California lawmakers pass bill requiring Trump, presidential hopefuls release tax returns to appear on ballot

The California State Assembly and Senate has passed legislation mandating that all presidential and state gubernatorial candidates release their tax information in order to appear on that state’s primary ballot.

The bill, passed overwhelmingly in the State Assembly with a 57-17 vote Monday. It passed with a 29-10 vote in the state Senate on Thursday. The legislation will require candidates to share income tax returns for the previous five taxable years with the California state government. That information will then be available to voters on the state’s secretary of state website.

{mosads}Lawmakers also included an “urgency clause” in the legislation, meaning it would take effect immediately and force the candidates running for president in 2020 to share their financial disclosures.

President Trump has long refused to disclose his tax information. Last week, House Democrats filed a federal lawsuit to obtain Trump’s tax returns with a complaint against the Treasury Department and the IRS intended to get a judge to order the administration to respond to requests and subpoenas for the documents.

“Presidential candidates need to put their own interests aside in the name of transparency,” California state Sen. Mike McGuire (D), who co-authored the legislation, said in a written statement, according to ABC 7 News.

“So far, our current President has done the opposite and it’s time that President Trump steps up, stops with the obstruction, and follows through with 40 years of time-honored tradition that has made this nation’s democracy stronger. This commonsense legislation applies equally to all candidates, from all political parties, including the Governor of California.”

The legislation will be heard in the California state Senate this week and sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) if approved.

On Monday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed legislation that would allow chairmen of three congressional committees to request Trump’s state tax documents: the House Ways and Means Committee, Senate Finance Committee and the Joint Committee on Taxation.

This report was updated to clarify that the bill had passed both the state Assembly and the state Senate.