House
File
168
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
168
BY
ISENHART
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
providing
for
public
financing
in
certain
political
1
campaigns
and
making
appropriations
and
including
2
applicability
provisions.
3
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
4
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Section
1.
NEW
SECTION
.
68A.610
Checkoff
——
income
tax
——
1
Iowa
elections
fund.
2
A
person
whose
state
income
tax
liability
for
any
taxable
3
year
is
five
dollars
or
more
may
direct
that
five
dollars
of
4
that
liability
be
paid
over
to
the
Iowa
elections
fund,
as
5
established
in
section
68A.802,
when
submitting
the
person’s
6
state
income
tax
return
to
the
department
of
revenue.
In
the
7
case
of
married
persons
filing
jointly
and
having
a
state
8
income
tax
liability
of
ten
dollars
or
more,
each
spouse
may
9
direct
that
five
dollars
be
paid
to
the
fund.
The
director
of
10
revenue
shall
provide
space
for
the
Iowa
elections
fund
income
11
tax
checkoff
on
the
income
tax
form.
An
explanation
shall
12
be
included
which
clearly
states
that
this
checkoff
does
not
13
constitute
an
additional
tax
liability.
The
action
taken
by
a
14
person
for
the
checkoff
is
irrevocable.
15
Sec.
2.
NEW
SECTION
.
68A.801
Public
campaign
funding.
16
1.
If
a
candidate
for
election
to
the
house
of
17
representatives
or
the
senate
is
opposed
on
the
ballot,
the
18
Iowa
elections
fund
shall
match
any
eligible
contribution
19
received
by
the
candidate
to
that
candidate’s
committee
up
to
20
a
maximum
of
five
thousand
dollars
for
a
primary
election
and
21
a
maximum
of
five
thousand
dollars
for
the
general
election
22
for
the
house
of
representatives,
and
up
to
a
maximum
of
ten
23
thousand
dollars
for
a
primary
election
and
a
maximum
of
ten
24
thousand
dollars
for
the
general
election
for
the
senate.
25
2.
If
a
candidate
for
election
to
a
statewide
elective
26
office
is
opposed
on
the
ballot,
the
Iowa
elections
fund
shall
27
match
any
eligible
contribution
received
by
the
candidate
to
28
that
candidate’s
committee
up
to
a
maximum
of
one
hundred
29
thousand
dollars
for
a
primary
election
and
a
maximum
of
one
30
hundred
thousand
dollars
for
the
general
election
for
the
31
statewide
elective
office.
32
3.
For
purposes
of
subsections
1
and
2,
“eligible
33
contribution”
means
a
contribution
of
one
hundred
dollars
or
34
less
from
an
eligible
elector
residing
in
the
candidate’s
35
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district.
1
4.
Public
contributions
provided
under
this
section
2
shall
not
be
transferred
to
a
political
committee.
When
3
a
candidate’s
committee
is
closed,
any
unspent
public
4
contributions
shall
be
returned
to
the
Iowa
elections
fund,
5
up
to
the
amount
received
by
the
candidate
in
the
last
6
election
cycle
during
which
the
candidate
received
a
public
7
contribution.
8
Sec.
3.
NEW
SECTION
.
68A.802
Iowa
elections
fund
——
nature
9
and
purposes.
10
1.
An
Iowa
elections
fund
is
established
as
a
separate
fund
11
within
the
office
of
the
state
treasurer
under
the
control
of
12
the
board.
The
fund
is
established
for
the
following
purposes:
13
a.
Providing
financial
assistance
for
state
election
14
campaigns
during
primary
election
and
general
election
campaign
15
periods
pursuant
to
section
68A.801.
16
b.
Paying
for
the
administrative
and
enforcement
costs
of
17
the
board
in
relation
to
this
subchapter.
18
2.
The
fund
shall
consist
of
moneys
received
pursuant
to
19
section
68A.803
and
moneys
appropriated
to
the
fund
pursuant
20
to
subsection
3
of
this
section.
Notwithstanding
section
8.33
21
and
section
12C.7,
unencumbered
or
unobligated
moneys
and
any
22
interest
earned
on
moneys
in
the
fund
on
June
30
of
any
fiscal
23
year
shall
not
revert
to
the
general
fund
of
the
state
but
24
shall
remain
in
the
fund
and
be
available
for
expenditure
in
25
subsequent
years.
26
3.
a.
For
each
year
of
the
fiscal
period
beginning
July
1,
27
2017,
and
ending
June
30,
2020,
there
is
appropriated
annually
28
from
the
general
fund
of
the
state
to
the
Iowa
elections
fund
29
the
sum
of
two
million
two
hundred
fifty
thousand
dollars
to
30
be
used
by
the
Iowa
ethics
and
campaign
disclosure
board
for
31
the
purposes
designated
in
subsection
1.
This
paragraph
“a”
is
32
repealed
effective
July
1,
2020.
33
b.
Commencing
with
the
fiscal
year
beginning
July
1,
2020,
34
and
each
subsequent
fiscal
year,
there
is
appropriated
annually
35
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from
the
general
fund
of
the
state
to
the
Iowa
elections
fund
1
an
amount
sufficient
to
restore
the
balance
of
the
fund
to
four
2
million
five
hundred
thousand
dollars
for
expenditure
for
the
3
purposes
designated
in
subsection
1.
4
Sec.
4.
NEW
SECTION
.
68A.803
Other
sources
of
funding.
5
1.
In
addition
to
any
moneys
appropriated
by
the
general
6
assembly
to
the
fund
established
in
section
68A.802,
the
7
following
moneys
shall
be
deposited
in
the
fund:
8
a.
Moneys
credited
to
the
fund
pursuant
to
section
68A.610.
9
b.
Moneys
distributed
to
any
candidate
who
does
not
remain
10
a
candidate
until
the
primary
or
general
election
for
which
the
11
moneys
were
distributed.
12
c.
Civil
penalties
levied
by
the
board
against
candidates
13
for
violation
of
this
subchapter.
14
d.
Voluntary
donations
made
directly
to
the
fund.
15
e.
Any
other
sources
of
revenue
designated
by
the
general
16
assembly.
17
2.
Moneys
in
the
fund
are
appropriated
annually
to
the
Iowa
18
ethics
and
campaign
disclosure
board
for
purposes
of
section
19
68A.802,
subsection
1.
20
Sec.
5.
NEW
SECTION
.
68A.804
Rules
promulgated.
21
The
Iowa
ethics
and
campaign
disclosure
board
shall
22
administer
the
provisions
of
this
subchapter
and
shall
23
promulgate
all
necessary
rules
in
accordance
with
chapter
17A.
24
Sec.
6.
Section
422.12E,
subsection
1,
Code
2017,
is
amended
25
to
read
as
follows:
26
1.
For
tax
years
beginning
on
or
after
January
1,
2019,
27
there
shall
be
allowed
no
more
than
four
income
tax
return
28
checkoffs
on
each
income
tax
return.
For
tax
years
beginning
29
on
or
after
January
1,
2017,
when
the
same
four
income
tax
30
return
checkoffs
have
been
provided
on
the
income
tax
return
31
for
two
consecutive
years,
the
two
checkoffs
for
which
the
32
least
amount
has
been
contributed,
in
the
aggregate
for
the
33
first
tax
year
and
through
March
15
of
the
second
tax
year,
are
34
repealed.
This
section
does
not
apply
to
the
income
tax
return
35
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checkoff
checkoffs
provided
in
section
sections
68A.601
and
1
68A.610
.
2
Sec.
7.
NEW
SECTION
.
422.12N
Income
tax
checkoff
for
Iowa
3
election
fund.
4
A
person
who
files
an
individual
or
a
joint
income
tax
5
return
with
the
department
of
revenue
under
section
422.13
may,
6
pursuant
to
section
68A.610,
designate
a
contribution
to
the
7
Iowa
elections
fund
established
in
section
68A.802.
8
Sec.
8.
APPLICABILITY.
This
Act
applies
beginning
with
9
the
general
election
in
November
2018,
and
its
related
primary
10
election,
and
to
all
subsequent
general
and
primary
elections.
11
EXPLANATION
12
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
13
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
14
This
bill
establishes
a
fund
within
the
state
treasurer’s
15
office,
administered
by
the
Iowa
ethics
and
campaign
disclosure
16
board.
The
bill
appropriates
$2.25
million
annually
to
the
17
fund
for
the
fiscal
period
beginning
July
1,
2017,
and
ending
18
June
30,
2020.
Beginning
in
fiscal
year
2020-2021,
the
bill
19
appropriates
an
amount
sufficient
to
restore
the
fund
to
a
20
balance
of
$4.5
million.
Effective
with
the
2018
election
21
cycle,
the
board
shall
match
contributions
to
a
candidate
who
22
receives
a
contribution
in
an
amount
of
$100
or
less
from
23
eligible
electors
residing
in
the
candidate’s
district,
up
to
a
24
maximum
of
$5,000
per
primary
election
and
$5,000
per
general
25
election
for
the
house
of
representatives;
$10,000
per
primary
26
election
and
$10,000
per
general
election
for
the
senate;
and
27
$100,000
per
primary
election
and
$100,000
per
general
election
28
for
statewide
elective
offices,
if
the
candidate
is
opposed
on
29
the
ballot.
30
The
bill
provides
that
public
contributions
provided
under
31
the
bill
shall
not
be
transferred
to
a
political
committee.
32
Any
unspent
contributions
shall
be
returned
to
the
Iowa
33
elections
fund
when
a
candidate’s
committee
is
closed,
up
to
34
the
amount
received
by
the
candidate
in
the
last
election
cycle
35
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during
which
the
candidate
received
a
public
contribution.
1
The
bill
enacts
new
Code
section
68A.610,
which
establishes
2
a
$5
income
tax
checkoff
($10
for
joint
filers)
for
deposit
in
3
the
fund,
paid
out
of
any
refund
owed
the
taxpayer.
4
The
bill
provides
for
several
sources
of
revenue
for
the
Iowa
5
elections
fund:
6
1.
Moneys
credited
to
the
fund
pursuant
to
the
checkoff
in
7
new
Code
section
68A.610.
8
2.
Moneys
distributed
to
any
candidate
who
does
not
remain
a
9
candidate.
10
3.
Civil
penalties.
11
4.
Voluntary
donations.
12
5.
Any
other
sources
of
revenue
designated
by
the
general
13
assembly.
14
The
bill
applies
to
the
general
election
held
in
November
15
2018,
and
the
related
primary
election,
and
to
all
subsequent
16
general
and
primary
elections.
17
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