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February 28, 2020 - Introduced by Representatives Brostoff, Cabrera, Anderson,
Hebl, Stubbs, Emerson, Bowen, Spreitzer, Shankland, Neubauer,
Considine and Sinicki, cosponsored by Senators Larson and Smith. Referred
to Committee on Campaigns and Elections.
AB972,1,5 1An Act to create 11.0101 (25) (a) 3., subchapter XV of chapter 11 [precedes
211.1500], 20.521 (1) (r), 20.585 (1) (q), 20.585 (1) (r), 20.855 (4) (ba), 20.855 (4)
3(bb), 25.17 (1) (cm), 25.421 and 71.10 (3) of the statutes; relating to: the
4definition of political action committee for campaign finance purposes, public
5financing of campaigns, and making an appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under this bill, for campaign finance purposes, a political action committee
includes a person, other than an individual, that spends more than $1,000 in a
12-month period on expenditures for express advocacy or communications that are
susceptible to no reasonable interpretation other than an appeal to vote for or against
a candidate, expenditures made to support or defeat a referendum, and contributions
made to a candidate committee, legislative campaign committee, or political party.
Current law provides that a political action committee is a person, other than
an individual, that either has express advocacy as its major purpose or spends more
than 50 percent of its total spending in a 12-month period on expenditures for
express advocacy, expenditures made to support or defeat a referendum, and
contributions made to a candidate committee, legislative campaign committee, or
political party.
The bill also creates a public campaign financing trust fund from which eligible
candidates may receive amounts to finance their campaigns. Under the bill a
candidate may apply to the Ethics Commission to receive public campaign financing.

The candidate is eligible to receive the financing if he or she agrees to to accept
contributions totalling no more than $100 from any single contributor and accepts
no other contributions. The amount of public financing that a candidate may receive
is equal to six times the amount of the contributions received by the candidate, not
including amounts that the candidate contributes from his or her personal funds.
A candidate who is not in compliance with the campaign finance laws is not eligible
for financing.
Finally, the bill provides that any individual filing a state income tax return
who has a tax liability or who is entitled to a refund may designate $2 for the public
campaign financing trust fund. The designation does not increase an individual's tax
liability or reduce an individual's refund. If the total designations are not sufficient
to fully fund the costs of public campaign financing, including administrative costs,
the bill appropriates additional moneys to finance those costs.
For further information see the state 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:
AB972,1 1Section 1 . 11.0101 (25) (a) 3. of the statutes is created to read:
AB972,2,82 11.0101 (25) (a) 3. It spends more than $1,000 in a 12-month period on
3expenditures for express advocacy or communications that are susceptible to no
4reasonable interpretation other than an appeal to vote for or against a candidate,
5expenditures made to support or defeat a referendum, and contributions made to a
6candidate committee, legislative campaign committee, or political party. In this
7subdivision, spending does not include a committee's fundraising or administrative
8expenses.
AB972,2 9Section 2 . Subchapter XV of chapter 11 [precedes 11.1500] of the statutes is
10created to read:
AB972,2,1111 chapter 11
AB972,2,1212 subchapter XV
AB972,2,1313 Public Campaign financing
AB972,3,8
111.1500 Public financing. (1) A candidate may apply to the commission, in
2the manner prescribed by the commission, to receive public financing of the
3candidate's campaign. A candidate may receive public financing under this
4subchapter if the candidate agrees to accept contributions totalling no more than
5$100 from any single contributor and accepts no other contributions, except as
6provided under sub. (3). If the commission approves the candidate's application, the
7commission shall certify to the state treasurer the amount of public financing that
8the candidate shall receive from the public campaign financing trust fund.
AB972,3,12 9(2) The state treasurer shall pay to any candidate who agrees to accept
10contributions as provided under sub. (1) an amount equal to the amount of
11contributions received by the candidate as provided under sub. (1), multiplied by 6,
12as certified by the commission.
AB972,3,15 13(3) A candidate who accepts public financing under this subchapter may
14contribute his or her personal funds to the candidate's campaign, but those amounts
15do not count towards the determination of public financing under this subchapter.
AB972,3,18 16(4) No candidate who is out of compliance with the requirements and
17limitations provided in this chapter may receive public financing under this
18subchapter.
AB972,3 19Section 3. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert
20the following amounts for the purposes indicated: - See PDF for table PDF - See PDF for table PDF - See PDF for table PDF - See PDF for table PDF - See PDF for table PDF - See PDF for table PDF
AB972,4 1Section 4 . 20.521 (1) (r) of the statutes is created to read:
AB972,4,42 20.521 (1) (r) Public campaign financing administration. From the public
3campaign financing trust fund, the amounts in the schedule for the administration
4of subch. XV of ch. 11.
AB972,5 5Section 5 . 20.585 (1) (q) of the statutes is created to read:
AB972,5,3
120.585 (1) (q) Public campaign financing. From the public campaign financing
2trust fund, a sum sufficient to provide for payment of public financing to eligible
3candidates under subch. XV of ch. 11.
AB972,6 4Section 6 . 20.585 (1) (r) of the statutes is created to read:
AB972,5,75 20.585 (1) (r) Public campaign financing administration. From the public
6campaign financing trust fund, the amounts in the schedule for the administration
7of subch. XV of ch. 11.
AB972,7 8Section 7 . 20.855 (4) (ba) of the statutes is created to read:
AB972,5,119 20.855 (4) (ba) Public campaign financing trust fund payments. A sum
10sufficient equal to the amounts certified under s. 71.10 (3) to be paid into the public
11campaign financing trust fund annually on August 15.
AB972,8 12Section 8 . 20.855 (4) (bb) of the statutes is created to read:
AB972,5,1713 20.855 (4) (bb) Public campaign financing trust fund transfer. A sum sufficient
14equal to the difference between the unencumbered balance in the public campaign
15financing trust fund and the amounts required to provide public financing that
16candidates qualify to receive from the public campaign financing trust fund, to be
17transferred to the public campaign financing trust fund.
AB972,9 18Section 9 . 25.17 (1) (cm) of the statutes is created to read:
AB972,5,1919 25.17 (1) (cm) Public campaign financing trust fund (s. 25.421);
AB972,10 20Section 10 . 25.421 of the statutes is created to read:
AB972,5,23 2125.421 Public campaign financing trust fund. All moneys appropriated
22under s. 20.855 (4) (ba) and (bb) constitute the public campaign financing trust fund
23trust fund, to be expended for the purposes of subch. XV of ch. 11.
AB972,11 24Section 11 . 71.10 (3) of the statutes is created to read:
AB972,6,5
171.10 (3) Campaign fund. (a) Every individual filing an income tax return who
2has a tax liability or is entitled to a tax refund may designate $2 for the public
3campaign financing trust fund for the use of eligible candidates under s. 11.1500. If
4the individuals filing a joint return have a tax liability or are entitled to a tax refund,
5each individual may make a designation of $2 under this subsection.
AB972,6,136 (b) The secretary of revenue shall provide a place for those designations on the
7face of the individual income tax return and shall provide next to that place a
8statement that a designation will not increase tax liability. Annually, on August 15,
9the secretary of revenue shall certify to the ethics commission, the department of
10administration, and the state treasurer the total amount of designations made
11during the preceding fiscal year. If any individual attempts to place any condition
12or restriction upon a designation, that individual is deemed not to have made a
13designation on his or her tax return.
AB972,6,1514 (c) The names of persons making designations under this subsection shall be
15strictly confidential.
AB972,12 16Section 12 . Initial applicability.
AB972,6,2117 (1) The treatment of s. 71.10 (3) first applies to taxable years beginning on
18January 1 of the year in which this subsection takes effect, except that if this
19subsection takes effect after July 31, the treatment first applies to taxable years
20beginning on January 1 of the year following the year in which this subsection takes
21effect.
AB972,6,2222 (End)
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