BP BHEAD INT H

AN ACT Relating to late campaign contributions; and amending RCW 42.17.105.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 42.17.105 and 1991 c 157 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Campaign treasurers shall prepare and deliver to the commission a special report regarding any contribution or aggregate of contributions which: Exceeds five hundred dollars; is from a single person or entity; and is received during a special reporting period.

Any political committee making a contribution or an aggregate of contributions to a single entity which exceeds five hundred dollars shall also prepare and deliver to the commission the special report if the contribution or aggregate of contributions is made during a special reporting period.

For the purposes of subsections (1) through (7) of this section:

(a) Each of the following intervals is a special reporting period: (i) The interval beginning after the period covered by the last report required by RCW 42.17.080 and 42.17.090 to be filed before a primary and concluding on the end of the day before that primary; and (ii) the interval composed of the twenty-one days preceding a general election; and

(b) An aggregate of contributions includes only those contributions received from a single entity during any one special reporting period or made by the contributing political committee to a single entity during any one special reporting period.

(2) If a campaign treasurer files a special report under this section for one or more contributions received from a single entity during a special reporting period, the treasurer shall also file a special report under this section for each subsequent contribution of any size which is received from that entity during the special reporting period. If a political committee files a special report under this section for a contribution or contributions made to a single entity during a special reporting period, the political committee shall also file a special report for each subsequent contribution of any size which is made to that entity during the special reporting period.

(3) Except as provided in subsection (4) of this section, the special report required by this section shall be delivered in written form, including but not limited to mailgram, telegram, or nightletter. The special report required of a contribution recipient by subsection (1) of this section shall be delivered to the commission within forty-eight hours of the time, or on the first working day after: The contribution exceeding five hundred dollars is received by the candidate or treasurer; the aggregate received by the candidate or treasurer first exceeds five hundred dollars; or the subsequent contribution that must be reported under subsection (2) of this section is received by the candidate or treasurer. The special report required of a contributor by subsection (1) of this section or RCW 42.17.175 shall be delivered to the commission, and the candidate or political committee to whom the contribution or contributions are made, within twenty-four hours of the time, or on the first working day after: The contribution is made; the aggregate of contributions made first exceeds five hundred dollars; or the subsequent contribution that must be reported under subsection (2) of this section is made.

(4) The special report may be transmitted orally by telephone to the commission to satisfy the delivery period required by subsection (3) of this section if the written form of the report is also mailed to the commission and postmarked within the delivery period established in subsection (3) of this section.

(5) The special report shall include at least:

(a) The amount of the contribution or contributions;

(b) The date or dates of receipt;

(d) The name and address of the recipient; and

(e) Any other information the commission may by rule require.

(6) Contributions reported under this section shall also be reported as required by other provisions of this chapter.

(7) The commission shall publish daily a summary of the special reports made under this section and RCW 42.17.175.

(8) It is a violation of this chapter for any person to make, or for any candidate or political committee to accept from any one person, contributions reportable under RCW 42.17.090 in the aggregate exceeding fifty thousand dollars for any campaign for state-wide office or exceeding five thousand dollars for any other campaign subject to the provisions of this chapter within twenty-one days of ((~~a general~~)) an election. This subsection does not apply to contributions made by, or accepted from, a major Washington state political party as defined in RCW 29.01.090.

(9) Contributions governed by this section include, but are not limited to, contributions made or received indirectly through a third party or entity whether the contributions are or are not reported to the commission as earmarked contributions under RCW 42.17.135.