AB853: Bill Text

LRB-2430/1

JK:cdc/skw/cjs

2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE

2023 Assembly BILL 853

December 22, 2023 - Introduced by Representatives Gundrum, Michalski, C. Anderson, Bodden, Goeben, Moses, Plumer and Rettinger, cosponsored by Senators Knodl and Tomczyk. Referred to Committee on Campaigns and Elections.

AB853,1,9 An Act to repeal 11.0101 (14); to amend 11.0101 (1) (a) 1., 11.0101 (1) (a) 2., 11.0101 (34), 11.0102 (title), 11.0102 (2) (a), 11.0102 (2) (b), 11.0103 (1) (b), 11.0103 (3) (b), 11.0104 (1) (a), 11.0104 (1) (d), 11.0104 (2), 11.0105 (1) (a), 11.0202 (1) (a), 11.0203 (1) (c), 11.0204 (7), 11.0304 (7), 11.0404 (4), 11.1101 (1) (h) 2., 11.1101 (2) (h) 2., 11.1101 (3) (k) 2., 11.1101 (4) (k) 2., 11.1106 (3), 11.1201, 11.1304 (1), 11.1304 (5), 11.1304 (6) (a), 202.12 (5) (a) 2., 755.01 (2) and 755.01 (4); to repeal and recreate 11.0102 (1) and 11.0102 (3); and to create 5.02 (4v) of the statutes; relating to: local candidates filing campaign finance reports and making an appropriation.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Current law requires committees that support or oppose candidates for elective state offices to register with, and submit campaign finance reports to, the Ethics Commission. Generally, those committees submit reports electronically to the commission by using the commission's campaign finance information system. Generally, campaign finance reports entered into CFIS are readily available for public inspection on the commission's website.

Under current law, committees that support or oppose candidates for elective local offices register with, and submit campaign finance reports to the appropriate local clerk and the local clerks are required to develop and maintain a filing, coding, and cross-indexing system for those reports.

This bill requires all committees, political parties, and conduits to register with, and submit campaign finance reports to, the Ethics Commission through, CFIS.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB853,1 Section 1 . 5.02 (4v) of the statutes is created to read:

AB853,2,2 5.02 (4v) For purposes of chs. 5 to 10 and 12, “filing officer” means the following:

AB853,2,4 (a) For a candidate for state office, as defined in s. 5.02 (23), the elections commission.

AB853,2,6 (b) For a candidate seeking local office, the clerk of the most populous jurisdiction for which the candidate seeks office.

AB853,2,9 (c) For a candidate for municipal judge elected under s. 755.01 (4), the county clerk or board of election commissioners of the county having the largest portion of the population in the jurisdiction served by the judge.

AB853,2,10 (d) For a candidate for school board member, the school district clerk.

AB853,2 Section 2 . 11.0101 (1) (a) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB853,2,13 11.0101 (1) (a) 1. Files nomination papers with the appropriate filing officer, as determined under s. 5.02 (4v).

AB853,3 Section 3 . 11.0101 (1) (a) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB853,2,17 11.0101 (1) (a) 2. Is nominated as a candidate for state or local office by a caucus under s. 8.05 (1) or by a political party and the nomination is certified to the appropriate filing officer, as determined under s. 5.02 (4v).

AB853,4 Section 4 . 11.0101 (14) of the statutes is repealed.

AB853,5 Section 5 . 11.0101 (34) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB853,3,2 11.0101 (34) “Treasurer" means the individual who registers a committee with a filing officer the commission and who makes reports on behalf of the committee.

AB853,6 Section 6 . 11.0102 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB853,3,4 11.0102 (title) Determination of filing officer and duty Duty to file; fees.

AB853,7 Section 7 . 11.0102 (1) of the statutes is repealed and recreated to read:

AB853,3,8 11.0102 (1) Each committee and conduit required to register and report under this chapter shall have and shall file each registration statement and report required under this chapter with the commission.

AB853,8 Section 8 . 11.0102 (2) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB853,3,15 11.0102 (2) (a) Except as provided in pars. (c) and (d), each committee that is required to register and file with the commission under sub. (1) (a) shall annually pay a filing fee of $100 to the commission. The commission may accept payment under this subsection by credit card, debit card, or other electronic payment mechanism, and may charge a surcharge to that committee to recover the actual costs associated with the acceptance of that electronic payment.

AB853,9 Section 9 . 11.0102 (2) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB853,3,23 11.0102 (2) (b) A committee that is subject to par. (a) shall pay the fee specified in par. (a) together with the report filed by that committee on the 15th day of the month of January in each year. If a committee that is subject to par. (a) registers under this chapter or changes status so that par. (a) becomes applicable to the committee during a calendar year, the committee shall pay the fee for that year with the filing of the committee's registration statement or at any time before the change in status becomes effective.

AB853,10 Section 10 . 11.0102 (3) of the statutes is repealed and recreated to read:

AB853,4,5 11.0102 (3) A filing officer, as defined under s. 5.02 (4v) (b) to (d), shall notify the commission, in writing, of any facts within the filing officer's knowledge or evidence in the officer's possession that may be grounds for civil action or criminal prosecution. The commission may transmit a copy of the notification submitted under this paragraph to the district attorney.

AB853,11 Section 11 . 11.0103 (1) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB853,4,9 11.0103 (1) (b) Failure to receive a form or notice from a filing officer the commission does not exempt a committee or conduit from a reporting requirement under this chapter.

AB853,12 Section 12 . 11.0103 (3) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB853,4,14 11.0103 (3) (b) Each committee shall ensure that each report is filed with the appropriate filing officer commission on the dates designated in this chapter. In the event that any report is required to be filed under this chapter on a nonbusiness day, a committee may file the report on the next business day thereafter.

AB853,13 Section 13 . 11.0104 (1) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB853,4,24 11.0104 (1) (a) Except as provided in par. (bm), any committee which does not anticipate accepting or making contributions, making disbursements, or incurring obligations, and any conduit which does not anticipate accepting or releasing contributions, in an aggregate amount exceeding $2,500 in a calendar year may claim an exemption from filing campaign finance reports by filing a registration statement or an amended registration statement with the appropriate filing officer commission indicating the necessary facts, as described in this paragraph, to claim the exemption. The committee or conduit shall certify the registration statement or amended registration statement in the manner required under s. 11.0103 (3) (c).

AB853,14 Section 14 . 11.0104 (1) (d) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB853,5,7 11.0104 (1) (d) If a filing officer the commission receives a registration statement or amended registration statement seeking to claim the exemption under par. (a) and the filing officer commission knows that the candidate committee is not eligible for the exemption, the filing officer commission shall accept the registration but notify the committee within 10 business days that it is not eligible for the exemption for that calendar year. The notice shall also indicate that the committee is required to file campaign finance reports.

AB853,15 Section 15 . 11.0104 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB853,5,15 11.0104 (2) Upon receipt of a properly executed registration statement or amended registration statement by a committee or conduit, the appropriate filing officer commission shall suspend the requirement imposed upon that committee or conduit by this chapter to file campaign finance reports. An exemption under this section is effective as provided under sub. (1) (bm) unless the committee or conduit alters its status by filing an amended registration statement before the end of such year or by filing a termination report under s. 11.0105.

AB853,16 Section 16 . 11.0105 (1) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB853,6,2 11.0105 (1) (a) Except as provided in par. (b), whenever any committee or conduit dissolves or determines that obligations will no longer be incurred, contributions will no longer be received or, in the case of a conduit, accepted and released, and disbursements will no longer be made during a calendar year, and the committee has no outstanding incurred obligations, the committee or conduit shall file with the appropriate filing officer commission a termination report that indicates a cash balance of zero at the end of the reporting period. The committee or conduit shall certify the termination report in the manner required under s. 11.0103 (3) (c) and the committee shall include the information required to be reported by that committee on its continuing reports.

AB853,17 Section 17 . 11.0202 (1) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB853,6,7 11.0202 (1) (a) Each candidate, through his or her candidate committee, shall file a registration statement with the appropriate filing officer commission giving the information required under s. 11.0203 as soon as practicable after the individual qualifies as a candidate under s. 11.0101 (1).