House File 148 - IntroducedA Bill ForAn Act 1relating to campaign finance, including disclosure
2report and contribution requirements, and making penalties
3applicable.
4BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1   Section 1.  Section 68A.402, subsection 2, paragraph a, Code
22021, is amended to read as follows:
   3a.  Election year.  A candidate’s committee of a candidate
4for statewide office, the general assembly, or county office
5shall file reports in an election year as follows:
6Report due:Covering period:
7May 19January 1 through May 14
8July 19May 15 or Wednesday
9preceding primary
10election through July 14
11September 19July 15 through September 14
12October 19July September 15 through October 14
13January 19 (nextOctober 15 or Wednesday
14calendar year)preceding general
15election through
16December 31
17   Sec. 2.  Section 68A.402A, Code 2021, is amended by adding
18the following new subsection:
19   NEW SUBSECTION.  3.  Each report filed under section 68A.402
20shall separate contributions received from sources within the
21state from contributions received from sources outside the
22state and shall include separate totals for contributions
23received from sources within the state and contributions
24received from sources outside the state.
25   Sec. 3.  Section 68A.502, subsection 3, Code 2021, is amended
26by adding the following new paragraph:
27   NEW PARAGRAPH.  d.  A contribution or expenditure made using
28a fictitious address.
29   Sec. 4.  NEW SECTION.  68A.507  Contributions by foreign
30nationals — prohibitions.
   311.  As provided in federal regulation 11 C.F.R. §110.20,
32a foreign national shall not directly or indirectly make a
33monetary or in-kind contribution, or specifically promise
34to make such a contribution, in connection with a state or
35local campaign or election in this state, to a candidate or
-1-1candidate’s committee organized under this chapter.
   22.  A candidate or candidate’s committee shall not knowingly
3accept or receive a contribution from a foreign national.
   43.  A person shall not knowingly accept a monetary donation
5from a foreign national for the purposes of making an
6independent expenditure.
   74.  A foreign national shall not directly or indirectly
8participate in the decision-making process of a person with
9regard to such person’s election-related activities. For the
10purposes of this section, “election-related activities” include
11the making of contributions, donations, or expenditures in
12connection with elections for state or local office, decisions
13regarding ballot issues, and the administration of a committee.
   145.  For the purposes of this section, “foreign national
15means the same as defined in section 68A.404, subsection 2.
16EXPLANATION
17The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
18the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   19This bill relates to campaign finance. The bill requires
20a candidate’s committee for a candidate for statewide office,
21the general assembly, or county office to file a disclosure
22report on September 19 of an election year to cover the period
23between July 15 and September 14. The bill changes the time
24period covered by the report filed on October 19 to September
2515 through October 14.
   26The bill requires a committee filing a report of
27contributions received to separate contributions received
28from sources within the state from contributions received
29from sources outside the state and to provide separate totals
30for each category. The bill also categorizes a contribution
31or expenditure made using a fictitious address as an illegal
32contribution or expenditure.
   33The bill prohibits a foreign national, currently defined
34in Code, from directly or indirectly making or specifically
35promising to make a monetary or in-kind contribution to a
-2-1candidate or candidate’s committee in connection with a state
2or local campaign or election in this state. The bill also
3prohibits candidates and candidate’s committees from accepting
4such contributions, and prohibits persons from knowingly
5accepting monetary donations from a foreign national for the
6purposes of making an independent expenditure.
   7The bill prohibits a foreign national from directly or
8indirectly participating in the decision-making process
9of a person with regard to such person’s election-related
10activities. The bill includes items that constitute
11election-related activities.
   12The bill codifies language currently found in the Iowa
13administrative code at 351 IAC 4.28.
   14By operation of law, a person who willfully violates a
15provision of the bill is guilty of a serious misdemeanor. A
16serious misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more
17than one year and a fine of at least $430 but not more than
18$2,560.
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