LRB-4441/1
JK:amn&emw
2021 - 2022 LEGISLATURE
September 10, 2021 - Introduced by Representatives Sinicki, Subeck, Brostoff,
Anderson, Andraca, Baldeh, Cabrera, Conley, Considine, Hebl,
Hesselbein, Milroy, Neubauer, Ohnstad, Pope, Shankland, Shelton and
Snodgrass, cosponsored by Senators Larson,
Agard, Carpenter and
Johnson. Referred to Committee on Campaigns and Elections.
AB531,1,4
1An Act to amend 11.1101 (figure), 11.1101 (1) (intro.), 11.1101 (1) (a), 11.1101
2(2) (intro.), 11.1101 (2) (a), 11.1101 (3), 11.1101 (4), 11.1103, 11.1112 and 11.1113
3(3) (b);
to repeal and recreate 11.1104; and
to create 11.1101 (5) and 11.1204
4(4) of the statutes;
relating to: campaign contribution limits.
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, but prohibits a political action committee from contributing more than
$12,000 in any calendar year to a political party or legislative campaign committee.
This bill limits the contributions that an individual may make to a political party or
legislative campaign committee to the amounts that an individual may make to a
candidate committee, as provided under the bill. The bill also limits the contributions
that a political party or legislative campaign committee may make to a candidate
committee to the amounts that an individual may make to a candidate committee,
as provided under the bill. In addition, the bill limits the contributions that a
candidate committee may make to a political party or legislative campaign
committee to the amounts that the candidate committee may make under current
law to another candidate committee but 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.
The bill also decreases the individual and candidate committee contribution
limit from $20,000 to $10,000 for contributions made to candidates for governor,
lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general, state
superintendent, or justice of the supreme court and reduces by half the limits that
apply to political action committee contributions to candidates. The limits under the
bill are the same, generally, as those that applied to political action committee
contributions prior to 2016.
Finally, 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 American Indian tribe may make unlimited contributions to
the segregated fund. A political action committee, corporation, cooperative, labor
organization, or American Indian 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:
AB531,1
1Section
1. 11.1101 (figure) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB531,2
17Section
2. 11.1101 (1) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB531,3,2118
11.1101
(1) Individual limits. (intro.) An individual may contribute to a
19candidate committee
, political party, or legislative campaign committee no more
20than the following amounts specified for
the
a candidate whose nomination or
21election the
individual committee supports [See Figure 11.1101 following]:
AB531,3
22Section
3. 11.1101 (1) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB531,3,2423
11.1101
(1) (a) Candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state,
24state treasurer, attorney general, state superintendent, or justice,
$20,000 $10,000.
AB531,4
25Section 4
. 11.1101 (2) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB531,3,3026
11.1101
(2) Candidate committees. (intro.) A candidate committee may
27contribute to another candidate committee
, a political party, or a legislative
28campaign committee no more than the following amounts specified for
the a 29candidate whose nomination or election the
other candidate committee
, political
30party, or legislative campaign committee supports [See Figure 11.1101 following]:
AB531,5
31Section
5. 11.1101 (2) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB531,3,3332
11.1101
(2) (a) Candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state,
33state treasurer, attorney general, state superintendent, or justice,
$20,000 $10,000.
AB531,6
34Section
6. 11.1101 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB531,4,235
11.1101
(3) Political action committees. A political action committee may
36contribute to a
political party or legislative campaign committee no more than
37$12,000 in any calendar year, and to a candidate committee no more than the
1following amounts specified for the candidate whose nomination or election the
2committee supports [See Figure 11.1101 following]:
AB531,4,33
(a) Candidates for governor,
$86,000 $43,000.
AB531,4,44
(b) Candidates for lieutenant governor,
$26,000
$13,000.
AB531,4,55
(c) Candidates for attorney general,
$44,000
$22,000.
AB531,4,76
(d) Candidates for secretary of state, state treasurer, state superintendent, or
7justice,
$18,000 $9,000.
AB531,4,88
(e) Candidates for state senator,
$2,000 $1,000.
AB531,4,99
(f) Candidates for representative to the assembly,
$1,000 $500.
AB531,4,1110
(g) Candidates for court of appeals judge in districts which contain a county
11having a population of more than 750,000,
$6,000
$3,000.
AB531,4,1212
(h) Candidates for court of appeals judge in other districts,
$5,000 $2,500.
AB531,4,1513
(i) Candidates for circuit judge in circuits having a population of more than
14300,000, or candidates for district attorney in prosecutorial units having a
15population of more than 300,000,
$6,000 $3,000.
AB531,4,1716
(j) Candidates for circuit judge in other circuits or candidates for district
17attorney in other prosecutorial units,
$2,000
$1,000.
AB531,4,1818
(k) Candidates for local offices, an amount equal to the greater of the following:
AB531,4,1919
1.
Four Two hundred dollars.
AB531,4,2320
2.
Two cents One cent times the number of inhabitants of the jurisdiction or
21district, according to the latest federal census or the census information on which the
22district is based, as certified by the appropriate filing officer, but not more than
23$5,000 $2,500.
AB531,7
24Section
7. 11.1101 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB531,5,5
111.1101
(4) Other persons. A person, other than a person subject to sub. (1),
2(2), or (3) or s. 11.1112, may contribute to a
political party or legislative campaign
3committee no more than $12,000 in any calendar year, and to a candidate committee
4no more than the following amounts specified for the candidate whose nomination
5or election the committee supports:
AB531,5,66
(a) Candidates for governor,
$86,000 $43,000.
AB531,5,77
(b) Candidates for lieutenant governor,
$26,000
$13,000.
AB531,5,88
(c) Candidates for attorney general,
$44,000
$22,000.
AB531,5,109
(d) Candidates for secretary of state, state treasurer, state superintendent, or
10justice,
$18,000 $9,000.
AB531,5,1111
(e) Candidates for state senator,
$2,000 $1,000.
AB531,5,1212
(f) Candidates for representative to the assembly,
$1,000 $500.
AB531,5,1413
(g) Candidates for court of appeals judge in districts that contain a county
14having a population of more than 750,000,
$6,000
$3,000.
AB531,5,1515
(h) Candidates for court of appeals judge in other districts,
$5,000 $2,500.
AB531,5,1816
(i) Candidates for circuit judge in circuits having a population of more than
17300,000, or candidates for district attorney in prosecutorial units having a
18population of more than 300,000,
$6,000 $3,000.
AB531,5,2019
(j) Candidates for circuit judge in other circuits or candidates for district
20attorney in other prosecutorial units,
$2,000
$1,000.
AB531,5,2121
(k) Candidates for local offices, an amount equal to the greater of the following:
