Sen. Don Harmon

Filed: 3/26/2012

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 3722

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 3722 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing
5Section 9-8.5 as follows:
 
6    (10 ILCS 5/9-8.5)
7    Sec. 9-8.5. Limitations on campaign contributions.
8    (a) It is unlawful for a political committee to accept
9contributions except as provided in this Section.
10    (b) During an election cycle, a candidate political
11committee may not accept contributions with an aggregate value
12over the following: (i) $5,000 from any individual, (ii)
13$10,000 from any corporation, labor organization, or
14association, or (iii) $50,000 from a candidate political
15committee or political action committee. A candidate political
16committee may accept contributions in any amount from a

 

 

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1political party committee except during an election cycle in
2which the candidate seeks nomination at a primary election.
3During an election cycle in which the candidate seeks
4nomination at a primary election, a candidate political
5committee may not accept contributions from political party
6committees with an aggregate value over the following: (i)
7$200,000 for a candidate political committee established to
8support a candidate seeking nomination to statewide office,
9(ii) $125,000 for a candidate political committee established
10to support a candidate seeking nomination to the Senate, the
11Supreme Court or Appellate Court in the First Judicial
12District, or an office elected by all voters in a county with
131,000,000 or more residents, (iii) $75,000 for a candidate
14political committee established to support a candidate seeking
15nomination to the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court
16or Appellate Court for a Judicial District other than the First
17Judicial District, an office elected by all voters of a county
18of fewer than 1,000,000 residents, and municipal and county
19offices in Cook County other than those elected by all voters
20of Cook County, and (iv) $50,000 for a candidate political
21committee established to support the nomination of a candidate
22to any other office. A candidate political committee
23established to elect a candidate to the General Assembly may
24accept contributions from only one legislative caucus
25committee. A candidate political committee may not accept
26contributions from a ballot initiative committee.

 

 

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1    (c) During an election cycle, a political party committee
2may not accept contributions with an aggregate value over the
3following: (i) $10,000 from any individual, (ii) $20,000 from
4any corporation, labor organization, or association, or (iii)
5$50,000 from a political action committee. A political party
6committee may accept contributions in any amount from another
7political party committee or a candidate political committee,
8except as provided in subsection (c-5). Nothing in this Section
9shall limit the amounts that may be transferred between a State
10political committee and federal political committee. A
11political party committee may not accept contributions from a
12ballot initiative committee. A political party committee
13established by a legislative caucus may not accept
14contributions from another political party committee
15established by a legislative caucus.
16    (c-5) During the period beginning on the date candidates
17may begin circulating petitions for a primary election and
18ending on the day of the primary election, a political party
19committee may not accept contributions with an aggregate value
20over $50,000 from a candidate political committee or political
21party committee. A political party committee may accept
22contributions in any amount from a candidate political
23committee or political party committee if the political party
24committee receiving the contribution filed a statement of
25nonparticipation in the primary as provided in subsection
26(c-10). The Task Force on Campaign Finance Reform shall study

 

 

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1and make recommendations on the provisions of this subsection
2to the Governor and General Assembly by September 30, 2012.
3This subsection becomes inoperative on July 1, 2013 and
4thereafter no longer applies.
5    (c-10) A political party committee that does not intend to
6make contributions to candidates to be nominated at a general
7primary election or consolidated primary election may file a
8Statement of Nonparticipation in a Primary Election with the
9Board. The Statement of Nonparticipation shall include a
10verification signed by the chairperson and treasurer of the
11committee that (i) the committee will not make contributions or
12coordinated expenditures in support of or opposition to a
13candidate or candidates to be nominated at the general primary
14election or consolidated primary election (select one) to be
15held on (insert date), (ii) the political party committee may
16accept unlimited contributions from candidate political
17committees and political party committees, provided that the
18political party committee does not make contributions to a
19candidate or candidates to be nominated at the primary
20election, and (iii) failure to abide by these requirements
21shall deem the political party committee in violation of this
22Article and subject the committee to a fine of no more than
23150% of the total contributions or coordinated expenditures
24made by the committee in violation of this Article. This
25subsection becomes inoperative on July 1, 2013 and thereafter
26no longer applies.

 

 

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1    (d) During an election cycle, a political action committee
2may not accept contributions with an aggregate value over the
3following: (i) $10,000 from any individual, (ii) $20,000 from
4any corporation, labor organization, political party
5committee, or association, or (iii) $50,000 from a political
6action committee or candidate political committee. A political
7action committee may not accept contributions from a ballot
8initiative committee.
9    (e) A ballot initiative committee may accept contributions
10in any amount from any source, provided that the committee
11files the document required by Section 9-3 of this Article.
12    (f) Nothing in this Section shall prohibit a political
13committee from dividing the proceeds of joint fundraising
14efforts; provided that no political committee may receive more
15than the limit from any one contributor.
16    (g) On January 1 of each odd-numbered year, the State Board
17of Elections shall adjust the amounts of the contribution
18limitations established in this Section for inflation as
19determined by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers
20as issued by the United States Department of Labor and rounded
21to the nearest $100. The State Board shall publish this
22information on its official website.
23    (h) Self-funding candidates. If a public official, a
24candidate, or the public official's or candidate's immediate
25family contributes or loans to the public official's or
26candidate's political committee or to other political

 

 

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1committees that transfer funds to the public official's or
2candidate's political committee or makes independent
3expenditures for the benefit of the public official's or
4candidate's campaign during the 12 months prior to an election
5in an aggregate amount of more than (i) $250,000 for statewide
6office or (ii) $100,000 for all other elective offices, then
7the public official or candidate shall file with the State
8Board of Elections, within one day, a Notification of
9Self-funding that shall detail each contribution or loan made
10by the public official, the candidate, or the public official's
11or candidate's immediate family. Within 2 business days after
12the filing of a Notification of Self-funding, the notification
13shall be posted on the Board's website and the Board shall give
14official notice of the filing to each candidate for the same
15office as the public official or candidate making the filing,
16including the public official or candidate filing the
17Notification of Self-funding. Upon receiving notice from the
18Board, all candidates for that office, including the public
19official or candidate who filed a Notification of Self-funding,
20shall be permitted to accept contributions in excess of any
21contribution limits imposed by subsection (b). For the purposes
22of this subsection, "immediate family" means the spouse,
23parent, or child of a public official or candidate.
24    (i) For the purposes of this Section, a corporation, labor
25organization, association, or a political action committee
26established by a corporation, labor organization, or

 

 

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1association may act as a conduit in facilitating the delivery
2to a political action committee of contributions made through
3dues, levies, or similar assessments and the political action
4committee may report the contributions in the aggregate,
5provided that: (i) contributions made through the dues, levies,
6or similar assessments paid by any natural person, corporation,
7labor organization, or association in a calendar year may not
8exceed the limits set forth in this Section; and (ii) the
9corporation, labor organization, association, or a political
10action committee established by a corporation, labor
11organization, or association facilitating the delivery of
12contributions maintains a list of natural persons,
13corporations, labor organizations, and associations that paid
14the dues, levies, or similar assessments from which the
15contributions comprising the aggregate amount derive; and
16(iii) contributions made through dues, levies, or similar
17assessments paid by any natural person, corporation, labor
18organization, or association that exceed $1,500 in a calendar
19year shall be itemized on the committee's quarterly report for
20the quarter in which the $1,500 limit is exceeded. A political
21action committee facilitating the delivery of contributions or
22receiving contributions shall disclose the amount of
23contributions made through dues delivered or received and the
24name of the corporation, labor organization, association, or
25political action committee delivering the contributions, if
26applicable. On January 1 of each odd-numbered year, the State

 

 

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1Board of Elections shall adjust the amounts of the contribution
2limitations established in this subsection for inflation as
3determined by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers
4as issued by the United States Department of Labor and rounded
5to the nearest $100. The State Board shall publish this
6information on its official website.
7    (j) A political committee that receives a contribution or
8transfer in violation of this Section shall dispose of the
9contribution or transfer by returning the contribution or
10transfer, or an amount equal to the contribution or transfer,
11to the contributor or transferor or donating the contribution
12or transfer, or an amount equal to the contribution or
13transfer, to a charity. A contribution or transfer received in
14violation of this Section that is not disposed of as provided
15in this subsection within 15 days after its receipt shall
16escheat to the General Revenue Fund and the political committee
17shall be deemed in violation of this Section and subject to a
18civil penalty not to exceed 150% of the total amount of the
19contribution.
20    (k) For the purposes of this Section, "statewide office"
21means the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General,
22Secretary of State, Comptroller, and Treasurer.
23    (l) This Section is repealed if and when the United States
24Supreme Court invalidates contribution limits on committees
25formed to assist candidates, political parties, corporations,
26associations, or labor organizations established by or

 

 

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1pursuant to federal law.
2(Source: P.A. 96-832, eff. 1-1-11.)
 
3    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
4becoming law.".