S-4571.2  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6758

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1996 Regular Session

By Senators Schow, Owen, Smith, Rasmussen and Oke

Read first time 02/01/96.  Referred to Committee on Law & Justice.

Returning campaign contributions given for a different prospective office.

    AN ACT Relating to the use of campaign contributions for a different office; and amending RCW 42.17.790.

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

    Sec. 1.  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 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 office designated on the statement of organization.  Within thirty days after the individual becomes a candidate for an office other than the office designated 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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