SF 159 (LSB 1597XS (5) 87)

SENATE FILE 159

BY  BOLKCOM, BISIGNANO, TAYLOR, DVORSKY, DOTZLER, JOCHUM, MATHIS, and PETERSEN

A BILL FOR

An Act requiring federal income tax returns of candidates for president and vice president of the United States to be filed with the state commissioner of elections.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 49.32, Code 2017, is amended to read as follows:
   49.32  Candidates for president in place of electors.
   1.  The candidates for electors of president and vice president of any political party or group of petitioners shall not be placed on the ballot, but in the years in which they are to be elected the names of candidates for president and vice president, respectively, of such parties or group of petitioners shall be placed on the ballot, as the names of candidates for United States senators are placed thereon, under their respective party, petition, or adopted titles for each political party, or group of petitioners, nominating a set of candidates for electors.
   2.  Notwithstanding subsection 1, the names of candidates for president and vice president of such parties or groups of petitioners shall not be placed on the ballot unless both of the candidates for the party or group of petitioners have, not less than fifty days before the general election, complied with the requirements of section 49.34.
    Sec. 2.  NEW SECTION.  49.34  Filing of federal income tax returns.
   1.  For a candidate for president’s or candidate for vice president’s name to be placed on the ballot pursuant to section 49.32, the candidate shall file the following with the state commissioner:
   a.  A copy of the candidate’s federal income tax returns, as that term is defined in section 6103(b)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code, for at least the five most recent tax years for which such a return has been filed with the Internal Revenue Service.
   b.  A written consent, in such form as shall be prescribed by the state commissioner by rule, permitting the state commissioner to publicly disclose tax returns filed pursuant to paragraph “a”.
   2.  Within seven days after receiving the filings under subsection 1, the state commissioner shall publish the filings on the state commissioner’s internet site. Prior to publishing, the state commissioner shall redact such information as the commissioner deems appropriate, in consultation with the director of revenue.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill requires both of the candidates for the offices of president and vice president of the United States of a political party to file federal income tax returns in order for the names of both candidates to be placed on the general election ballot in Iowa.
   Under the bill, a candidate for either office is required to file the candidate’s federal income tax returns from the prior five years with the state commissioner of elections (secretary of state). The bill requires a presidential or vice presidential candidate to consent in writing to the public disclosure of the candidate’s tax returns, and requires the state commissioner to publish redacted returns and the written consent on the state commissioner’s internet site.