HF 1538

1st Engrossment - 87th Legislature (2011 - 2012) Posted on 04/28/2011 03:10pm

A bill for an act
relating to campaign finance; modifying certain contribution and expenditure
limits; amending Minnesota Statutes 2010, sections 10A.25, subdivision 2;
10A.27, subdivisions 1, 11.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 10A.25, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Amounts.

(a) In a year in which an election is held for an office sought by
a candidate, the principal campaign committee of the candidate must not make campaign
expenditures nor permit approved expenditures to be made on behalf of the candidate that
result in aggregate expenditures in excess of the following:

(1) for governor and lieutenant governor, running together, $2,577,200;

(2) for attorney general, new text begin secretary of state, and state auditor, separately, new text end deleted text begin $429,600 deleted text end new text begin
$1,000,000 new text end ;

deleted text begin (3) for secretary of state and state auditor, separately, $214,800;
deleted text end

deleted text begin (4) deleted text end new text begin (3) new text end for state senator, deleted text begin $64,500 deleted text end new text begin $70,000 new text end ;

deleted text begin (5) deleted text end new text begin (4) new text end for state representative, deleted text begin $32,500 deleted text end new text begin $35,000 new text end .

(b) In addition to the amount in paragraph (a), clause (1), a candidate for
endorsement for the office of lieutenant governor at the convention of a political party
may make campaign expenditures and approved expenditures of five percent of that
amount to seek endorsement.

(c) If a special election cycle occurs during a general election cycle, expenditures by
or on behalf of a candidate in the special election do not count as expenditures by or on
behalf of the candidate in the general election.

(d) The expenditure limits in this subdivision for an office are increased by ten
percent for a candidate who is running for that office for the first time and who has not run
previously for any other office whose territory now includes a population that is more than
one-third of the population in the territory of the new office.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE; APPLICABILITY. new text end

new text begin This section is effective January 1,
2012. The expenditure limits in this section shall be the limits in place for elections held
in 2012. These limits must be adjusted by the consumer price index as required by section
10A.255, beginning in 2014 and thereafter.
new text end

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 10A.27, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Contribution limits.

(a) Except as provided in subdivision 2,
a candidate must not permit the candidate's principal campaign committee to accept
aggregate contributions made or delivered by any individual, political committee, or
political fund in excess of the following:

(1) to candidates for governor and lieutenant governor running together, new text begin attorney
general, secretary of state, or state auditor, new text end $2,000 in an election year for the office sought
and $500 in other years;

deleted text begin (2) to a candidate for attorney general, secretary of state, or state auditor, $1,000 in
an election year for the office sought and $200 in other years;
deleted text end

deleted text begin (3) deleted text end new text begin (2) new text end to a candidate for state senator, $500 in an election year for the office sought
and deleted text begin $100 deleted text end new text begin $250 new text end in other years;

deleted text begin (4) deleted text end new text begin (3) new text end to a candidate for state representative, $500 in an election year for the office
sought and deleted text begin $100 deleted text end new text begin $250 new text end in the other year; and

deleted text begin (5) deleted text end new text begin (4) new text end to a candidate for judicial office, $2,000 in an election year for the office
sought and $500 in other years.

(b) The following deliveries are not subject to the bundling limitation in this
subdivision:

(1) delivery of contributions collected by a member of the candidate's principal
campaign committee, such as a block worker or a volunteer who hosts a fund-raising
event, to the committee's treasurer; and

(2) a delivery made by an individual on behalf of the individual's spouse.

(c) A lobbyist, political committee, political party unit, or political fund must not
make a contribution a candidate is prohibited from accepting.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment
and applies to contributions received on or after that date.
new text end

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 10A.27, subdivision 11, is amended to read:

Subd. 11.

Contributions from certain types of contributors.

A candidate must
not permit the candidate's principal campaign committee to accept a contribution from a
political committee, political fund, lobbyist, or large contributor, if the contribution will
cause the aggregate contributions from those types of contributors to exceed an amount
equal to 20 percent of the expenditure limits for the office sought by the candidate,
provided that the 20 percent limit must be rounded to the nearest $100. For purposes of
this subdivision, "large contributor" means an individual, other than the candidate, who
contributes an amount that is more than deleted text begin $100 deleted text end new text begin $250 new text end and more than one-half the amount an
individual may contribute.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment
and applies to contributions received on or after that date.
new text end