Legislative Session number- 81

Bill Name: SF0047

Modifying certain election campaign finance provisions; clarifying the
definition of contribution and expanding the definition of public official;
eliminating the nonpublic data classification for advisory opinions of the state
campaign finance and public disclosure board; modifying certain registration,
reporting or filing failure notice service requirements of the board, extending
certain filing deadlines and eliminating certain second notice requirements and
criminal penalties; specifying certain financial records retention requirements
of lobbyists and principals; clarifying the prohibition on lobbyist, political
committee or political fund contributions during regular sessions of the
legislature, authorizing party organizations to receive legislator dues during
regular legislative sessions; clarifying the nonapplication of the prohibition
to candidates for federal office ; clarifying and expanding the prohibition on
gifts by lobbyists and principals; modifying the deadline for deposit of
transfers into campaign accounts; clarifying the requirement for lobbyist or
political committee or fund registration numbers on contribution checks,
subjecting contributors to a civil penalty to be imposed by the board for
improper identification, candidate not to be subject to the penalty; providing
for the consideration of contributions from joint accounts as joint
contributions upon contributor notice of intent; requiring political committees
or funds making independent expenditures relating to special elections to file
campaign expenditure reports before the special primary and special election and
after the special election cycle; requiring the disclosure of independent
expenditures made in support of a candidate in campaign reports; facilitating
the submission of certain preelection reports by eliminating the certified mail
requirement and authorizing facsimile or electronic transmission; modifying
independent expenditure notice requirements; authorizing the payment of campaign
report late filing fees from political committee or fund assets; authorizing
candidates to petition the district court for immediate equitable relief against
opponents failing to file timely reports; providing for notice of and imposing
late filing penalties for failure to file corrected reports; increasing the
campaign spending limits for certain constitutional officers; accelerating the
date for candidate submission of public subsidy agreements to the board;
prohibiting the payment of public subsidies to candidates failing to file
campaign finance reports or owing money to the board; providing for financial
institutions as additional payees on contribution checks; modifying the match
requirement for candidates for special elections not coinciding with the general
election; providing for the filing of spending limit agreements by candidates
filling vacancies in nominations occurring after the agreement filing deadline;
requiring return or destruction of unissued official refund receipt forms;
expanding the authority of the board to demand return of public subsidies;
authorizing board actions for recovery of civil penalties or public subsidies,
prescribing a civil penalty for certain violations and providing for the award
of costs to the board in prevailing actions, imposing a civil penalty for false
complaints; defining party unit for general election regulation purposes;
expanding campaign financial report content requirements; authorizing candidates
and committees together to accept contributions from political party units in
aggregate over the amount allowed to be contributed to the candidate;
prohibiting the allocation to candidates of certain multicandidate political
party expenditures; excluding party organizations within municipalities and
precincts from the definition of major or minor party for income tax political
contribution refund purposes; prohibiting circumvention of the prohibition on
gifts to local officials and providing for certain remedies; repealing a certain
economic interest statement filing notice requirement of the board (ra)