AB 531

Current law allows unlimited campaign contributions to certain entities, such

as political action committees, legislative campaign committees, and political

parties, but prohibits a political action committee from contributing more than

$12,000 in any calendar year to a political party or legislative campaign committee.

This bill limits the contributions that an individual may make to a political party or

legislative campaign committee to the amounts that an individual may make to a

candidate committee, as provided under the bill. The bill also limits the contributions

that a political party or legislative campaign committee may make to a candidate

committee to the amounts that an individual may make to a candidate committee,

as provided under the bill. In addition, the bill limits the contributions that a

candidate committee may make to a political party or legislative campaign

committee to the amounts that the candidate committee may make under current

law to another candidate committee but retains the unlimited contributions under

current law for contributions that a candidate makes to his or her candidate

committee from the candidate's personal funds.

The bill also decreases the individual and candidate committee contribution

limit from $20,000 to $10,000 for contributions made to candidates for governor,

lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general, state

superintendent, or justice of the supreme court and reduces by half the limits that

apply to political action committee contributions to candidates. The limits under the

bill are the same, generally, as those that applied to political action committee

contributions prior to 2016.

Finally, current law allows a political party or legislative campaign committee

to establish a segregated fund to use for general purposes but not for making

contributions to a candidate committee or for making disbursements for express

advocacy. Persons other than a political action committee, corporation, cooperative,

labor organization, or American Indian tribe may make unlimited contributions to

the segregated fund. A political action committee, corporation, cooperative, labor

organization, or American Indian tribe may make a contribution to the fund in

amounts not to exceed $12,000 in the aggregate in a calendar year. The bill

eliminates the provision allowing a political party or legislative campaign committee

to establish such a fund.