CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE PASSES OWN VERSION OF SENATOR HOYLMAN’S PRESIDENTIAL TAX TRANSPARENCY BILL

Hoylman: I’m proud that New York’s T.R.U.M.P. Act has been a model for other states like California. All we need is one state to make the issue of presidential tax transparency a reality."

NEW YORK – State Senator Brad Hoylman (D, WF-Manhattan) lauded the California State Legislature for today passing a version of his Tax Returns Uniformly Made Public (T.R.U.M.P.) Act, requiring presidential candidates to release their tax returns in order to appear on the ballot. The legislation passed the California State Senate late last evening, following its passage in the Assembly on Thursday.

Senator Hoylman said: “I’m proud that New York’s T.R.U.M.P. Act has been a model for other states like California. Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns violated a 40-year political tradition and undermined the integrity of our electoral process. The public deserves to know what’s in his tax returns.

Hoylman added: “All we need is one state to make the issue of presidential tax transparency a reality. California is poised to be that state.”

Senator Hoylman first collaborated with California Senator Scott Wiener on the T.R.U.M.P. Act, which was introduced in New York in December 2016 and in California shortly thereafter. The bill would require all candidates for President to release five years of tax returns, which would then be provided to the public. The bill would bar any candidate who fails to comply from appearing on the ballot and block them from receiving any support from in the Electoral College.

Since Hoylman first announced the T.R.U.M.P. Act, the bill has been endorsed by the New York Times Editorial Board; a change.org petition calling for passage of the bill has garnered more than 140,000 signatures; legislators in 28 other states including California have also introduced a version of the legislation. The coalition of T.R.U.M.P. Act states represents more than 162 million people and 348 electoral votes. California is the second state to pass a version of Hoylman’s bill, which passed in New Jersey earlier this year but was vetoed by the Governor.