-4917-B34E-82F23C65C566"><caml:Content><xhtml:p>(a)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>For purposes of this section, the following

definitions apply:</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(1)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Board” means the Dental Board of California.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(2)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Underserved community” means a geographic area or population group identified in a database compiled by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, or a medically underserved population, as defined in

Section of the Health and Safety Code.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(b)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>The board shall develop, implement, and maintain an outreach and support program to recruit students from underserved communities in the state to pursue education and licensure in the field of dentistry.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(c)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>As part of the program, the board shall do all of the following:</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(1)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Coordinate with public high schools, community colleges, universities, dental schools, and community-based organizations to identify and engage students from underserved communities with an interest in oral health care professions.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(2)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Provide accessible information to interested students regarding the educational pathway to becoming a licensed dentist in California, including undergraduate requirements, dental school admissions, licensure examinations, and application procedures.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(3)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Offer guidance, directly or through partnerships, on preparing for and applying to accredited dental schools, including information on prerequisite coursework, application timelines, personal statement writing, and interview preparation.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(4)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Provide assistance and information regarding the California Dental Corps Loan Repayment Program established pursuant to

Section and other available financial aid or scholarship opportunities for students pursuing dental education or entering the dental workforce in underserved communities.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(5)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Conduct at least two outreach activities per year, such as webinars, in-person presentations, or resource fairs, focused on students from underserved communities.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(6)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Develop and maintain a publicly available webpage containing all of the information required under this

section in a clear and comprehensible format in both English and Spanish.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(d)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>The board may collaborate with relevant state and federal agencies, health professional organizations, and accredited educational institutions to carry out the duties described in this section.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(e)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>The board shall provide a

summary of actions taken pursuant to this

section as part of its report to the Legislature through the sunset review process.</xhtml:p></caml:Content></caml:LawSectionVersion></caml:LawSection></caml:LawHeading></caml:Fragment></caml:BillSection>"?>