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Bills · 2015-2016 Regular Session

SB 27

Died at session end Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: shareholder objections to corporate political expenditures.

Corporation Elections — Campaign expense

  1. Introduced, stopped here
  2. Passes Senate, not reached
  3. Passes Assembly, not reached
  4. Governor signs, not reached
  5. Law, not reached

Unfamiliar terms? Glossary

What this bill does

Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau

Current law defines "disbursement," for purposes relating to campaign

financing, to include a purchase, payment, loan, or gift made for political purposes;

an authorized expenditure from a campaign depository account; and a payment for

a broadcast or print communication to the general public for a political purpose.

This bill requires corporations to give written notice to their shareholders

before making disbursements, as defined under current campaign finance law. The

corporation is required to give only one notice for each corporate fiscal year. The

notice must include a form that the shareholder may complete and return to the

corporation to object to any disbursement during the applicable fiscal year.

The bill requires a corporation, within three months after the end of its fiscal

year, to calculate the total value of its expenditures for disbursements made during

the fiscal year. If an objecting shareholder returns the objection form to the

corporation (opts out) within 30 days after the date stated on the corporation's notice,

the corporation must, within four months after the end of its fiscal year, do all of the

following: 1) pay the objecting shareholder an amount determined by multiplying

the total value of corporate expenditures for disbursements by the objecting

shareholder's percentage of ownership in the corporation; and 2) provide the

objecting shareholder with the corporation's calculation of the total value of its

expenditures for disbursements made during the fiscal year, along with information

related to the calculation.

The provisions of the bill also apply to foreign corporations authorized to

transact business in this state, with respect to resident shareholders and

disbursements involving political activity or political purposes related to this state.

Sponsors

Introduced by: Carpenter (D) , Harris Dodd (D) , Lassa (D) , Risser (D) , Wirch (D)

20 cosponsors

Barca (D) , Berceau (D) , Bowen (D) , C. Taylor (D) , Considine (D) , Danou (D) , Doyle (D) , Genrich (D) , Hebl (D) , Hesselbein (D) , Johnson (D) , Kolste (D) , Ohnstad (D) , Pope (D) , Sargent (D) , Sinicki (D) , Spreitzer (D) , Subeck (D) , Wachs (D) , Zamarripa (D)

Full history

  1. Feb 11, 2015 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Wirch, Carpenter, Risser, Harris Dodd and Lassa; cosponsored by Representatives Wachs, Genrich, C. Taylor, Hebl, Doyle, Pope, Sinicki, Berceau, Danou, Sargent, Kolste, Subeck, Bowen, Ohnstad, Johnson, Hesselbein, Considine, Barca and Zamarripa

  2. Feb 11, 2015 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Elections and Local Government

  3. Mar 12, 2015 · Senate

    Representative Spreitzer added as a cosponsor

  4. Apr 13, 2016 · Senate

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1