LRB-2516/2

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2019 - 2020 LEGISLATURE

2019 Assembly BILL 972

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 An Act to create 11.0101 (25) (a) 3., subchapter XV of chapter 11 [precedes 11.1500], 20.521 (1) (r), 20.585 (1) (q), 20.585 (1) (r), 20.855 (4) (ba), 20.855 (4) (bb), 25.17 (1) (cm), 25.421 and 71.10 (3) of the statutes; relating to: the definition of political action committee for campaign finance purposes, public financing 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.