2006 Minnesota Statutes

10A.27 CONTRIBUTION LIMITS.
    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, $2,000 in an election
year for the office sought and $500 in other years;
(2) to a candidate for attorney general, $1,000 in an election year for the office sought and
$200 in other years;
(3) to a candidate for the office of secretary of state or state auditor, $500 in an election year
for the office sought and $100 in other years;
(4) to a candidate for state senator, $500 in an election year for the office sought and $100 in
other years; and
(5) to a candidate for state representative, $500 in an election year for the office sought
and $100 in the other year.
(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.
    Subd. 2. Political party and dissolving principal campaign committee limit. A candidate
must not permit the candidate's principal campaign committee to accept contributions from
any political party units or dissolving principal campaign committees in aggregate in excess of
ten times the amount that may be contributed to that candidate as set forth in subdivision 1.
The limitation in this subdivision does not apply to a contribution from a dissolving principal
campaign committee of a candidate for the legislature to another principal campaign committee of
the same candidate.
    Subd. 3.[Repealed, 1978 c 463 s 109]
    Subd. 4.[Repealed by amendment, 1999 c 220 s 34]
    Subd. 5.[Repealed by amendment, 1999 c 220 s 34]
    Subd. 6.[Repealed, 1993 c 318 art 2 s 51]
    Subd. 7.[Repealed by amendment, 1999 c 220 s 34]
    Subd. 8. Excess loans prohibited. A candidate must not permit the candidate's principal
campaign committee to accept a loan from other than a financial institution for an amount in
excess of the contribution limits imposed by this section. A candidate must not permit the
candidate's principal campaign committee to accept a loan from a financial institution for which
the financial institution may hold an endorser of the loan liable to pay an amount in excess of
the amount that the endorser may contribute to that candidate.
    Subd. 9. Contributions to and from other candidates. (a) A candidate or the treasurer of a
candidate's principal campaign committee must not accept a contribution from another candidate's
principal campaign committee or from any other committee bearing the contributing candidate's
name or title or otherwise authorized by the contributing candidate, unless the contributing
candidate's principal campaign committee is being dissolved. A candidate's principal campaign
committee must not make a contribution to another candidate's principal campaign committee,
except when the contributing committee is being dissolved.
(b) A principal campaign committee that makes a contribution to another principal campaign
committee must provide with the contribution a written statement of the committee's intent to
dissolve and terminate its registration within 12 months after the contribution was made. If the
committee fails to dissolve and terminate its registration by that time, the board may levy a
civil penalty up to four times the size of the contribution against the contributing committee. A
contribution from a terminating principal campaign committee that is not accepted by another
principal campaign committee must be forwarded to the board for deposit in the general account
of the state elections campaign fund.
(c) A candidate's principal campaign committee must not accept a contribution from, or
make a contribution to, a committee associated with a person who seeks nomination or election to
the office of president, senator, or representative in Congress of the United States.
(d) A candidate or the treasurer of a candidate's principal campaign committee must not
accept a contribution from a candidate for political subdivision office in any state, unless
the contribution is from the personal funds of the candidate for political subdivision office. A
candidate or the treasurer of a candidate's principal campaign committee must not make a
contribution from the principal campaign committee to a candidate for political subdivision
office in any state.
    Subd. 10. Limited personal contributions. A candidate who accepts a public subsidy may
not contribute to the candidate's own campaign during a year more than ten times the candidate's
election year contribution limit under subdivision 1.
    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 $100 and
more than one-half the amount an individual may contribute.
    Subd. 12.[Repealed by amendment, 1999 c 220 s 34]
    Subd. 13. Unregistered association limit; statement; penalty. (a) The treasurer of a
political committee, political fund, principal campaign committee, or party unit must not accept a
contribution of more than $100 from an association not registered under this chapter unless the
contribution is accompanied by a written statement that meets the disclosure and reporting period
requirements imposed by section 10A.20. This statement must be certified as true and correct
by an officer of the contributing association. The committee, fund, or party unit that accepts the
contribution must include a copy of the statement with the report that discloses the contribution
to the board. This subdivision does not apply when a national political party contributes money
to its affiliate in this state.
(b) An unregistered association may provide the written statement required by this
subdivision to no more than three committees, funds, or party units in a calendar year. Each
statement must cover at least the 30 days immediately preceding and including the date on which
the contribution was made. An unregistered association or an officer of it is subject to a civil
penalty imposed by the board of up to $1,000, if the association or its officer:
(1) fails to provide a written statement as required by this subdivision; or
(2) fails to register after giving the written statement required by this subdivision to more
than three committees, funds, or party units in a calendar year.
(c) The treasurer of a political committee, political fund, principal campaign committee,
or party unit who accepts a contribution in excess of $100 from an unregistered association
without the required written disclosure statement is subject to a civil penalty up to four times the
amount in excess of $100.
History: 1974 c 470 s 22,27; 1975 c 271 s 6; 1976 c 307 s 24; 1978 c 463 s 62-65,76-82;
1978 c 793 s 38; 1986 c 444; 1990 c 608 art 3 s 8,17,18; 1991 c 349 s 17; 1993 c 318 art 2 s 26-31;
1Sp1993 c 3 s 2; 1996 c 305 art 1 s 1; 1999 c 220 s 34,50; 2002 c 363 s 26-30; 2005 c 156 art 6 s 7