CA Lawmakers Trying To Require Presidential Candidates To Release Tax Returns

Sacramento, CA — A Senate Judiciary Committee has approved legislation that would require any future presidential candidates make their tax returns public in order to appear on the California ballot.

Senate Bill 149 is being pushed by legislative Democrats in response to President Donald Trump declining to make his tax returns public. The bill calls for the Secretary of State to redact any information that jeopardizes privacy, such as social security numbers, and then make the other information public record on the Secretary of State’s website. It requires candidates to submit income tax records for the five most recent taxable years. In addition, Presidential write-in candidates would no longer be recognized as part of the bill.

The legislation would need to be approved in both the Senate and Assembly, and signed by the Governor, to become law.  It was approved on a party-line vote during its first committee test.

It is authored by Senator Mike McGuire of Marin County and Senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco.