Plans to boost transparency surrounding lobbyists who write to influence legislative decisions in Sacramento have been put on hold. California lawmakers rejected two bills that would have required lobbyist letters to be accessible by the public, instead opting to explore other options for increasing accessibility that do not require legislation.
The pair of nearly identical bills—Assembly Bill 2063 and Assembly Bill 2557—would have required the legislature to electronically publish all letters, including position letters sent by lobbyists, that are received through the legislature’s internet portal page regarding each bill.
However, the two bills never received a hearing in the Assembly Rules Committee and missed a key legislative deadline….