093_HB1680ham001

 










                                     LRB093 05868 BDD 14356 a

 1                    AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 1680

 2        AMENDMENT NO.     .  Amend House Bill 1680  by  replacing
 3    everything after the enacting clause with the following:

 4        "Section  5.  The  Election  Code  is amended by changing
 5    Section 9-10 and  by  adding  Sections  9-2.5  and  9-8.5  as
 6    follows:

 7        (10 ILCS 5/9-2.5 new)
 8        Sec. 9-2.5. Single political committee.
 9        (a)  No  public  official  or candidate for public office
10    may establish more than  one  political  committee  for  each
11    office  that  public  official  or  candidate  occupies or is
12    seeking.
13        (b)  Exploratory  committee.  A  public   official   with
14    committees  bound  by the limits of subsection (b) of Section
15    9-8.5 considering a candidacy for an office  covered  by  the
16    limits  of  subsection  (c)  of Section 9-8.5 must form a new
17    committee,  to  be  termed  an   exploratory   committee.   A
18    pre-existing  committee  created  for  the primary purpose of
19    aiding that candidate's election to other offices that ceases
20    all  fundraising  after  the  creation  of   an   exploratory
21    committee  may transfer funds without limit to an exploratory
22    committee, but an  exploratory  committee  may  not  transfer
 
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 1    funds to that candidate's pre-existing committees. Should the
 2    candidate  decide against running for the new office, fail to
 3    qualify for the ballot at the next election, or lose the next
 4    election,  any  remaining  funds  held  by  the   exploratory
 5    committee  shall  be  returned  to contributors or donated to
 6    charity, and the committee closed, within 90 days.
 7        (c)  Caucus  Committees.  The  public  officials  elected
 8    President of the  Senate,  Minority  Leader  of  the  Senate,
 9    Speaker  of the House of Representatives, and Minority Leader
10    of the  House  of  Representatives  may  each  establish  and
11    operate one additional political committee for the purpose of
12    supporting   the   election  of  candidates  to  the  General
13    Assembly. The committees provided for in this subsection  (c)
14    shall  be  not considered established by the President of the
15    Senate, Minority Leader of the Senate, Speaker of  the  House
16    of  Representatives,  and  Minority  Leader  of  the House of
17    Representatives for purposes of Section 9-8.5.

18        (10 ILCS 5/9-8.5 new)
19        Sec. 9-8.5. Contribution and transfer limits.
20        (a)  Definitions.
21             (1)  For  the  purpose  of  this  Section,   "direct
22        contribution"  means  a  monetary  donation,  transfer of
23        funds, or loan. "Direct contribution"  does  not  include
24        the value of an individual person's time.
25             (2)  For  the  purpose  of  this  Section,  "in-kind
26        contribution" means a gift of goods or services.
27             (3)  For    the   purpose   of   this   Section,   a
28        "contributor" means any natural person, or  other  entity
29        together  with its affiliates, making a contribution to a
30        political committee. The State Board of  Elections  shall
31        by rule determine what it means to be an "affiliate" of a
32        contributing  entity,  considering such factors as common
33        ownership,  leadership,  membership,  and   donor   base.
 
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 1        Married  couples and other natural persons sharing a bank
 2        account may each give up to the limit, even though  their
 3        contributions may be drawn on the same account.
 4             (4)  A "primary election period" begins July 1 of an
 5        odd-numbered  year  and  ends the day of the next primary
 6        election. A "general  election  period"  begins  the  day
 7        after  a  primary  election  and ends June 30 of the next
 8        odd-numbered year.
 9             (5)  "Non-itemized   individual   receipts"    means
10        contributions  reported according to Section 5/9-11(5) of
11        the Election Code.
12             (6)  "Non-person" means  any  entity  other  than  a
13        natural person.
14             (7)  A  "local  election  calendar" means the period
15        starting the day after a consolidated municipal  election
16        and  ending on the day of the next consolidated municipal
17        election.
18        (b)  Unless explicitly authorized  by  this  Section,  no
19    political   committee   may  accept  contributions  that,  in
20    aggregate during either the primary election  period  or  the
21    general election period, exceed:
22             (1)  $1,500 in direct and in-kind contributions from
23        any  individual,  corporation,  union, or association, or
24        the recipient committee designated by  that  corporation,
25        union, or association
26             (2)  $5,000 in direct and in-kind contributions from
27        any other political committee;
28             (3)  $10,000  in direct contributions and $10,000 in
29        in-kind contributions from any caucus committee,  if  the
30        political  committee was established primarily to support
31        a candidate for legislative office; or
32             (4)  $10,000 in direct contributions and $10,000  in
33        in-kind  contributions from any party committee; provided
34        that no committee may accept contributions from more than
 
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 1        one party committee,
 2        (c)  Unless explicitly authorized  by  this  Section,  no
 3    political  committees  established for the primary purpose of
 4    supporting  a  candidate  for  statewide  office  may  accept
 5    contributions that, in aggregate during  either  the  primary
 6    election period or the general election period, exceed:
 7             (1)  $3,000 in direct and in-kind contributions from
 8        any  individual,  corporation,  union, or association, or
 9        the recipient committee designated by  that  corporation,
10        union, or association;
11             (2)  $5,000 in direct and in-kind contributions from
12        any political committee; or
13             (3)  $25,000 in direct contributions and $100,000 in
14        in-kind  contributions from any Party Committee; provided
15        that no committee may accept contributions from more than
16        one Party Committee,
17        (d)  No  corporation,  union,   association,   or   other
18    non-person  may  contribute to a political committee or spend
19    funds in relation to a candidate except through  a  Recipient
20    Committee.  Recipient  committees  may  accept funds directly
21    from the corporation, union, association or other  non-person
22    without   limit.   No  corporation,  union,  association,  or
23    non-person may designate more than one recipient committee
24        (e)  Political parties may designate a party committee to
25    accept direct and in-kind contributions that,  in  aggregate,
26    do  not exceed $10,000 from any contributor during either the
27    primary election  period  or  the  general  election  period.
28    Political  parties  may  not  designate  more  than one party
29    committee. Party committees may not contribute to a candidate
30    without that candidate's express permission.
31        (f)  With   respect   to   contributions   to   political
32    committees established by a candidate for public office or  a
33    public  official,  the  limitations established in subsection
34    (b) apply  in  the  aggregate  to  all  political  committees
 
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 1    established  by  that  candidate  for public office or public
 2    official that do not qualify for the limits in subsection (c)
 3    or are not exploratory committees.
 4        (g)  Committees   established   primarily   to    support
 5    candidates  for  an  office  required  to file a statement of
 6    economic interest with a local authority may elect to  follow
 7    the  local election calendar. Committees that elect to follow
 8    the local election calendar must do so  at  least  18  months
 9    before  the  next consolidated municipal election. Candidates
10    who elect to follow the local election calendar may accept up
11    to $3,000 from any  one  source  during  any  local  election
12    calendar period.
13        (h)  Exceptions to contribution and transfer limits.
14             (1)  A   candidate   facing   an  opponent  who  has
15        contributed more than $100,000 of his or her own funds to
16        his political committee, directly or in-kind, may  accept
17        contributions without regard to the limits imposed above.
18             (2)  A   political   committee   may   transfer  its
19        non-itemized individual receipts, up to twice  the  limit
20        established in subsections (b) and (c), to any candidate.
21        The receiving candidate shall treat the transferred funds
22        as itemized receipts.
23        (i)  Penalty.  The  State Board of Elections may assess a
24    penalty against the contributor of the greater of  $5,000  or
25    the  gross  value  of  the contribution for each violation of
26    this section. Contributions  in  violation  of  this  Section
27    escheat to the State.
28        The  State  Board of Elections may assess a penalty of up
29    to $1,000 for each violation against  the  recipient  of  any
30    contribution  in  violation  of  this  section  if  it  finds
31    convincing evidence of active collusion between the donor and
32    the recipient to evade the limits set by this Section.

33        (10 ILCS 5/9-10) (from Ch. 46, par. 9-10)
 
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 1        Sec. 9-10.  Financial reports.
 2        (a)  The treasurer of every state political committee and
 3    the  treasurer  of every local political committee shall file
 4    with the Board, and the treasurer of  every  local  political
 5    committee  shall  file  with  the  county  clerk,  reports of
 6    campaign contributions, and semi-annual reports  of  campaign
 7    contributions  and  expenditures on forms to be prescribed or
 8    approved by the Board.   The  treasurer  of  every  political
 9    committee that acts as both a state political committee and a
10    local  political  committee  shall file a copy of each report
11    with the State Board  of  Elections  and  the  county  clerk.
12    Entities subject to Section 9-7.5 shall file reports required
13    by  that  Section  at  times provided in this Section and are
14    subject to the penalties provided in this Section.
15        (b)  Reports of campaign contributions shall be filed  no
16    later   than  the  15th  day  next  preceding  each  election
17    including a primary election in  connection  with  which  the
18    political    committee   has   accepted   or   is   accepting
19    contributions or has made or is  making  expenditures.   Such
20    reports  shall  be complete as of the 30th day next preceding
21    each election including a primary election.  The Board  shall
22    assess  a  civil penalty not to exceed $5,000 for a violation
23    of this  subsection,  except  that  for  State  officers  and
24    candidates  and  political  committees  formed  for statewide
25    office, the civil penalty may not exceed $10,000.  The  fine,
26    however,  shall  not exceed $500 for a first filing violation
27    for filing less than 10 days after the deadline. There  shall
28    be no fine if the report is mailed and postmarked at least 72
29    hours  prior  to the filing deadline. For the purpose of this
30    subsection, "statewide office" and "State officer" means  the
31    Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of
32    State,  Comptroller,  and  Treasurer.   However, a continuing
33    political committee that neither  accepts  contributions  nor
34    makes  expenditures  on  behalf  of  or  in opposition to any
 
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 1    candidate or public question on the  ballot  at  an  election
 2    shall   not  be  required  to  file  the  reports  heretofore
 3    prescribed but may  file  in  lieu  thereof  a  Statement  of
 4    Nonparticipation  in the Election with the Board or the Board
 5    and the county clerk.
 6        (b-5)  Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection  (b),
 7    any  contribution  of  $500  or  more received in the interim
 8    between the last date of  the  period  covered  by  the  last
 9    report  filed  under subsection (b) prior to the election and
10    the date of the election shall be reported within 2  business
11    days  after  its receipt. The State Board shall allow filings
12    under  this  subsection  (b-5)  to  be  made   by   facsimile
13    transmission.   For   the   purpose  of  this  subsection,  a
14    contribution is considered received on the  date  the  public
15    official,  candidate,  or  political committee (or equivalent
16    person in the  case  of  a  reporting  entity  other  than  a
17    political  committee) actually receives it or, in the case of
18    goods or services, 2 days after the date the public official,
19    candidate, committee, or other reporting entity receives  the
20    certification  required  under subsection (b) of Section 9-6.
21    Failure to report each contribution is a  separate  violation
22    of  this  subsection.   The  Board  shall  impose  fines  for
23    violations of this subsection as follows:
24             (1)  if the political committee's or other reporting
25        entity's  total receipts, total expenditures, and balance
26        remaining at the end of the last  reporting  period  were
27        each  $5,000  or less, then $100 per business day for the
28        first violation, $200 per business  day  for  the  second
29        violation,  and  $300  per business day for the third and
30        subsequent violations.
31             (2)  if the political committee's or other reporting
32        entity's total receipts, total expenditures, and  balance
33        remaining  at  the  end of the last reporting period were
34        each more than $5,000, then $200 per business day for the
 
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 1        first violation, $400 per business  day  for  the  second
 2        violation,  and  $600  per business day for the third and
 3        subsequent violations.
 4        (b-7)  Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection  (b),
 5    any   contribution   received   from  the  candidate  or  the
 6    candidate's immediate family during a  semi-annual  reporting
 7    period  that  contains an election shall be reported within 2
 8    business days after its receipt. The State Board shall  allow
 9    filings  under  this  subsection  to  be  made  by  facsimile
10    transmission.   For   the   purpose  of  this  subsection,  a
11    contribution is considered received on the  date  the  public
12    official,  candidate,  or  political committee (or equivalent
13    person in the  case  of  a  reporting  entity  other  than  a
14    political  committee) actually receives it. Failure to report
15    each contribution is a separate violation of this subsection.
16    The  Board  shall  impose  fines  for  violations   of   this
17    subsection of up to the value of the contribution plus $1,000
18    for every violation during any reporting period.
19        (c)  In  addition  to such reports the treasurer of every
20    political  committee  shall  file  semi-annual   reports   of
21    campaign  contributions  and  expenditures no later than July
22    31st, covering the period from January 1st through June  30th
23    immediately  preceding,  and  no  later  than  January  31st,
24    covering  the  period  from July 1st through December 31st of
25    the preceding calendar year.  Reports  of  contributions  and
26    expenditures  must  be  filed  to  cover  the prescribed time
27    periods even though no contributions or expenditures may have
28    been received or made during  the  period.  The  Board  shall
29    assess  a  civil penalty not to exceed $5,000 for a violation
30    of this  subsection,  except  that  for  State  officers  and
31    candidates  and  political  committees  formed  for statewide
32    office, the civil penalty may not exceed $10,000.  The  fine,
33    however,  shall  not exceed $500 for a first filing violation
34    for filing less than 10 days after the deadline. There  shall
 
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 1    be no fine if the report is mailed and postmarked at least 72
 2    hours  prior  to the filing deadline. For the purpose of this
 3    subsection, "statewide office" and "State officer" means  the
 4    Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of
 5    State, Comptroller, and Treasurer.
 6        (d)  A  copy of each report or statement filed under this
 7    Article shall be preserved by the  person  filing  it  for  a
 8    period of two years from the date of filing.
 9    (Source: P.A. 90-737, eff. 1-1-99.)

10        Section  99.  Effective  date. This Act takes effect upon
11    becoming law.".