LRB-2516/2
JK:cjs
2019 - 2020 LEGISLATURE
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.