State Legislature: nondisclosure agreements.

Assembly Member Patterson's legislation to restrict nondisclosure agreements in California's legislative process would prohibit lawmakers from entering into or requesting NDAs related to the drafting, negotiation, or discussion of proposed legislation. The measure establishes that any such agreements made after the bill's effective date would be void and unenforceable.

The bill creates a specific exemption for NDAs that exclusively protect trade secrets, financial information, or proprietary information. This carve-out acknowledges legitimate privacy needs while maintaining the broader prohibition on agreements that could shield legislative deliberations from public view. The provisions apply only to legislators acting in their official capacity and define key terms including "discussion," "drafting," and "negotiation" to clarify the scope of prohibited activities.

Violations of these new restrictions would constitute breaches of the legislative code of ethics and be subject to criminal penalties. The bill's findings assert that while NDAs serve important functions in private litigation, their use in legislative negotiations impedes government transparency. By limiting the scope of permissible NDAs in the legislative process, the measure aims to increase public visibility into the development of state laws while preserving protections for sensitive business information.