S-4999.1  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6132

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1996 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Law & Justice (originally sponsored by Senator Fairley)

Read first time 02/01/96.

Restricting campaign disclosure exemptions and contributions to unspecified candidates.

    AN ACT Relating to campaign financing; and amending RCW 42.17.030 and 42.17.790.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 42.17.030 and 1987 c 295 s 18 are each amended to read as follows:

    The provisions of this chapter relating to the financing of election campaigns shall apply in all election campaigns other than (1) for precinct committee officer; (2) for a federal elective office; and (3) for an office of a political subdivision of the state that does not encompass a whole county and that contains fewer than ((five)) one thousand registered voters as of the date of the most recent general election in the subdivision, unless required by RCW 42.17.405 (2) through (5).

    Sec. 2.  RCW 42.17.790 and 1995 c 397 s 27 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) ((Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section,)) A candidate for public office or the candidate's political committee is prohibited from accepting contributions or expending any funds contributed to the candidate or the candidate's political committee before the designation by the candidate of the office to which the candidate is seeking election.

(2) A candidate for public office or the candidate's political committee may not use or permit the use of contributions, whether or not surplus, solicited for or received by the candidate for public office or the candidate's political committee to further the candidacy of the individual for an office ((other than the)) unless that specific office is designated on the statement of organization or has been expressly designated by the candidate.  Within thirty days after the individual becomes a candidate for an office other than the office expressly designated by the candidate on the statement of organization, the candidate or the candidate's political committee shall return unspent contributions on a pro rata basis according to the proportionate amount that the original unspent contributions bear to the total contributions received by the candidate and the candidate's political committee.  Unspent contributions that cannot be returned after reasonable efforts shall be contributed to a charitable organization registered under chapter 19.09 RCW.  A contribution solicited for or received on behalf of the candidate for public office is considered solicited or received for the candidacy for which the individual is then a candidate if the contribution is solicited or received before the general elections for which the candidate for public office is a nominee or is unopposed.

    (((2) With the written approval of the contributor, a candidate for public office or the candidate's political committee may use or permit the use of contributions, whether or not surplus, solicited for or received by the candidate for public office or the candidate's political committee from that contributor to further the candidacy of the individual for an office other than the office designated on the statement of organization.  If the contributor does not approve the use of his or her contribution to further the candidacy of the individual for an office other than the office designated on the statement of organization at the time of the contribution, the contribution must be considered surplus funds and disposed of in accordance with RCW 42.17.095.))

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