6344-S AMH SGTA REIL 095
SSB 6344 - H COMM AMD
By Committee on State Government & Tribal Affairs
ADOPTED 2/28/2010
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"Sec. 1. RCW 42.17.640 and 2006 c 348 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) The contribution limits in this section apply to:
(a) Candidates for state legislative office;
(b) Candidates for state office other than state legislative office;
(c) Candidates for county office(( in a county that
has over two hundred thousand registered voters));
(d) Candidates for special purpose district office if that district is authorized to provide freight and passenger transfer and terminal facilities and that district has over two hundred thousand registered voters;
(e) Candidates for city council office;
(f) Candidates for mayoral office;
(g) Persons holding an office in (a) through (((d)))(f)
of this subsection against whom recall charges have been filed or to a
political committee having the expectation of making expenditures in support of
the recall of a person holding the office;
(((f))) (h) Caucus political committees;
(((g))) (i) Bona fide political parties.
(2) No person, other than a bona fide political party or
a caucus political committee, may make contributions to a candidate for a state
legislative office, ((or)) county office, city council office,
or mayoral office that in the aggregate exceed ((seven)) eight
hundred dollars or to a candidate for a public office in a special purpose
district or a state office other than a state legislative office that in the
aggregate exceed one thousand ((four)) six hundred dollars for
each election in which the candidate is on the ballot or appears as a write-in
candidate. Contributions to candidates subject to the limits in this section
made with respect to a primary may not be made after the date of the primary.
However, contributions to a candidate or a candidate's authorized committee may
be made with respect to a primary until thirty days after the primary, subject
to the following limitations: (a) The candidate lost the primary; (b) the
candidate's authorized committee has insufficient funds to pay debts
outstanding as of the date of the primary; and (c) the contributions may only
be raised and spent to satisfy the outstanding debt. Contributions to
candidates subject to the limits in this section made with respect to a general
election may not be made after the final day of the applicable election cycle.
(3) No person, other than a bona fide political party or
a caucus political committee, may make contributions to a state official, a
county official, a city official, or a public official in a special
purpose district against whom recall charges have been filed, or to a political
committee having the expectation of making expenditures in support of the
recall of the state official, county official, city official, or public
official in a special purpose district during a recall campaign that in the
aggregate exceed ((seven)) eight hundred dollars if for a state
legislative office, ((or)) county office, or city office,
or one thousand ((four)) six hundred dollars if for a special
purpose district office or a state office other than a state legislative
office.
(4)(a) Notwithstanding subsection (2) of this section,
no bona fide political party or caucus political committee may make
contributions to a candidate during an election cycle that in the aggregate
exceed (i) ((seventy)) eighty cents multiplied by the number of
eligible registered voters in the jurisdiction from which the candidate is
elected if the contributor is a caucus political committee or the governing
body of a state organization, or (ii) ((thirty-five)) forty cents
multiplied by the number of registered voters in the jurisdiction from which
the candidate is elected if the contributor is a county central committee or a
legislative district committee.
(b) No candidate may accept contributions from a county
central committee or a legislative district committee during an election cycle
that when combined with contributions from other county central committees or
legislative district committees would in the aggregate exceed ((thirty-five))
forty cents times the number of registered voters in the jurisdiction
from which the candidate is elected.
(5)(a) Notwithstanding subsection (3) of this section,
no bona fide political party or caucus political committee may make
contributions to a state official, county official, city official, or a
public official in a special purpose district against whom recall charges have
been filed, or to a political committee having the expectation of making
expenditures in support of the state official, county official, city
official, or a public official in a special purpose district during a
recall campaign that in the aggregate exceed (i) ((seventy)) eighty
cents multiplied by the number of eligible registered voters in the
jurisdiction entitled to recall the state official if the contributor is a
caucus political committee or the governing body of a state organization, or
(ii) ((thirty-five)) forty cents multiplied by the number of
registered voters in the jurisdiction from which the candidate is elected if
the contributor is a county central committee or a legislative district
committee.
(b) No official holding an office specified in
subsection (1) of this section against whom recall charges have been filed, no
authorized committee of the official, and no political committee having the
expectation of making expenditures in support of the recall of the official may
accept contributions from a county central committee or a legislative district
committee during an election cycle that when combined with contributions from
other county central committees or legislative district committees would in the
aggregate exceed ((thirty-five)) forty cents multiplied by the
number of registered voters in the jurisdiction from which the candidate is
elected.
(6) For purposes of determining contribution limits under subsections (4) and (5) of this section, the number of eligible registered voters in a jurisdiction is the number at the time of the most recent general election in the jurisdiction.
(7) Notwithstanding subsections (2) through (5) of this
section, no person other than an individual, bona fide political party, or
caucus political committee may make contributions reportable under this chapter
to a caucus political committee that in the aggregate exceed ((seven)) eight
hundred dollars in a calendar year or to a bona fide political party that in
the aggregate exceed ((three)) four thousand ((five hundred))
dollars in a calendar year. This subsection does not apply to loans made in
the ordinary course of business.
(8) For the purposes of RCW 42.17.640 through 42.17.790, a contribution to the authorized political committee of a candidate or of an official specified in subsection (1) of this section against whom recall charges have been filed is considered to be a contribution to the candidate or official.
(9) A contribution received within the twelve-month period after a recall election concerning an office specified in subsection (1) of this section is considered to be a contribution during that recall campaign if the contribution is used to pay a debt or obligation incurred to influence the outcome of that recall campaign.
(10) The contributions allowed by subsection (3) of this section are in addition to those allowed by subsection (2) of this section, and the contributions allowed by subsection (5) of this section are in addition to those allowed by subsection (4) of this section.
(11) RCW 42.17.640 through 42.17.790 apply to a special election conducted to fill a vacancy in an office specified in subsection (1) of this section. However, the contributions made to a candidate or received by a candidate for a primary or special election conducted to fill such a vacancy shall not be counted toward any of the limitations that apply to the candidate or to contributions made to the candidate for any other primary or election.
(12) Notwithstanding the other subsections of this section, no corporation or business entity not doing business in Washington state, no labor union with fewer than ten members who reside in Washington state, and no political committee that has not received contributions of ten dollars or more from at least ten persons registered to vote in Washington state during the preceding one hundred eighty days may make contributions reportable under this chapter to a state office candidate, to a state official against whom recall charges have been filed, or to a political committee having the expectation of making expenditures in support of the recall of the official. This subsection does not apply to loans made in the ordinary course of business.
(13) Notwithstanding the other subsections of this section, no county central committee or legislative district committee may make contributions reportable under this chapter to a candidate specified in subsection (1) of this section, or an official specified in subsection (1) of this section against whom recall charges have been filed, or political committee having the expectation of making expenditures in support of the recall of an official specified in subsection (1) of this section if the county central committee or legislative district committee is outside of the jurisdiction entitled to elect the candidate or recall the official.
(14) No person may accept contributions that exceed the contribution limitations provided in this section.
(15) The following contributions are exempt from the contribution limits of this section:
(a) An expenditure or contribution earmarked for voter registration, for absentee ballot information, for precinct caucuses, for get-out-the-vote campaigns, for precinct judges or inspectors, for sample ballots, or for ballot counting, all without promotion of or political advertising for individual candidates; or
(b) An expenditure by a political committee for its own internal organization or fund raising without direct association with individual candidates."
Correct the title
EFFECT: Makes technical corrections to include city council and mayoral candidates in the same statutes for contribution limits as other candidates; updates the contribution limits to be consistent with current allowances, and changes contribution limits for bona fide political parties for city council and mayoral races to be consistent with that allowed for other candidates.
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