AB 117

Withholding of pay of certain state elected officials and prohibiting the

reimbursement of certain legislator expenses

This bill provides that, if the legislature has not passed a biennial budget bill

before August 1 of the odd-numbered year, the governor, lieutenant governor,

secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general, and each member of the

legislature may not receive any installments of their salaries until the legislature

has passed a biennial budget bill. In addition, the bill provides that no member of

the legislature may be paid any expenses to which the member is entitled for food and

lodging for each day that he or she is in Madison on legislative business or for work

as a member of a committee between August 1 of the odd-numbered year and the

date on which the legislature passes a biennial budget bill.

Under the bill, upon passage of a biennial budget bill, the state elected officials

specified above are to be paid all salary installments that were withheld during the

period before passage of the biennial budget bill. If the legislature has not passed

a biennial budget bill before the end of the legislative session, however, the state

elected officials are to be paid all salary installments on the last day of the session

that were withheld during the session.

Acceptance of certain political contributions by certain elective state

officials and committees

The bill prohibits any incumbent partisan elective state official or his or her

personal campaign or authorized support committee from accepting any political

contribution for the purpose of promoting his or her nomination or reelection to the

office held by the official during the period from the first Monday in January of each

odd-numbered year through the date of enactment of the biennial budget act. The

prohibition does not apply to contributions accepted by an incumbent official who is

subject to a recall election or by the official's personal campaign or authorized

support committee from the date on which the petition for a recall election is filed

until the date of the recall election.

Violators are subject to a forfeiture (civil penalty) of treble the amount or value

of any unlawful contribution. Intentional violators are guilty of a misdemeanor and

may be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned for not more than six months or

both.

Development of state biennial budget

Currently, the governor is required to deliver the budget message, along with

the biennial state budget report and executive budget bill or bills, on or before the

last Tuesday in January of the odd-numbered year, unless the governor requests a

later date and the legislature approves the later date by joint resolution.

The bill provides, generally, that the governor must deliver the budget message

on or before the second Tuesday in January of the odd-numbered year. If January

1 in an odd-numbered year falls on a Tuesday, however, the budget message must