SB75: Bill Text

2019 Senate BILL 75

March 1, 2019 - Introduced by Senators Larson, Carpenter and Johnson, cosponsored by Representatives Sargent, Anderson, Brostoff, Cabrera, Crowley, Emerson, Ohnstad, Shankland, Sinicki, Subeck, C. Taylor, Vruwink and Zamarripa. Referred to Committee on Elections, Ethics and Rural Issues.

SB75,1,3 An Act to amend 11.1112; and to repeal and recreate 11.1104 of the statutes; relating to: establishing campaign contribution limits for contributions to certain persons.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Current law allows unlimited campaign contributions to certain entities, such as political action committees, legislative campaign committees, and political parties. This bill limits those contributions from any one person to $10,000 for each such entity, except that the bill retains the unlimited contributions under current law for contributions that a candidate makes to his or her candidate committee from the candidate's personal funds.

Current law allows a political party or legislative campaign committee to establish a segregated fund to use for general purposes, but not for making contributions to a candidate committee or for making disbursements for express advocacy. Persons other than a political action committee, corporation, cooperative, labor organization, or tribe may make unlimited contributions to the segregated fund. A political action committee, corporation, cooperative, labor organization, or tribe may make a contribution to the fund in amounts not to exceed $12,000 in the aggregate in a calendar year. The bill eliminates the provision allowing a political party or legislative campaign committee to establish such a fund.

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

SB75,1 Section 1. 11.1104 of the statutes is repealed and recreated to read:

SB75,2,4 11.1104 Exceptions. (1) For the period beginning on the day after the day of the general election and ending on the day of the next general election, no person may make any of the following contributions in a total amount exceeding $10,000:

SB75,2,5 (a) Contributions to a political action committee.

SB75,2,6 (b) Contributions transferred between political action committees.

SB75,2,7 (c) Contributions to a legislative campaign committee.

SB75,2,8 (d) Contributions to a political party.

SB75,2,10 (e) Contributions made by a political party or legislative campaign committee to a candidate committee.

SB75,2,12 (f) Contributions transferred between the candidates for governor and lieutenant governor of the same political party.

SB75,2,14 (g) Contributions used to pay legal fees and other expenses incurred as a result of a recount under s. 9.01.

SB75,2,18 (h) Contributions used to pay legal fees and other expenses incurred in connection with or in response to circulating, offering to file, or filing a petition to recall an office holder prior to the time that a recall primary or election is ordered, or after that time if incurred to contest or defend the order.

SB75,2,19 (i) Contributions to a recall committee.

SB75,2,20 (j) Contributions to a referendum committee.

SB75,2,21 (k) Contributions to an independent expenditure committee.

SB75,2,24 (2) A candidate may make unlimited contributions from the candidate's personal funds or property or the personal funds or property that are owned jointly or as marital property with the candidate's spouse to his or her candidate committee.

SB75,2 Section 2. 11.1112 of the statutes is amended to read:

SB75,3,6 11.1112 Corporations, cooperatives, and tribes. No foreign or domestic corporation, no association organized under ch. 185 or 193, no labor organization, and no federally recognized American Indian Tribe may make a contribution to a committee, other than an independent expenditure committee or referendum committee, but may make a contribution to a segregated fund as provided under s. 11.1104 (6) in amounts not to exceed $12,000 in the aggregate in a calendar year.

SB75,3 Section 3. Initial applicability.

SB75,3,8 (1) This act first applies to contributions made on January 1, 2020.

SB75,3,9 (End)