Public Act 095-0957
 
SB2191 Enrolled LRB095 15841 JAM 41850 b

    AN ACT concerning elections.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing Section
9-10 as follows:
 
    (10 ILCS 5/9-10)  (from Ch. 46, par. 9-10)
    Sec. 9-10. Financial reports.
    (a) The treasurer of every state political committee and
the treasurer of every local political committee shall file
with the Board, and the treasurer of every local political
committee shall file with the county clerk, reports of campaign
contributions, and semi-annual reports of campaign
contributions and expenditures on forms to be prescribed or
approved by the Board. The treasurer of every political
committee that acts as both a state political committee and a
local political committee shall file a copy of each report with
the State Board of Elections and the county clerk. Entities
subject to Section 9-7.5 shall file reports required by that
Section at times provided in this Section and are subject to
the penalties provided in this Section.
    (b) This subsection does not apply with respect to general
primary elections. Reports of campaign contributions shall be
filed no later than the 15th day next preceding each election
in connection with which the political committee has accepted
or is accepting contributions or has made or is making
expenditures. Such reports shall be complete as of the 30th day
next preceding each election. The Board shall assess a civil
penalty not to exceed $5,000 for a violation of this
subsection, except that for State officers and candidates and
political committees formed for statewide office, the civil
penalty may not exceed $10,000. The fine, however, shall not
exceed $500 for a first filing violation for filing less than
10 days after the deadline. There shall be no fine if the
report is mailed and postmarked at least 72 hours prior to the
filing deadline. For the purpose of this subsection, "statewide
office" and "State officer" means the Governor, Lieutenant
Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller,
and Treasurer. However, a continuing political committee that
does not make an expenditure or expenditures in an aggregate
amount of more than excess of $500 on behalf of or in
opposition to any (i) candidate or candidates, (ii) public
question or questions, or (iii) candidate or candidates and
public question or questions on the ballot at an election shall
not be required to file the reports prescribed in this
subsection (b) and subsection (b-5) but may file in lieu
thereof a Statement of Nonparticipation in the Election with
the Board or the Board and the county clerk ; except that if
the political committee, by the terms of its statement of
organization filed in accordance with this Article, is
organized to support or oppose a candidate or public question
on the ballot at the next election or primary, that committee
must file reports required by this subsection (b) and by
subsection (b-5).
    (b-5) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b) and
Section 1.25 of the Statute on Statutes, any contribution of
more than $500 received (i) with respect to elections other
than the general primary election, in the interim between the
last date of the period covered by the last report filed under
subsection (b) prior to the election and the date of the
election or (ii) with respect to general primary elections, in
the period beginning January 1 of the year of the general
primary election and prior to the date of the general primary
election shall be filed with and must actually be received by
the State Board of Elections within 2 business days after
receipt of such contribution. A continuing political committee
that does not support or oppose a candidate or public question
on the ballot at a general primary election and does not make
expenditures in excess of $500 on behalf of or in opposition to
any candidate or public question on the ballot at the general
primary election shall not be required to file the report
prescribed in this subsection unless the committee makes an
expenditure in excess of $500 on behalf of or in opposition to
any candidate or public question on the ballot at the general
primary election. The committee shall timely file the report
required under this subsection beginning with the date the
expenditure that triggered participation was made. The State
Board shall allow filings of reports of contributions of more
than $500 under this subsection (b-5) by political committees
that are not required to file electronically to be made by
facsimile transmission. For the purpose of this subsection, a
contribution is considered received on the date the public
official, candidate, or political committee (or equivalent
person in the case of a reporting entity other than a political
committee) actually receives it or, in the case of goods or
services, 2 business days after the date the public official,
candidate, committee, or other reporting entity receives the
certification required under subsection (b) of Section 9-6.
Failure to report each contribution is a separate violation of
this subsection. In the final disposition of any matter by the
Board on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of
the 93rd General Assembly, the Board may impose fines for
violations of this subsection not to exceed 100% of the total
amount of the contributions that were untimely reported, but in
no case when a fine is imposed shall it be less than 10% of the
total amount of the contributions that were untimely reported.
When considering the amount of the fine to be imposed, the
Board shall consider, but is not limited to, the following
factors:
        (1) whether in the Board's opinion the violation was
    committed inadvertently, negligently, knowingly, or
    intentionally;
        (2) the number of days the contribution was reported
    late; and
        (3) past violations of Sections 9-3 and 9-10 of this
    Article by the committee.
    (c) In addition to such reports the treasurer of every
political committee shall file semi-annual reports of campaign
contributions and expenditures no later than July 20th,
covering the period from January 1st through June 30th
immediately preceding, and no later than January 20th, covering
the period from July 1st through December 31st of the preceding
calendar year. Reports of contributions and expenditures must
be filed to cover the prescribed time periods even though no
contributions or expenditures may have been received or made
during the period. The Board shall assess a civil penalty not
to exceed $5,000 for a violation of this subsection, except
that for State officers and candidates and political committees
formed for statewide office, the civil penalty may not exceed
$10,000. The fine, however, shall not exceed $500 for a first
filing violation for filing less than 10 days after the
deadline. There shall be no fine if the report is mailed and
postmarked at least 72 hours prior to the filing deadline. For
the purpose of this subsection, "statewide office" and "State
officer" means the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney
General, Secretary of State, Comptroller, and Treasurer.
    (c-5) A political committee that acts as either (i) a State
and local political committee or (ii) a local political
committee and that files reports electronically under Section
9-28 is not required to file copies of the reports with the
appropriate county clerk if the county clerk has a system that
permits access to, and duplication of, reports that are filed
with the State Board of Elections. A State and local political
committee or a local political committee shall file with the
county clerk a copy of its statement of organization pursuant
to Section 9-3.
    (d) A copy of each report or statement filed under this
Article shall be preserved by the person filing it for a period
of two years from the date of filing.
(Source: P.A. 94-645, eff. 8-22-05; 95-6, eff. 6-20-07.)