House File 67 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 67 BY BRECKENRIDGE A BILL FOR An Act limiting campaign contributions to certain candidates 1 and making civil and criminal penalties applicable. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 1595YH (1) 89 ss/jh

H.F. 67 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 68A.507 Contribution limits for 1 candidates. 2 1. For the purposes of this section, “election campaign 3 cycle” means the time period between elections for a particular 4 office. Each primary, general, and special election is a 5 separate election campaign cycle. Separate contribution limits 6 for each type of election for a particular office, including 7 primary, general, and special elections, apply in an election 8 campaign cycle. 9 2. A person shall not make, and a candidate, candidate’s 10 committee, or anyone acting on behalf of any candidate or 11 candidate’s committee shall not accept, any contribution which 12 will cause the total amount of the person’s contributions to 13 a candidate or candidate’s committee to exceed the following 14 amounts for an election campaign cycle: 15 a. From a political committee that contributes to five or 16 more candidates, five thousand dollars. 17 b. From a political committee that contributes to fewer than 18 five candidates, two thousand seven hundred dollars. 19 c. From a national political party, state statutory 20 political committee, or county statutory political committee, 21 five thousand dollars. 22 d. From any other person, two thousand seven hundred 23 dollars. 24 3. This section applies to candidates for state senator, 25 state representative, and the office of a statewide elected 26 official as defined in section 68B.2. 27 EXPLANATION 28 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 29 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 30 This bill imposes campaign contribution limits on candidates 31 for state senator or representative and candidates for 32 statewide elected office. In an election campaign cycle, 33 a political committee that contributes to five or more 34 candidates shall not contribute more than $5,000 to one 35 -1- LSB 1595YH (1) 89 ss/jh 1/ 2

H.F. 67 candidate; a political committee that contributes to fewer 1 than five candidates shall not contribute more than $2,700 to 2 one candidate; a national political party, state statutory 3 political committee, or county statutory political committee 4 shall not contribute more than $5,000; and no other person 5 shall contribute more than $2,700. 6 A person who willfully violates the bill is, pursuant to Code 7 section 68A.701, guilty of a serious misdemeanor. A serious 8 misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more than one 9 year and a fine of at least $430 but not more than $2,560. 10 A variety of civil remedies are also available in Code 11 section 68B.32D for a violation of the bill, ranging from a 12 reprimand to a civil penalty of not more than $2,000. 13 -2- LSB 1595YH (1) 89 ss/jh 2/ 2