Minnesota Session Laws - 1993, 1st Special Session

 
    Laws of Minnesota, 1993 First Special Session 

                          CHAPTER 3-S.F.No. 1 
           An act relating to campaign finance reform; requiring 
          disclosure of certain campaign contributions made 
          while campaign finance reform legislation was pending; 
          removing contributors of $100 or less from the 
          definition of a "large giver"; increasing the public 
          subsidy paid from the general account of the state 
          elections campaign fund; eliminating the small donor 
          matching program; appropriating money; amending 
          Minnesota Statutes 1992, sections 10A.27, subdivision 
          11, as added; and 10A.31, subdivisions 4, and 7, as 
          amended; repealing Minnesota Statutes 1992, section 
          10A.312, as added. 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
    Section 1.  [DISCLOSURE OF CONTRIBUTIONS.] 
    The treasurer of every principal campaign committee and of 
every political committee bearing a candidate's name or title or 
otherwise operating under the direct or indirect control of a 
candidate that is required to file reports under Minnesota 
Statutes, section 10A.20, and every legislator who is a 
candidate for federal or local office, shall file with the 
ethical practices board by June 15, 1993, a special report 
covering the period from January 1, 1993, to May 31, 1993, 
inclusive, disclosing the following: 
    (a) The name, address, and employer, or occupation if 
self-employed, of each individual, political committee, or 
political fund who within the reporting period has made one or 
more transfers or donations in kind to the political committee, 
political fund, or legislator, including the purchase of tickets 
for all fund raising efforts, which in aggregate exceed $100 for 
a candidate, together with the amount and date of each transfer 
or donation in kind, and the aggregate amount of transfers and 
donations in kind within the reporting period from each source 
so disclosed.  A donation in kind must be disclosed at its fair 
market value.  An approved expenditure must be listed as a 
donation in kind.  A donation in kind is considered consumed in 
the reporting period in which it is received.  The names of 
contributors must be listed in alphabetical order. 
    (b) The sum of contributions to the political committee, 
political fund, or legislator during the reporting period. 
    Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1992, section 10A.27, 
subdivision 11, as added by Laws 1993, chapter 318, article 2, 
section 30, is amended to read: 
    Subd. 11.  [CONTRIBUTIONS FROM CERTAIN TYPES OF 
CONTRIBUTORS.] A candidate shall not permit the candidate's 
principal campaign committee to accept a contribution from a 
political committee other than a political party unit as defined 
in section 10A.275, a political fund, a lobbyist, or an 
individual, other than the candidate, who contributes more than 
half the amount an individual may contribute a large giver, 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.  For purposes of this subdivision, "large giver" 
means an individual, other than the candidate, who contributes 
an amount that is more than $100 and more than one-half the 
amount an individual may contribute. 
    Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1992, section 10A.31, 
subdivision 4, is amended to read: 
    Subd. 4.  (a) The amounts designated by individuals for the 
state elections campaign fund, less three percent, are 
appropriated from the general fund and shall be credited to the 
appropriate account in the state elections campaign fund and 
annually appropriated for distribution as set forth in 
subdivisions 5, 6 and 7.  An amount equal to three percent shall 
be retained in the general fund for administrative costs.  
    (b) In addition to the amounts in paragraph (a), $1,500,000 
for each general election is appropriated from the general fund 
to the general account of the state elections campaign fund. 
    Sec. 4.  Minnesota Statutes 1992, section 10A.31, 
subdivision 7, as amended by Laws 1993, chapter 318, article 2, 
section 34, is amended to read: 
    Subd. 7.  Within two weeks after certification by the state 
canvassing board of the results of the general election, the 
board shall distribute the available funds in the general 
account, as certified by the commissioner of revenue on November 
1 and according to allocations set forth in subdivision 5, in 
equal amounts to all candidates for each statewide office who 
received at least five percent of the votes cast in the general 
election for that office, and to all candidates for legislative 
office who received at least ten percent of the votes cast in 
the general election for the specific office for which they were 
candidates, provided that the public subsidy under this 
subdivision may not be paid in an amount that would cause the 
sum of the public subsidy paid from the party account plus the 
public subsidy paid from the general account and the public 
subsidy paid to match independent expenditures to exceed 50 
percent of the expenditure limit for the candidate.  If a 
candidate is entitled to receive an opponent's share of the 
general account public subsidy under section 10A.25, subdivision 
10, the opponent's share must be excluded in calculating the 50 
percent limit.  Money from the general account not paid to a 
candidate because of the 50 percent limit must be distributed 
equally among all other qualifying candidates for the same 
office until all have reached the 50 percent limit or the 
balance in the general account is exhausted.  The board shall 
not use the information contained in the report of the principal 
campaign committee of any candidate due ten days before the 
general election for the purpose of reducing the amount due that 
candidate from the general account. 
    Sec. 5.  [REPEALER.] 
    Minnesota Statutes 1992, section 10A.312, as added by Laws 
1993, chapter 318, article 2, section 37, is repealed. 
    Sec. 6.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
    This act is effective the day following final enactment. 
    Presented to the governor May 27, 1993 
    Signed by the governor May 27, 1993, 4:25 p.m.