AB 353

Scope of regulated activity

Currently, individuals who accept contributions, organizations that make or

accept contributions, and individuals who or organizations that incur obligations or

make disbursements for the purpose of influencing an election for state or local office

are generally required to register with the appropriate filing officer and to file

financial reports with that officer, regardless of whether they act in conjunction with

or independently of any candidate who is supported or opposed.

With certain exceptions, this bill imposes registration and reporting

requirements, in addition, upon any individual who and organization that, within

60 days of an election and by means of communications media, makes any

communication that includes a reference to a candidate for state office, other than

court of appeals judge, circuit judge, or district attorney, at that election, a state

office, other than court of appeals judge, circuit judge, or district attorney, to be filled

at that election, or a political party. The bill also requires an individual who or

organization that becomes subject to a registration requirement by making such a

communication to report, upon registration, the information that would have been

required to be reported if the individual or organization had been registered with

respect to any obligation incurred or disbursement made for the purpose of making

such a communication prior to registration. The bill, however, does not require

registration and reporting if the communication is made by a corporation,

cooperative, or nonpolitical voluntary association and is limited to the corporation's,

cooperative's, or association's members, shareholders, or subscribers.

The change in the scope of reportable activity under the bill also applies to

contribution and disbursement (spending) limitations and restrictions by causing

reportable "contributions," "obligations," and "disbursements" to include the cost of

all reportable communications.

Public financing of elections for certain state offices

Currently, no public grants are available to finance the campaigns of any

candidate for state or local office in this state. This bill creates a clean elections fund

to provide grants to qualifying candidates for campaign expenses. Under the bill, a

candidate for any state office other than court of appeals judge, circuit judge, or

district attorney may qualify to receive a grant from the clean elections fund.

Separate grants are provided for primary and election campaigns. To qualify for a

grant, a candidate must qualify to have his or her name appear on the ballot at a

spring, partisan, or special primary or a spring, general, or special election for which

the grant will be used. To qualify for a grant at a general or partisan special election,

a candidate must be the nominee of a political party that currently qualifies to have

its candidates appear on a separate ballot, or in a separate column or row on the

ballot, or must receive at least 1 percent of the total vote cast on all ballots for the

office that the candidate seeks at the partisan primary, or at the special primary, if