SB137: Bill Text

SB137,17,14 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.

SB137, s. 39 Section 39. 11.31 (9) of the statutes is created to read:

SB137,17,19 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.

SB137,18,7 (b) The dollar amounts of all disbursement levels specified in sub. (1) shall be subject to a cost-of-living adjustment to be determined by rule of the board in accordance with this paragraph. To determine the adjustment, the board shall calculate the percentage difference between the consumer price index for the 12-month period ending on December 31 of each odd-numbered year and the consumer price index for calendar year 2003. For each biennium, the board shall adjust the disbursement levels specified under sub. (1) by that percentage to the extent required to reflect any difference, rounded to the nearest multiple of $25 in the case of amounts of $1 or more, which amounts shall 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 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.

SB137, s. 40 Section 40. 11.31 (10) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB137,18,12 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.

SB137, s. 41 Section 41. 11.50 of the statutes is repealed.

SB137, s. 42 Section 42. 11.51 of the statutes is created to read:

SB137,18,17 11.51 Clean elections fund grants. (1) Any candidate for the office of governor, state senator, or representative to the assembly may qualify to receive a grant from the clean elections fund by fulfilling the requirements of this section.

SB137,18,25 (2) (a) In order 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:

SB137,19,1 1. Governor, 2,500.

SB137,19,2 2. State senator, 150.

SB137,19,3 3. Representative to the assembly, 50.

SB137,19,7 (b) In addition to the requirements imposed under par. (a), a candidate does not qualify to receive a grant for a general or special election unless the candidate receives at least 5% 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.

SB137,19,15 (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:

SB137,19,16 (a) Governor, $50,000.

SB137,19,17 (b) State senator, $1,500.

SB137,19,18 (c) Representative to the assembly, $500.

SB137,19,20 (4) A contributor who makes a qualifying contribution may also make a seed money contribution in the full amount authorized under sub. (3).

SB137,19,25 (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 in the clean elections fund.

SB137,20,3 (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).

SB137,20,14 (7) In order 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.

SB137,20,19 (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 that the primary election is held for the office which the candidate seeks or the date on which the primary election would be held if a primary election were required to be held.

SB137,21,2 (b) The board shall distribute grants for the general or for a 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, except that, in the case of a candidate of a recognized political party for a partisan office, the board shall distribute a grant to a candidate for an office for which a primary election was held only if the candidate was nominated at that election.

SB137,21,5 (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.

SB137,21,10 (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):

SB137,21,11 Primary General or

SB137,21,12 Office Election Special Election

SB137,21,13 1. Governor $500,000 $1,000,000

SB137,21,14 2. State senator 36,000 72,000

SB137,21,15 3. Representative to the assembly 18,000 36,000

SB137,22,4 (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 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 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 or special election.

SB137,22,7 (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.

SB137,22,21 (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) shall be subject to a cost-of-living adjustment to be determined by rule of the board in accordance with this paragraph. To determine the adjustment, the board shall calculate the percentage difference between the consumer price index for the 12-month period ending on December 31 of each odd-numbered year and the consumer price index for calendar year 2003. For each biennium, the board shall adjust the grant amounts specified in sub. (10) by that percentage to the extent required to reflect any difference, rounded to the nearest multiple of $25 in the case of amounts of $1 or more, which amounts shall 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 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.

SB137,23,6 (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).

SB137,23,20 (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.

SB137,24,2 (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).

SB137,24,6 (15) No later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, a candidate who received a grant from the clean elections fund in that year or the preceding year shall return to the state treasurer the amount of any grant remaining in the candidate's campaign depository account.

SB137,24,7 (16) The board may promulgate rules required to implement this section.

SB137, s. 43 Section 43. 14.58 (20) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB137,24,11 14.58 (20) Election campaign 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.

SB137, s. 44 Section 44. 20.510 (1) (q) of the statutes is repealed and recreated to read:

SB137,24,14 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.

SB137, s. 45 Section 45. 20.855 (4) (b) of the statutes is repealed.

SB137, s. 46 Section 46. 20.855 (4) (ba) of the statutes is created to read:

SB137,24,19 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.

SB137, s. 47 Section 47. 25.17 (1) (aw) of the statutes is created to read:

SB137,24,21 25.17 (1) (aw) Clean elections fund (s. 25.42);

SB137, s. 48 Section 48. 25.17 (1) (ys) of the statutes is repealed.

SB137, s. 49 Section 49. 25.42 of the statutes is repealed and recreated to read:

SB137,25,2 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.

SB137, s. 50 Section 50. 71.10 (3) of the statutes is repealed.

SB137, s. 51 Section 51. Initial applicability.

SB137,25,6 (1) The treatment of sections 11.31 (9) and 11.51 (11) of the statutes first applies to adjustments for the biennium beginning on January 1, 2004.

SB137,25,7 (End)