SB 123 - This act specifies that any member of the General Assembly who vacates his or her office may not register as a lobbyist until after one full regular session of the General Assembly following the vacancy. The act imposes the following limitations on campaign contributions made by or accepted from any person other than the candidate in any one election:
$5,000 for Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Auditor, or Attorney General;
$1,500 for Senators;
$750 for Representatives;
$750 for any other office when the population of the electoral district does not exceed 50,000;
$1,500 for any other office when the population of the electoral district does not exceed 150,000;
$5,000 for any other office when the population of the electoral district is greater than 150,000.
The act imposes a limit on the aggregate contributions made by a single contributor to a political party committee in a calendar year to $32,400.
The act subjects every committee established under current law to the above limitations.
The act stipulates that contributions from persons younger than 14 years of age must be attributed toward any contribution limits.
The act requires contributions received and expenditures made before January 1, 2016, to be reported as a separate account and under the laws in effect at the time of the contributions or expenditures. Contributions received and expenditures made after January 1, 2016 must be reported as a separate account.
The act imposes a $1,000 surcharge in addition to the amount of contribution made in violation of the act on any candidate who does not return a nonallowable contribution within 10 business days of notice from the Missouri Ethics Commission. The candidate and the candidate committee treasurer or deputy treasurer owing a surcharge must be personally liable for the payment of the surcharge or may be paid only from campaign funds existing on the date of the receipt of notice of the nonallowable contribution and are enforceable as a debt under current law.
This act is similar to SB 2 (2015), SB 96 (2015), HB 1954 (2014), and HB 1955 (2014).
SCOTT SVAGERA