Senate File 287 - Introduced





                                     SENATE FILE       
                                     BY  COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT

                                     (SUCCESSOR TO SF 181)


    Passed Senate, Date               Passed House,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act establishing campaign contribution limits for candidates
  2    for statewide office or the general assembly and making civil
  3    and criminal penalties applicable and including an effective
  4    date.
  5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  6 TLSB 1622SV 83
  7 jr/sc/8

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  68A.502A  LIMITATIONS ON
  1  2 CONTRIBUTIONS.
  1  3    1.  A state statutory political committee, county statutory
  1  4 political committee, or political committee shall not make and
  1  5 a candidate or candidate's committee shall not accept
  1  6 contributions that, during any election campaign cycle, in the
  1  7 aggregate, exceed the following:
  1  8    a.  Two thousand dollars to any candidate or candidate's
  1  9 committee for a statewide office.
  1 10    b.  Five hundred dollars to any candidate or candidate's
  1 11 committee for the Iowa house of representatives.
  1 12    c.  One thousand dollars to any candidate or candidate's
  1 13 committee for the Iowa senate.
  1 14    2.  During any election campaign cycle a person shall not
  1 15 make and a candidate or candidate's committee shall not accept
  1 16 any contribution, as defined in section 68A.102, that in the
  1 17 aggregate exceeds the following:
  1 18    a.  Four thousand dollars to any candidate or candidate's
  1 19 committee for a statewide office.
  1 20    b.  One thousand dollars to any candidate or candidate's
  1 21 committee for the Iowa house of representatives.
  1 22    c.  Two thousand dollars to any candidate or candidate's
  1 23 committee for the Iowa senate.
  1 24    3.  The term "election campaign cycle" means the time
  1 25 period between elections for a particular office.  For
  1 26 purposes of this section, each primary, general, and special
  1 27 election is a separate election campaign cycle.  Separate
  1 28 contribution limits for each type of election for a particular
  1 29 office, including primary, general, and special elections,
  1 30 apply in an election campaign cycle.
  1 31    4.  The contribution limitations in this section do not
  1 32 include contributions made by the candidate or the candidate's
  1 33 spouse or dependent to the candidate's own campaign or in=kind
  1 34 contributions from a state statutory political committee or a
  1 35 county statutory political committee.
  2  1    Sec. 2.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This Act takes effect January 1,
  2  2 2011.
  2  3                           EXPLANATION
  2  4    This bill establishes campaign contribution limits for
  2  5 candidates for statewide office and the general assembly.
  2  6 Separate limits are established for individuals, political
  2  7 committees, state party central committees, and political
  2  8 parties.  It is a violation both for a contributor to make and
  2  9 a candidate or candidate's committee to accept contributions
  2 10 in excess of the amounts set out in the bill.
  2 11    The specified limitations are for each election cycle,
  2 12 i.e., a primary, general, or special election.  By operation
  2 13 of law, the limitations apply to in=kind contributions, such
  2 14 as printing, but do not apply to the cash value of volunteer
  2 15 activity.  The bill excludes limitations on in=kind
  2 16 contributions from a state statutory political committee or a
  2 17 county statutory political committee.
  2 18    The bill provides that the contribution restrictions do not
  2 19 apply to contributions made by the candidate or the
  2 20 candidate's spouse or dependent to the candidate's own
  2 21 campaign.
  2 22    As provided in Code section 68A.701, a willful violation of
  2 23 any provision of the campaign finance chapter is a serious
  2 24 misdemeanor punishable by confinement for up to one year and a
  2 25 fine of at least $315 but not more than $1,875. A variety of
  2 26 civil remedies are also available in Code section 68B.32D for
  2 27 a violation of Code chapter 68A or rules of the ethics and
  2 28 campaign disclosure board, ranging from a reprimand to a civil
  2 29 penalty of not more than $2,000.
  2 30    The bill has a January 1, 2011, effective date.
  2 31 LSB 1622SV 83
  2 32 jr/sc/8