1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to elections; campaign finance; changing contribution limits for certain 
1.3 	offices; limiting certain expenditures; changing certain filing requirements; 
1.4 	changing political contribution and refund provisions;amending Minnesota 
1.5 	Statutes 2008, sections 10A.17, by adding a subdivision; 10A.20, subdivision 1; 
1.6 	10A.27, subdivision 1; 10A.31, subdivisions 1, 3, 4; 10A.322, subdivision 4.
1.7 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.8 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.17, is amended by adding a 
1.9 	subdivision to read:
1.10 		Subd. 6.Party unit expenditures. A political party unit may not spend money from 
1.11 	a political contribution refund account established under section 10A.322, subdivision 4, 
1.12 	paragraph (b), for the purpose of influencing the nomination or election of a candidate for 
1.13 	federal office.

1.14 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.20, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
1.15 		Subdivision 1.First filing; duration; format. The treasurer of a political 
1.16 	committee, political fund, principal campaign committee, or party unit must begin to file 
1.17 	the reports required by this section in the first year it receives contributions or makes 
1.18 	expenditures in excess of $100 and must continue to file until the committee, fund, or party 
1.19 	unit is terminated. The reports must be filed electronically in a format specified by the 
1.20 	board. The board may waive the requirement of filing electronically for good cause shown.

1.21 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.27, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
1.22 		Subdivision 1.Contribution limits. (a) Except as provided in subdivision 2, 
1.23 	a candidate must not permit the candidate's principal campaign committee to accept 
2.1 	aggregate contributions made or delivered by any individual, political committee, or 
2.2 	political fund in excess of the following:
2.3 	(1) to candidates for governor and lieutenant governor running together, $2,000 in 
2.4 	an election year for the office sought and $500 in other years;
2.5 	(2) to a candidate for attorney general, secretary of state, or state auditor, $1,000 in 
2.6 	an election year for the office sought and $200 in other years;
2.7 	(3) to a candidate for the office of secretary of state or state auditor, $500 in an 
2.8 	election year for the office sought and $100 in other years;
2.9 	(4) (3) to a candidate for state senator, $500 $750 in an election year for the office 
2.10 	sought and $100 $250 in other years; and
2.11 	(5) (4) to a candidate for state representative, $500 in an election year for the office 
2.12 	sought and $100 $125 in the other year.
2.13 	(b) The following deliveries are not subject to the bundling limitation in this 
2.14 	subdivision:
2.15 	(1) delivery of contributions collected by a member of the candidate's principal 
2.16 	campaign committee, such as a block worker or a volunteer who hosts a fund-raising 
2.17 	event, to the committee's treasurer; and
2.18 	(2) a delivery made by an individual on behalf of the individual's spouse.
2.19 	(c) A lobbyist, political committee, political party unit, or political fund must not 
2.20 	make a contribution a candidate is prohibited from accepting.

2.21 	Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.31, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
2.22 		Subdivision 1.Designation Amounts paid. An individual resident of this state 
2.23 	who files an income tax return or a renter and homeowner property tax refund return 
2.24 	with the commissioner of revenue may designate on their original return that $5Unless 
2.25 	an individual chooses not to participate in the income tax checkoff program, $5 must be 
2.26 	paid from the general fund of the state into the state elections campaign fund for each 
2.27 	individual resident of this state who files an income tax return or a renter and homeowner 
2.28 	property tax refund return with the commissioner of revenue. If a husband and wife file 
2.29 	a joint return, each spouse may designate that $5 be paid choose not to participate. No 
2.30 	individual is allowed to designate $5 more than once in any year.Unless the taxpayer may 
2.31 	designate designates that the amount be paid into the account of a political party or, the 
2.32 	amount must be paid into the general account.

2.33 	Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.31, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
3.1 		Subd. 3.Form. The commissioner of revenue must provide on the first page of the 
3.2 	income tax form and the renter and homeowner property tax refund return a space for 
3.3 	the individual to indicate a wish choice not to pay $5 ($10 if filing a joint return) from 
3.4 	the general fund of the state to finance election campaigns. The form must also contain 
3.5 	language prepared by the commissioner that permits the individual to direct the state to 
3.6 	pay the $5 (or $10 if filing a joint return) to: (1) one of the major political parties; (2) any 
3.7 	minor political party that qualifies under subdivision 3a; or (3) all qualifying candidates 
3.8 	as provided by subdivision 7. The renter and homeowner property tax refund return 
3.9 	must include instructions that the individual filing the return may designate $5 on the 
3.10 	return that $5 be paid into the account of a political party only if the individual has not 
3.11 	designated $5 on the income tax return.

3.12 	Sec. 6. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.31, subdivision 4, is amended to read:
3.13 		Subd. 4.Appropriation. (a) The amounts designated by individuals for set forth 
3.14 	in subdivision 1 for payment to  the state elections campaign fund, less three percent, are 
3.15 	appropriated from the general fund, must be transferred and credited to the appropriate 
3.16 	account in the state elections campaign fund, and are annually appropriated for distribution 
3.17 	as set forth in subdivisions 5, 5a, 6, and 7. The remaining three percent must be kept in 
3.18 	the general fund for administrative costs.
3.19 	(b) In addition to the amounts in paragraph (a), $1,250,000 for each general election 
3.20 	is appropriated from the general fund for transfer to the general account of the state 
3.21 	elections campaign fund.
3.22 	Of this appropriation, $65,000 each fiscal year must be set aside to pay assessments 
3.23 	made by the Office of Administrative Hearings under section 211B.37. Amounts 
3.24 	remaining after all assessments have been paid must be canceled to the general account.

3.25 	Sec. 7. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.322, subdivision 4, is amended to read:
3.26 		Subd. 4.Refund receipt forms; penalty. (a) The board must make available to a 
3.27 	political party on request and to any candidate for whom an agreement under this section 
3.28 	is effective, a supply of official refund receipt forms that state in boldface type that (1) a 
3.29 	contributor who is given a receipt form is eligible to claim a refund as provided in section 
3.30 	290.06, subdivision 23, and (2) if the contribution is to a candidate, that the candidate has 
3.31 	signed an agreement to limit campaign expenditures as provided in this section. The forms 
3.32 	must provide duplicate copies of the receipt to be attached to the contributor's claim. A 
3.33 	candidate who does not sign an agreement under this section and who willfully issues an 
4.1 	official refund receipt form or a facsimile of one to any of the candidate's contributors is 
4.2 	guilty of a misdemeanor.  
4.3 	(b) A political party unit that issues a receipt form making the contributor eligible 
4.4 	for a refund under section 290.06, subdivision 23, must deposit the contribution for which 
4.5 	the receipt was issued into a political contribution refund account in a depository of the 
4.6 	party unit registered under chapter 10A.

4.7 	Sec. 8. EFFECTIVE DATE.
 4.8 	Sections 1 and 7 are effective January 1, 2010, and apply to contributions received 
4.9 	on or after that date. Sections 4 to 6 are effective January 1, 2010. Sections 2 and 3 are 
4.10 	effective for the state primary election in 2012 and thereafter.