SF 2962

as introduced - 83rd Legislature (2003 - 2004) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to elections; modifying certain restrictions 
  1.3             on corporate spending in political campaigns; amending 
  1.4             Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 211B.15, subdivisions 
  1.5             1, 17, by adding a subdivision. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 211B.15, 
  1.8   subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [DEFINITIONS.] For purposes of (a) The 
  1.10  definitions in this subdivision apply to this section,. 
  1.11     (b) "Corporation" means: 
  1.12     (1) a corporation organized for profit that does business 
  1.13  in this state; 
  1.14     (2) a nonprofit corporation that carries out activities in 
  1.15  this state; or 
  1.16     (3) a limited liability company formed under chapter 322B, 
  1.17  or under similar laws of another state, that does business in 
  1.18  this state. 
  1.19     (c) "Political office" means an elective office of the 
  1.20  state or a political subdivision, but does not include the 
  1.21  office of president of the United States or the office of 
  1.22  senator or representative in Congress. 
  1.23     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 211B.15, is 
  1.24  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.25     Subd. 10a.  [COMMUNICATIONS.] It is not a violation of this 
  2.1   section for a corporation to communicate in writing directly 
  2.2   with members, employees, and shareholders of the corporation and 
  2.3   their families, in support of or in opposition to the election 
  2.4   of particular candidates. 
  2.5      Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 211B.15, 
  2.6   subdivision 17, is amended to read: 
  2.7      Subd. 17.  [NONPROFIT CORPORATION POLITICAL 
  2.8   ACTIVITY ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.] It is not a violation of this 
  2.9   section for a nonprofit corporation to provide administrative 
  2.10  assistance to one political committee committees or political 
  2.11  fund that is associated with the nonprofit corporation and funds 
  2.12  registered with the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board 
  2.13  under section 10A.14.  Such Administrative assistance must be 
  2.14  limited to includes accounting, clerical or legal services, bank 
  2.15  charges, utilities, office space, and supplies, and the expenses 
  2.16  of soliciting donations to the political committees or political 
  2.17  funds.  The records of the political committee committees or 
  2.18  political fund funds may be kept on the premises of 
  2.19  the nonprofit corporation. 
  2.20     The administrative assistance provided by the nonprofit 
  2.21  corporation to the political committee or political fund is 
  2.22  limited annually to the lesser of $5,000 or 7-1/2 percent of the 
  2.23  expenditures of the political committee or political fund.