11.503 Time of application. (1) Before a candidate may be certified as eligible for receipt of a public financing benefit for the spring election, the candidate shall apply to the board and file a sworn statement that the candidate has fulfilled all the requirements of ss. 11.502 to 11.522 during the primary election campaign period and will comply with such requirements during the election campaign period. Except as authorized in s. 8.35 (4) (b), the application shall be filed no later than the 7th day after the date of the spring primary or the day on which the primary election would be held if a primary were required.

(2) The board shall certify a candidate as an eligible candidate for receipt of a public financing benefit for the spring election if the candidate complies with sub. (1) and the candidate was an eligible candidate during the primary election campaign period.

11.505 Agreement by candidate. An eligible candidate who accepts a public financing benefit under ss. 11.502 to 11.522 during the primary election campaign period shall agree to comply with all requirements of ss. 11.502 to 11.522 throughout the election campaign period during the same campaign as a precondition to receipt of a public financing benefit. An eligible candidate who accepts a public financing benefit during a primary election campaign period may not elect to accept private contributions in violation of ss. 11.502 to 11.522 during the corresponding election campaign period.

11.506 Requirements imposed upon candidates. (1) An eligible candidate shall not accept private contributions other than seed money contributions and qualifying contributions that the candidate accepts during the exploratory period and the public financing qualifying period.

(2) In addition to reports required to be filed under ss. 11.12 (5) and 11.20, a candidate who receives a public financing benefit shall furnish complete financial records, including records of seed money contributions, qualifying contributions, and disbursements, to the board on the 15th or the last day of the month that immediately follows the receipt of the contribution or the making of the disbursement, whichever comes first, except that during July, August, and September records need only be furnished by the last day of the month. Each such candidate shall cooperate with any audit or examination by the board.

(3) In addition to adhering to requirements imposed under ss. 11.06 (5) and 11.12 (3), a candidate who receives a public financing benefit shall maintain records of all contributions received by the candidate of more than $5 but less than $50, including seed money contributions and qualifying contributions, which shall contain the full name of the contributor and the contributor's full home address. In addition, if a contributor's aggregate contributions to any candidate exceed $50 for any campaign, the candidate shall also maintain a record of the contributor's principal occupation and the name and business address of the contributor's place of employment.

(4) The failure to record or provide the information specified in sub. (3) disqualifies a contribution from being used by a candidate as a qualifying contribution.

(5) No eligible candidate and no person acting on a candidate's behalf may deposit any contribution that is not recorded in accordance with sub. (3) in a candidate's campaign depository account.

(6) No eligible candidate may accept more than $25 in cash from any contributor. No eligible candidate may accept cash from all sources in a total amount greater than one-tenth of 1 percent of the public financing benefit for the office that the candidate seeks or $500, whichever is greater.

11.507 Personal funds of candidates. (1) The personal funds of a candidate contributed as seed money contributions may not exceed an aggregate amount of $5,000.

(2) No eligible candidate may make any disbursement derived from personal funds after the close of the public financing qualifying period.

11.508 Seed money contributions. (1) An eligible candidate may accept seed money contributions from any individual or committee prior to the end of the public financing qualifying period, provided the total contributions received from one contributor, except personal funds and qualifying contributions otherwise permitted under ss. 11.502 to 11.522, do not exceed $100, and the aggregate contributions, including personal funds, but not including qualifying contributions, do not exceed $5,000.

(2) An eligible candidate may make disbursements derived from seed money contributions only during the exploratory period and the public financing qualifying period.

11.509 Excess contributions. If an eligible candidate receives excess seed money contributions or qualifying contributions on an aggregate basis, the candidate may retain the contributions and make disbursements derived from the contributions, in an amount not exceeding $15,000. An amount equivalent to the excess contributions shall be deducted by the board from the candidate's public financing benefit. An eligible candidate shall transfer to the board all seed money and qualifying contributions that exceed the limits prescribed in this section within 48 hours after the end of the exploratory period. The board shall deposit all contributions transferred under this section in the democracy trust fund.

11.51 Certification by candidate. (1) To apply for a public financing benefit, a candidate shall certify to the board that the candidate has complied and will comply, throughout the applicable campaign, with all requirements of ss. 11.502 to 11.522 and that all disclosures required as of the time of application have been made, and shall present evidence of the requisite number of qualifying contributions received by the candidate. The candidate's request for certification shall be signed by the candidate and the candidate's campaign treasurer.

(2) The board shall certify to the state treasurer the name of each eligible candidate at the spring primary together with the amount of the public financing benefit payable to the candidate promptly after the candidate demonstrates his or her eligibility and, in any event, not later than 5 days after the end of the public financing qualifying period. The state treasurer shall immediately credit that candidate's account with a line of credit for the amount certified. No candidate may utilize a line of credit received under this subsection until the beginning of the primary election campaign period.

(3) The board shall certify to the state treasurer the name of each eligible candidate at the spring election together with the amount of the public financing benefit payable to the candidate not later than 48 hours after the date of the spring primary election for the office of justice, or the date that the primary election would be held if a primary were required. The state treasurer shall immediately credit that candidate's account with a line of credit for the amount certified. However, no candidate for a particular office shall receive a line of credit until all candidates for the office of justice who apply and qualify for a public financing benefit have been certified as eligible candidates.

(4) If any candidate who receives a public financing benefit violates the requirements of ss. 11.502 to 11.522, the board shall require the candidate to repay the amount obligated by the candidate from the democracy trust fund for the primary or election campaign period for which the candidate received the benefit. The board shall deposit all repayments received under this subsection in the democracy trust fund.

11.511 Public financing benefits. (1) The state treasurer shall provide to each eligible candidate who qualifies to receive a public financing benefit for the primary or election campaign period separate lines of credit for the public financing benefits payable to the candidate for the primary and election campaign periods in the amounts specified in this section, subject to any required adjustment under s. 11.509, 11.512 (2) or 11.513 (2). An eligible candidate may use this public financing benefit to finance any lawful disbursements during the primary and election campaign periods to further the election of the candidate in that primary or election. An eligible candidate shall not use this public financing benefit to repay any loan, or in violation of ss. 11.502 to 11.522 or any other applicable law.

(2) Except as provided in ss. 11.512 (2) and 11.513 (2), the public financing benefit for a primary election campaign period is $100,000.

(3) Except as provided in ss. 11.512 (2) and 11.513 (2), the public financing benefit for an election campaign period is $300,000.

(4) If there is no spring primary for the office of justice, no eligible candidate may receive a public financing benefit for the primary election campaign period.

(5g) An eligible candidate who receives a public financing benefit in the primary election campaign period and whose name is certified to appear on the ballot at the election following that primary may utilize any unencumbered balance of the public financing benefit received by the candidate in the primary election campaign period for the election campaign period.

(5r) Except as permitted in sub. (5g), an eligible candidate who receives a public financing benefit and who does not encumber or expend some portion of the benefit for a purpose described in sub. (1) shall return any unencumbered portion of the benefit to the board within 30 days after the primary or election in which the candidate participates.

(6) Notwithstanding subs. (2) and (3), beginning on July 1, 2012, and every 2 years thereafter, the board shall modify the public financing benefits provided for in subs. (2) and (3) to adjust for the change in the consumer price index, all items, U.S. city average, published by the U.S. department of labor for the preceding 2-year period ending on December 31.

11.512 Financial activity by nonparticipating candidates. (1) In addition to other reports required by law, a nonparticipating candidate for an office at a primary or election who receives contributions or makes or obligates to make disbursements in an amount that is more than 5 percent greater than the public financing benefit applicable to an eligible candidate for the same office at the same primary or election shall file a report with the board itemizing the total contributions received and disbursements made or obligated to be made by the candidate as of the date of the report. The board shall transmit copies of the report to all candidates for the same office at the same election. A nonparticipating candidate shall file additional reports after the candidate receives each additional $1,000 of contributions, or the candidate makes or obligates to make each additional $1,000 of disbursements. If such contributions are received or such disbursements are made or obligated to be made more than 6 weeks prior to the date of the primary election at which the name of the candidate appears on the ballot, or prior to the date that the primary election would be held, if a primary were required, the reports shall be made at the next regular reporting interval under s. 11.506. If such contributions are received or such disbursements made or obligated to be made within 6 weeks prior to the date of the primary election at which the name of the candidate appears on the ballot, or within 6 weeks prior to the date that the primary election would be held, if a primary were required, the reports shall be made within 24 hours after each instance in which such contributions are received, or such disbursements are made or obligated to be made.