AB626: Bill Text

AB626, s. 43 Section 43. 11.26 (9) (am) of the statutes, as created by 2001 Wisconsin Act 109, is repealed.

AB626, s. 44 Section 44. 11.26 (9) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB626,19,24 11.26 (9) (b) No individual who is a candidate for state or local office may receive and accept more than 45% of the value of the total disbursement level determined under s. 11.31 (1), adjusted as provided under s. 11.31 (9), for the office for which he or she is a candidate during any primary and election campaign combined from all committees other than political party and legislative campaign committees subject to a filing requirement.

AB626, s. 45 Section 45. 11.26 (9) (c) of the statutes is repealed.

AB626, s. 46 Section 46. 11.26 (9m) of the statutes, as created by 2001 Wisconsin Act 109, is repealed.

AB626, s. 47 Section 47. 11.26 (10) of the statutes, as affected by 2001 Wisconsin Act 109, is repealed.

AB626, s. 48 Section 48. 11.26 (10a) (b) of the statutes, as created by 2001 Wisconsin Act 109, is repealed and recreated to read:

AB626,20,23 11.26 (10a) (b) The dollar amounts of the limitations under subs. (1), (2), (4), (8), and (8n) are subject to a biennial adjustment to be determined by rule of the board in accordance with this subsection. To determine the adjustment, the board shall, in each year that the adjustment is made, calculate the percentage difference between the consumer price index for the 12-month period ending on December 31 of the preceding year and the consumer price index for calendar year 2007. Beginning in 2008 and every 2 years thereafter, the board shall multiply the amount of each limitation under subs. (1), (2), (4), (8), and (8n) by the percentage difference in the consumer price indexes. The board shall then add that product to the applicable limitation under subs. (1), (2), (4), (8), and (8n), round each sum to the nearest multiple of $5, and adjust the amount of each limitation to substitute the resulting amount. The amount so determined shall then be in effect until a subsequent rule is promulgated under this subsection. Notwithstanding s. 227.24 (1) (a), (2) (b), and (3), determinations under this subsection may be promulgated as an emergency rule under s. 227.24 without providing evidence that the emergency rule is necessary for the public peace, health, safety, or welfare and without a finding of emergency.

AB626, s. 49 Section 49. 11.26 (13) of the statutes is repealed.

AB626, s. 50 Section 50. 11.26 (17) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB626,21,3 11.26 (17) (a) For purposes of application of the limitations imposed in subs. (1), (2), and (9) and (10), the "campaign" of a candidate begins and ends at the times specified in this subsection.

AB626, s. 51 Section 51 . 11.26 (17) (a) of the statutes, as affected by 2001 Wisconsin Act 109, is repealed and recreated to read:

AB626,21,7 11.26 (17) (a) For purposes of application of subs. (1), (2), and (9), the "campaign" of a candidate begins and ends at the times specified in this subsection.

AB626, s. 52 Section 52. 11.31 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB626,21,9 11.31 (title) Disbursement levels and limitations; calculation.

AB626, s. 53 Section 53. 11.31 (1) (intro.) of the statutes, as affected by 2001 Wisconsin Act 109, is repealed and recreated to read:

AB626,21,16 11.31 (1) Schedule. (intro.) The following levels of disbursements are established with reference to the candidates listed below. The levels are subject to adjustment under sub. (9). The levels do not operate to restrict the total amount of disbursements which are made or authorized to be made by any candidate in any primary or other election.

AB626, s. 54 Section 54. 11.31 (2) and (2m) of the statutes, as affected by 2001 Wisconsin Act 109, are repealed.

AB626, s. 55 Section 55. 11.31 (3) of the statutes, as affected by 2001 Wisconsin Act 109, is repealed.

AB626, s. 56 Section 56. 11.31 (3m) of the statutes is repealed.

AB626, s. 57 Section 57. 11.31 (3p) of the statutes, as created by 2001 Wisconsin Act 109, is repealed.

AB626, s. 58 Section 58. 11.31 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB626,22,9 11.31 (4) Allocation. Except as provided in sub. (3m), whenever Whenever a separate disbursement level is specified for a primary and election under sub. (1), a candidate who disburses less than the authorized level in the primary may not reallocate the balance to increase the level in the election. Whenever a separate disbursement level is not specified for a primary and election under sub. (1), a candidate may allocate disbursements between the primary and election campaign within the total level of disbursements specified in sub. (1) in any proportion desired, and may carry over unexpended contributions from a primary campaign to an election campaign.

AB626, s. 59 Section 59. 11.31 (6) of the statutes is repealed.

AB626, s. 60 Section 60. 11.31 (7) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB626,22,14 11.31 (7) (b) Disbursements which are made before a campaign period for goods to be delivered or services to be rendered in connection with the campaign are charged against the disbursement limitation level for that campaign.

AB626, s. 61 Section 61. 11.31 (7) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB626,22,18 11.31 (7) (c) Disbursements which are made after a campaign to retire a debt incurred in relation to a campaign are charged against the disbursement limitation level for that campaign.

AB626, s. 62 Section 62. 11.31 (8) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB626,22,24 11.31 (8) Certain contributions excluded. The limitations imposed levels specified under this section do not apply to a gift of anything of value constituting a contribution made directly to a registrant by another, but the limitations levels shall apply to such gift when it is received and accepted by the recipient or, if received in the form of money, when disbursed.

AB626, s. 63 Section 63. 11.31 (9) of the statutes, as created by 2001 Wisconsin Act 109, is repealed and recreated to read:

AB626,23,6 11.31 (9) Adjustment of disbursement levels. (a) In this subsection, "consumer price index" means the average of the consumer price index over each 12-month period, all items, U.S. city average, as determined by the bureau of labor statistics of the U.S. department of labor.

AB626,23,21 (b) The dollar amounts of the levels specified in sub. (1) are subject to a biennial adjustment to be determined by rule of the board in accordance with this paragraph. To determine the adjustment, the board shall, in each year that the adjustment is made, calculate the percentage difference between the consumer price index for the 12-month period ending on December 31 of the preceding year and the consumer price index for calendar year 2007. For each biennium, the board shall multiply the amount of each level specified under sub. (1) by the percentage difference in the consumer price indexes. The board shall then add that product to the applicable level under sub. (1), round each sum to the nearest multiple of $5, and adjust the amount of each level to substitute the resulting amount. The amount so determined shall then be in effect until a subsequent rule is promulgated under this paragraph. Notwithstanding s. 227.24 (1) (a), (2) (b), and (3), determinations under this paragraph may be promulgated as an emergency rule under s. 227.24 without providing evidence that the emergency rule is necessary for the public peace, health, safety, or welfare and without a finding of emergency.

AB626, s. 64 Section 64. 11.31 (10) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB626,24,2 11.31 (10) Surplus materials excluded. Disbursements constituting surplus materials acquired in connection with a previous campaign of a candidate are not subject to limitation by included in the levels specified in this section, if the materials were previously reported as a disbursement by that candidate.

AB626, s. 65 Section 65. 11.38 (6) of the statutes, as affected by 2001 Wisconsin Act 109, is repealed and recreated to read:

AB626,24,8 11.38 (6) Any individual or campaign treasurer who receives funds in violation of this section shall promptly return such funds to the contributor, or donate the funds to the common school fund or a charitable organization, at the individual's or treasurer's option.

AB626, s. 66 Section 66. 11.50 of the statutes, as affected by 2001 Wisconsin Act 109, is repealed.

AB626, s. 67 Section 67. 11.51 of the statutes is created to read:

AB626,24,16 11.51 Clean elections fund grants. (1) Any candidate for a state office other than the office of court of appeals judge, circuit judge, or district attorney whose name is certified under s. 7.08 (2) (a) or 8.50 (1) (d) to appear on the ballot at an election may qualify to receive a grant from the clean elections fund by fulfilling the requirements of this section.

AB626,24,24 (2) (a) To qualify to receive a grant from the clean elections fund, a candidate shall obtain and deposit with the state treasurer the number of qualifying contributions specified in this subsection, in the amount of $5 each, each of which shall be received from an elector of this state and, in the case of a candidate for legislative office, an elector of the district in which the candidate seeks office. The name and address of each elector making a qualifying contribution shall be identified in a report filed with the board as provided in s. 11.06 (1) (a). The number of required qualifying contributions for a candidate for each office is:

AB626,24,25 1. Governor, 3,000.

AB626,25,1 2. Lieutenant governor, 750.

AB626,25,2 3. Attorney general, 1,050.

AB626,25,3 4. State treasurer, 375.

AB626,25,4 5. Secretary of state, 375.

AB626,25,5 6. State superintendent, 375.

AB626,25,6 7. Justice, 450.

AB626,25,7 8. State senator, 150.

AB626,25,8 9. Representative to the assembly, 100.

AB626,25,13 (b) In addition to the requirements imposed under par. (a), a candidate does not qualify to receive a grant for a general or partisan special election unless the candidate receives at least 1 percent of the total vote cast for all candidates on all ballots for the same office at the September primary, or at a special primary if a special primary is held.

AB626,25,21 (3) Prior to notification that a candidate has qualified to receive a grant from the clean elections fund under sub. (7), a candidate may accept seed money contributions from individuals. The total seed money contributions accepted by a candidate from one contributor, including any seed money contributions made by a candidate to his or her own campaign, may not exceed $100. The total seed money contributions accepted by a candidate during the candidate's campaign, as defined in s. 11.26 (17), may not exceed, in the aggregate, the following amount for the office sought by candidate:

AB626,25,22 (a) Governor, $50,000.

AB626,25,23 (b) Lieutenant governor, $12,500.

AB626,25,24 (c) Attorney general, $17,500.

AB626,25,25 (d) State treasurer, $6,250.

AB626,26,1 (e) Secretary of state, $6,250.

AB626,26,2 (f) State superintendent, $6,250.

AB626,26,3 (g) Justice, $7,500.

AB626,26,4 (h) State senator, $2,500.

AB626,26,5 (i) Representative to the assembly, $1,500.

AB626,26,7 (4) A contributor who makes a qualifying contribution may also make a seed money contribution in the full amount authorized under sub. (3).

AB626,26,12 (5) A candidate shall remit to the state treasurer all seed money contributions received by the candidate that are unencumbered on the day the candidate receives notification of qualification for a grant under sub. (7). The state treasurer shall deposit all seed money contributions received under this subsection into the clean elections fund.

AB626,26,15 (6) No candidate who accepts a grant from the clean elections fund may accept any seed money contribution under sub. (3) after receiving notification of qualification for a grant under sub. (7).

AB626,27,2 (7) To qualify to receive a grant from the clean elections fund, a candidate shall file an application with the board, no later than a time specified by the board by rule, in which the candidate shall affirm that he or she has not accepted and agrees not to accept a contribution from any source other than a contribution required under sub. (2), a contribution authorized under sub. (3), and the candidate's grant from the clean elections fund during the campaign of the candidate, as defined in s. 11.31 (7). If the candidate desires to receive grant payments by electronic transfer, the candidate shall include in his or her application sufficient information and authorization for the state treasurer to transfer payments to his or her campaign depository account. The board shall notify each candidate who qualifies to receive a grant from the clean elections fund as promptly as possible following qualification.

AB626,27,7 (8) (a) The board shall distribute primary election grants from the clean elections fund to each candidate who qualifies to receive a grant under this section as soon as possible preceding the date on which the primary election is held for the office that the candidate seeks or the date on which the primary election would be held if a primary election were required to be held.

AB626,27,12 (b) The board shall distribute grants for the spring, general, and any special election from the clean elections fund to each candidate who qualifies to receive a grant under this section as soon as possible after the date of the primary election for the office sought by the candidate, or the date on which the primary election would be held if a primary election were required to be held.

AB626,27,15 (9) A candidate who receives a grant from the clean elections fund shall file with the board reports of all disbursements made in the manner provided under s. 11.06 (1) (g), without regard to the amounts thereof.

AB626,27,20 (10) (a) Except as provided in par. (b) and subs. (11) to (13), a candidate who qualifies to receive a grant from the clean elections fund under this section shall receive a grant in the following amount for the office sought by the candidate and for the election specified, less the aggregate amount of contributions accepted by the candidate under sub. (3): - See PDF for table

AB626,28,14 (b) If a candidate does not have an opponent who has qualified to have his or her name appear on the ballot at the election for which a grant is to be applied, the candidate shall receive a grant for a primary election equal to the average total disbursements made per candidate in primary election campaign periods, as determined by the board from reports filed by or on behalf of those candidates in accordance with s. 11.31 (5), for the office that the candidate seeks during the 4-year period preceding the date of the primary election, or a grant for a spring, general, or special election equal to the average total disbursements made per candidate in general and special election campaign periods, as determined by the board from reports filed by or on behalf of those candidates in accordance with s. 11.31 (5), for the office that the candidate seeks during the 4-year period preceding the date of the spring, general, or special election, except that a candidate for the office of governor shall receive a grant of $100,000 for a primary election and a grant of $200,000 for a general election.

AB626,28,17 (11) (a) In this subsection, "consumer price index" means the average of the consumer price index over each 12-month period, all items, U.S. city average, as determined by the bureau of labor statistics of the U.S. department of labor.

AB626,29,17 (b) The dollar amounts of the grants specified in sub. (10) (a) and the grants specified for the office of governor in sub. (10) (b) are subject to a biennial cost-of-living adjustment to be determined by rule of the board in accordance with this paragraph. To determine the adjustment, the board shall, as soon as possible after the end of each odd-numbered year, calculate the percentage difference between the consumer price index for the 12-month period ending on December 31 of the preceding year and the consumer price index for calendar year 2007. For each biennium, the board shall multiply the amount of each grant specified in sub. (10) by the percentage difference in the consumer price indexes. The board shall then add that product to the applicable grant amount under sub. (10), round each sum to the nearest multiple of $5, and adjust the amount of each grant to substitute the resulting amount. The amount so determined shall then be in effect until a subsequent rule is promulgated under this paragraph. Notwithstanding s. 227.24 (1) (a), (2) (b), and (3), determinations under this paragraph may be promulgated as an emergency rule under s. 227.24 without providing evidence that the emergency rule is necessary for the public peace, health, safety, or welfare, and without a finding of emergency.

AB626,30,2 (12) If any independent expenditure is made or any obligation to make an independent expenditure is incurred by any person in opposition to a candidate who receives a grant from the clean elections fund or in support of an opponent of such a candidate whose name is certified to appear on the same ballot, then the candidate who receives a grant shall receive an additional grant in the total amount of the obligations incurred and the independent expenditures made that were not previously reported as obligations, as reported to the appropriate filing officer under s. 11.12 (6) (b), but not to exceed, in combination with any additional grant payable to that candidate under sub. (13), 2.5 times the amount payable to the candidate under sub. (10), as adjusted under sub. (11).

AB626,30,16 (13) If a candidate who receives a grant from the clean elections fund is opposed on a primary or election ballot by another candidate who does not receive a grant or by another candidate who the board determines has violated his or her agreement under sub. (7), the candidate who receives a grant shall receive an additional grant in the amount by which the disbursements made by the other candidate exceed the amount of the grant payable for the office sought by the candidate in that election under sub. (10), as adjusted under sub. (11), but not to exceed, in combination with any additional grant payable to that candidate under sub. (12), 2.5 times the amount payable to the candidate under sub. (10), as adjusted under sub. (11). If a candidate who receives a grant from the clean elections fund is opposed on a primary or election ballot by more than one candidate who does not receive a grant or who the board determines has violated his or her agreement under sub. (7), the amount of the grant payable under this subsection is the largest amount that would be payable by reason of any candidate's opposition.

AB626,30,22 (14) If a candidate who makes an agreement under sub. (7) does not adhere to the agreement, the candidate shall forfeit an amount equivalent to any grant from the clean elections fund that is provided to the candidate and the candidate may be fined not more than 3 times the amount of any contributions received by the candidate in his or her campaign, as defined in s. 11.26 (17), exclusive of the amount of any grant or any contributions deposited under sub. (2) or received under sub. (3).

AB626,31,4 (15) No later than the first day of the first month beginning at least 15 days after an election at which a candidate receives a grant from the clean elections fund, the candidate shall return to the state treasurer any amount of the grant remaining in the candidate's campaign depository account, except that a candidate who receives a grant at a primary election need not return any amount under this subsection if the candidate qualifies to receive a grant at the succeeding spring, general, or special election.

AB626,31,5 (16) The board may promulgate rules required to implement this section.

AB626, s. 68 Section 68. 14.58 (20) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB626,31,9 14.58 (20) Election campaign Clean elections fund. Make disbursements to each candidate certified under s. 7.08 (2) (c) or (cm) by the elections board as eligible to receive moneys a grant from the Wisconsin election campaign clean elections fund.

AB626, s. 69 Section 69. 20.510 (1) (q) of the statutes, as affected by 2001 Wisconsin Act 109, is repealed and recreated to read:

AB626,31,13 20.510 (1) (q) Clean elections fund grants. From the clean elections fund, a sum sufficient to make the grants to candidates required under s. 11.51.

AB626, s. 70 Section 70. 20.855 (4) (b) of the statutes is repealed.

AB626, s. 71 Section 71. 20.855 (4) (ba) of the statutes is created to read:

AB626,31,18 20.855 (4) (ba) Clean elections fund supplement. A sum sufficient equal to the amounts required to make the grants to candidates required under s. 11.51, to be transferred to the clean elections fund.

AB626, s. 72 Section 72. 25.17 (1) (aw) of the statutes is created to read:

AB626,31,20 25.17 (1) (aw) Clean elections fund (s. 25.42);

AB626, s. 73 Section 73. 25.17 (1) (ys) of the statutes is repealed.

AB626, s. 74 Section 74. 25.42 of the statutes, as affected by 2001 Wisconsin Act 109, is repealed and recreated to read:

AB626,32,2 25.42 Clean elections fund. All moneys deposited with the state treasurer under s. 11.51 (2) and (5) or returned to the state treasurer under s. 11.51 (15) and all moneys transferred to the clean elections fund under s. 20.855 (4) (ba) constitute the clean elections fund.