SB595 - Local government: investments and financial reports.

Senate Bill No. 595 CHAPTER 323 An act to amend Sections 53601, 53601.6, and 53895 of the Government Code, relating to local government. [ Approved by Governor October 03, 2025. Filed with Secretary of State October 03, 2025. ] LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 595, Choi. Local government: investments and financial reports. (1) Existing law regulates the investment of public funds by local agencies, as defined. Existing law authorizes the legislative body of a local agency, as specified, that has money in a sinking fund or in its treasury not required for the immediate needs of the local agency to invest the money as it deems wise or expedient in certain securities and financial instruments, subject to various requirements. These permissible investments include, among others, commercial paper of “prime” quality of the highest ranking or of the highest letter and number rating as provided for by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization that is issued by entities meeting certain criteria, if the eligible commercial paper has a maximum maturity of 270 days or less. This bill would revise the maximum maturity periods for the investments in prime quality commercial paper to 397 days. Existing law, until January 1, 2026, authorizes local agencies, as specified, that have less than $100,000,000 of investment assets under management to invest no more than 25%, and those local agencies that have $100,000,000 or more of investment assets under management to invest no more than 40%, of their moneys in eligible commercial paper, as specified. Existing law, beginning January 1, 2026, instead authorizes those local agencies regardless of the amount of investment assets they have under management to invest no more than 25% of their moneys in eligible commercial paper, as specified. This bill would instead repeal the former provisions on January 1, 2031, and would postpone the operative date for the latter provisions until January 1, 2031. Existing law prohibits a local agency from investing specified public funds in any security that could result in zero-interest accrual if held to maturity, as specified. Existing law, until January 1, 2026, authorizes a local agency as an exception to that provision to invest in securities issued by, or backed by, the United States government that could result in zero-interest accrual if held to maturity, as specified. This bill would instead repeal the above-described exception on January 1, 2031. (2) Existing law requires the Controller to annually compile, publish, and make publicly available on the Controller’s website reports of the information concerning financial transactions and annual compensation of each county, city, and school district within the state, as specified. If an officer of a local agency fails or refuses to make and file their financial report within 20 days after receipt of a written notice of the failure from the Controller, existing law requires that officer or local agency to forfeit to the state a specified amount depending on the amount of total revenue of that local agency. This bill would instead require that forfeiture if the officer fails or refuses to make and file their financial report within 10 months after the end of the local agency’s fiscal year, or within the time prescribed by the Controller, whichever is later. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section 53601 of the Government Code, as amended by Section 5 of Chapter 187 of the Statutes of 2023, is amended to read: 53601. This section shall apply to a local agency that is a city, a district, or other local agency that does not pool money in deposits or investments with other local agencies, other than local agencies that have the same governing body. However, Section 53635 shall apply to all local agencies that pool money in deposits or investments with other local agencies that have separate governing bodies. The legislative body of a local agency having moneys in a sinking fund or moneys in its treasury not required for the immediate needs of the local agency may invest any portion of the moneys that it deems wise or expedient in those investments set forth below. A local agency purchasing or obtaining any securities prescribed in this section, in a negotiable, bearer, registered, or nonregistered format, shall require delivery of the securities to the local agency, including those purchased for the agency by financial advisers, consultants, or managers using the agency’s funds, by book entry, physical delivery, or by third-party custodial agreement. The transfer of securities to the counterparty bank’s customer book entry account may be used for book entry delivery. For purposes of this section, “counterparty” means the other party to the transaction. A counterparty bank’s trust department or separate safekeeping department may be used for the physical delivery of the security if the security is held in the name of the local agency. Where this section specifies a percentage limitation for a particular category of investment, that percentage is applicable only at the date of purchase. For purposes of compliance with this section, an investment’s term or remaining maturity shall be measured from the settlement date to final maturity. A security purchased in accordance with this section shall not have a forward settlement date exceeding 45 days from the time of investment. Where this section does not specify a limitation on the term or remaining maturity at the time of the investment, no investment shall be made in any security, other than a security underlying a repurchase or reverse repurchase agreement or securities lending agreement authorized by this section, that at the time of the investment has a term remaining to maturity in excess of five years, unless the legislative body has granted express authority to make that investment either specifically or as a part of an investment program approved by the legislative body no less than three months prior to the investment: (a) Bonds issued by the local agency, including bonds payable solely out of the revenues from a revenue-producing property owned, controlled, or operated by the local agency or by a department, board, agency, or authority of the local agency. (b) United States Treasury notes, bonds, bills, or certificates of indebtedness, or those for which the faith and credit of the United States are pledged for the payment of principal and interest. (c) Registered state warrants or treasury notes or bonds of this state, including bonds payable solely out of the revenues from a revenue-producing property owned, controlled, or operated by the state or by a department, board, agency, or authority of the state. (d) Registered treasury notes or bonds of any of the other 49 states in addition to California, including bonds payable solely out of the revenues from a revenue-producing property owned, controlled, or operated by a state or by a department, board, agency, or authority of any of the other 49 states, in addition to California. (e) Bonds, notes, warrants, or other evidences of indebtedness of a local agency within this state, including bonds payable solely out of the revenues from a revenue-producing property owned, controlled, or operated by the local agency, or by a department, board, agency, or authority of the local agency. (f) Federal agency or United States government-sponsored enterprise obligations, participations, or other instruments, including those issued by or fully guaranteed as to principal and interest by federal agencies or United States government-sponsored enterprises. (g) Bankers’ acceptances otherwise known as bills of exchange or time drafts that are drawn on and accepted by a commercial bank. Purchases of bankers’ acceptances shall not exceed 180 days’ maturity or 40 percent of the agency’s moneys that may be invested pursuant to this section. However, no more than 30 percent of the agency’s moneys may be invested in the bankers’ acceptances of any one commercial bank pursuant to this section. This subdivision does not preclude a municipal utility district from investing moneys in its treasury in a manner authorized by the Municipal Utility District Act (Division 6 (commencing with Section 11501) of the Public Utilities Code). (h) Commercial paper of “prime” quality of the highest ranking or of the highest letter and number rating as provided for by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO). The entity that issues the commercial paper shall meet all of the following conditions in either paragraph (1) or (2): (1) The entity meets the following criteria: (A) Is organized and operating in the United States as a general corporation. (B) Has total assets in excess of five hundred million dollars ($500,000,000). (C) Has debt other than commercial paper, if any, that is rated in a rating category of “A” or its equivalent or higher by an NRSRO. (2) The entity meets the following criteria: (A) Is organized within the United States as a special purpose corporation, trust, or limited liability company. (B) Has programwide credit enhancements including, but not limited to, overcollateralization, letters of credit, or a surety bond. (C) Has commercial paper that is rated “A-1” or higher, or the equivalent, by an NRSRO. Eligible commercial paper shall have a maximum maturity of 397 days or less. Local agencies, other than counties or a city and county, that have less than one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) of investment assets under management, may invest no more than 25 percent of their moneys in eligible commercial paper. Local agencies, other than counties or a city and county, that have one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) or more of investment assets under management may invest no more than 40 percent of their moneys in eligible commercial paper. A local agency, other than a county or a city and a county, may invest no more than 10 percent of its total investment assets in the commercial paper and the medium-term notes of any single issuer. Counties or a city and county may invest in commercial paper pursuant to the concentration limits in subdivision (a) of Section 53635. (i) Negotiable certificates of deposit issued by a nationally or state-chartered bank, a savings association or a federal association (as defined by Section 5102 of the Financial Code), a state or federal credit union, or by a federally licensed or state-licensed branch of a foreign bank. Purchases of negotiable certificates of deposit shall not exceed 30 percent of the agency’s moneys that may be invested pursuant to this section. For purposes of this section, negotiable certificates of deposit do not come within Article 2 (commencing with Section 53630), except that the amount so invested shall be subject to the limitations of Section 53638. The legislative body of a local agency and the treasurer or other official of the local agency having legal custody of the moneys are prohibited from investing local agency funds, or funds in the custody of the local agency, in negotiable certificates of deposit issued by a state or federal credit union if a member of the legislative body of the local agency, or a person with investment decisionmaking authority in the administrative office manager’s office, budget office, auditor-controller’s office, or treasurer’s office of the local agency also serves on the board of directors, or any committee appointed by the board of directors, or the credit committee or the supervisory committee of the state or federal credit union issuing the negotiable certificates of deposit. (j) (1) Investments in repurchase agreements or reverse repurchase agreements or securities lending agreements of securities authorized by this section, as long as the agreements are subject to this subdivision, including the delivery requirements specified in this section. (2) Investments in repurchase agreements may be made, on an investment authorized in this section, when the term of the agreement does not exceed one year. The market value of securities that underlie a repurchase agreement shall be valued at 102 percent or greater of the funds borrowed against those securities and the value shall be adjusted no less than quarterly. Since the market value of the underlying securities is subject to daily market fluctuations, the investments in repurchase agreements shall be in compliance if the value of the underlying securities is brought back up to 102 percent no later than the next business day. (3) Reverse repurchase agreements or securities lending agreements may be utilized only when all of the following conditions are met: (A) The security to be sold using a reverse repurchase agreement or securities lending agreement has been owned and fully paid for by the local agency for a minimum of 30 days prior to sale. (B) The total of all reverse repurchase agreements and securities lending agreements on investments owned by the local agency does not exceed 20 percent of the base value of the portfolio. (C) The agreement does not exceed a term of 92 days, unless the agreement includes a written codicil guaranteeing a minimum earning or spread for the entire period between the sale of a security using a reverse repurchase agreement or securities lending agreement and the final maturity date of the same security. (D) Funds obtained or funds within the pool of an equivalent amount to that obtained from selling a security to a counterparty using a reverse repurchase agreement or securities lending agreement shall not be used to purchase another security with a maturity longer than 92 days from the initial settlement date of the reverse repurchase agreement or securities lending agreement, unless the reverse repurchase agreement or securities lending agreement includes a written codicil guaranteeing a minimum earning or spread for the entire period between the sale of a security using a reverse repurchase agreement or securities lending agreement and the final maturity date of the same security. (4) (A) Investments in reverse repurchase agreements, securities lending agreements, or similar investments in which the local agency sells securities prior to purchase with a simultaneous agreement to repurchase the security may be made only upon prior approval of the governing body of the local agency and shall be made only with primary dealers of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or with a nationally or state-chartered bank that has or has had a significant banking relationship with a local agency. (B) For purposes of this chapter, “significant banking relationship” means any of the following activities of a bank: (i) Involvement in the creation, sale, purchase, or retirement of a local agency’s bonds, warrants, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness. (ii) Financing of a local agency’s [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]