Political Reform Act of 1974: nondisclosure agreements.

Assembly Member Patterson's legislation to restrict nondisclosure agreements in California's legislative process aims to increase transparency in the development of state laws. The measure prohibits legislators from entering into or requesting nondisclosure agreements related to the drafting, negotiation, or discussion of proposed legislation, with limited exceptions for protecting trade secrets, financial information, and proprietary data.

The bill establishes that any nondisclosure agreements concerning legislative activities entered into after the effective date would be void and unenforceable, unless they solely protect specified sensitive information. The measure defines key terms including "discussion" as direct or indirect communications for reaching decisions on proposed legislation, "drafting" as developing legislative language, and "negotiation" as communications between parties with opposing interests to resolve disputes through proposed legislation.

Under the Political Reform Act of 1974's enforcement framework, violations of these new restrictions would constitute misdemeanors. The bill's findings note that while nondisclosure agreements serve legitimate purposes in private litigation, their use in legislative negotiations can prevent adequate transparency in conducting public business. The measure requires a two-thirds vote in each chamber for passage, as it amends the Political Reform Act.