Source: http://www.wvlegislature.gov/bill_status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4647%20intr.htm&yr=2010&sesstype=RS&billtype=B&houseorig=H&i=4647
Timestamp: 2018-04-20 16:55:03
Document Index: 49334396

Matched Legal Cases: ['§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§434']

HB 4647 Text
Introduced Version House Bill 4647 History
hb4647 intr
H. B. 4647
(By Delegate s Manchin, Frazier,
Moore, Miley, Brown, Caputo, Wooton,
Ferro and Wells )
A BILL to repeal §3-9-14 of the Code of West Virginia 1931, as amended; and to amend and reenact §3-8-1a, §3-8-2, §3-8-8 and §3-8-12 of said code, all relating to the regulation and control of elections; amending the definition of "express advocacy" and "targeted to the relevant electorate"; amending reporting requirements for independent expenditures; and repealing the ban on corporate independent expenditures.
That §3-9-14 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be repealed; that §3-8-1a, §3-8-2, §3-8-8 and §3-8-12 of said code be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
(B) The cost of air time on broadcast, cable or satellite radio and television stations, the costs of disseminating printed materials, establishing a telephone bank, studio time, use of facilities and the charges for a broker to purchase air time.
(12) (A) "Electioneering communication" means any paid communication made by broadcast, cable or satellite signal, mass mailing, telephone bank, billboard advertising or published in any newspaper, magazine or other periodical that:
(iii) Is targeted to the relevant electorate: Provided, That for purposes of the general election of 2008 the amendments to this article shall be effective October 1, 2008.
(ii) Reasonable minds could not differ as to whether it encourages actions to elect or defeat one or more clearly identified candidates Is susceptible of no reasonable interpretation other than as an appeal to vote for or against a specific candidate.
(17) "Mass mailing" means a mailing by United States mail, facsimile or electronic mail of more than five hundred pieces of mail matter of an identical or substantially similar nature within any thirty-day period. For purposes of this subdivision, substantially similar includes communications that contain substantially the same template or language, but vary in nonmaterial respects such as communications customized by the recipient's name, occupation or geographic location.
(26) "Targeted to the relevant electorate" means a communication which refers to a clearly identified candidate for statewide office or the Legislature and which can be received by ten thousand one hundred forty thousand or more individuals in the state in the case of a candidacy for statewide office, eight thousand two hundred twenty or more individuals in the district in the case of a candidacy for the State Senate and five hundred two thousand four hundred ten or more individuals in the district in the case of a candidacy for the Legislature House of Delegates.
(a) Except for: (1) Candidates for party committeeman and committeewoman; and (2) federal committees required to file under the provisions of 2 U.S.C.§434, all candidates for nomination or election and all persons supporting, aiding or opposing the nomination, election or defeat of any candidate shall keep for a period of six months records of receipts and expenditures which are made for political purposes. All of the receipts and expenditures are subject to regulation by the provisions of this article. Verified financial statements of the records and expenditures shall be made and filed as public records by all candidates and by their financial agents, representatives or any person acting for and on behalf of any candidate and by the treasurers of all political party committees.
(b) (1) In addition to any other reporting required by the provisions of this chapter, any person making an independent expenditure in the amount of one thousand dollars or more for any statewide, legislative or multicounty judicial candidate or in the amount of five hundred dollars or more for any county office, single-county judicial candidate, committee supporting or opposing a candidate on the ballot in more than one county, or any municipal candidate on a municipal election ballot, on or after the fifteenth day but more than twelve hours before the day of any election shall report the expenditure, every person, other than a political committee, who makes independent expenditures in an aggregate amount or value in excess of $1,000 during a calendar year shall file a disclosure statement, on a form prescribed by the Secretary of State, that contains all of the information contained in subdivision (2) of this subsection.
(2) Disclosure statements required by this subsection include:
(A) The name of the person making the expenditure, the name of any person sharing or exercising direction or control over the activities of the person making the expenditure and the name of the custodian of the books and accounts of the person making the expenditure;
(C) The amount of each expenditure of more than $1,000 dollars made during the period covered by the statement and the name of the person to whom the expenditure was made;
(D) The elections to which the independent expenditure pertains, the names, if known, of the candidates referred to or to be referred to therein, whether the expenditure is intended to support or oppose the identified candidates and the amount of the total expenditure reported in paragraph (C) of this subsection spent to support or oppose each of the identified candidates;
(E) The names and addresses of any persons who contributed a total of more than $250 between the first day of the preceding calendar year and the disclosure date and whose contributions were used to make the expenditure.
(F) With regard to the contributors required to be listed pursuant to paragraph (E), the statement shall also include:
(ii) If the contributor is a political action committee, the name and address the political action committee registered with the State Election Commission;
(G) Under penalty of perjury, a certification whether or not such independent expenditure is made in cooperation, consultation, or concert, with, or at the request or suggestion of, any candidate or any authorized committee or agent of such candidate.
(3) Any person who makes a contribution for the purpose of funding an independent expenditure under this subsection shall, at the time the contribution is made, provide his or her name, address, occupation, his or her current employer, if any, or, if the individual is self-employed, the name of his or her business, if any, to the recipient of the contribution.
(4) The Secretary of State shall be responsible for expeditiously preparing indices which set forth, on a candidate-by-candidate basis, all independent expenditures separately, made by or for each candidate, as reported under this subsection, and for periodically publishing such indices on a timely preelection basis.
(c) (1) A person, including a political committee, that makes or contracts to make independent expenditures aggregating $1,000 or more for any statewide, legislative or multicounty judicial candidate or in the amount of $500 or more for any county office, single-county judicial candidate, committee supporting or opposing a candidate on the ballot in more than one county, or any municipal candidate on a municipal election ballot, after the twentieth day, but more than twelve hours, before the date of an election, shall file a report on a form prescribed by the Secretary of State, describing the expenditures within twenty-four hours: after the expenditure is made or debt is incurred for a communication, to the Secretary of State by hand-delivery, facsimile or other means to assure receipt by the Secretary of State within the twenty-four hour period Provided, That a person making expenditures in the amount of $1,000 dollars or more for any statewide or legislative candidate on or after the fifteenth day but more than twelve hours before the day of any election shall report such expenditures in accordance with section two-b of this article and shall not file an additional report as provided herein.
(2) After a person files a report under subdivision (1), the person shall file an additional report within twenty-four hours after each time the person makes or contracts to make independent expenditures aggregating an additional $500 with respect to the same election, for any county office, single-county judicial candidate, committee supporting or opposing a candidate on the ballot in more than one county, or any municipal candidate on a municipal election ballot, as that to which the initial report relates.
(d) (1) A person, including a political committee, that makes or contracts to make independent expenditures aggregating $10,000 or more at any time up to and including the twentieth day before the date of an election shall file a report on a form prescribed by the Secretary of State, describing the expenditures within forty-eight hours.
(2) After a person files a report under subdivision (1), the person shall file an additional report within forty-eight hours after each time the person makes or contracts to make independent expenditures aggregating an additional $10,000 with respect to the same election as that to which the initial report relates.
(c) (e) Any independent expenditure must include a clear and conspicuous public notice which identifies the name of the person who paid for the expenditure and states that the communication is not authorized by the candidate or his or her committee that:
(1) Clearly indicates that the communication is not authorized by the candidate or the candidate's committee; and
(2) Clearly identifies the person making the expenditure for the communication: Provided, That if the communication appears on or is disseminated by broadcast, cable or satellite transmission, the statement required by this subsection must be both spoken clearly and appear in clearly readable writing at the end of the communication.
(d) (f) Any person who has spent a total of $5,000 or more for the direct costs of purchasing, producing or disseminating electioneering communications during any calendar year shall maintain all financial records and receipts related to such expenditure for a period of six months following the filing of a disclosure pursuant to subsection (a) of this section and, upon request, shall make such records and receipts available to the Secretary of State or county clerk for the purpose of an audit as provided in section seven of this article.
(e) (g) Any person who willfully fails to comply with this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $500, or confined in jail for not more than one year, or both fined and confined.
(h) (1) Any person who is required to file a statement under this section, may file the statement by facsimile device or electronic mail, in accordance with such rules as the Secretary of State may promulgate.
(2) The Secretary of State shall make a document which is filed electronically with the secretary pursuant to this subsection accessible to the public on the internet not later than twenty-four hours after the document is received by the secretary.
(3) In promulgating a rule under this subsection, the secretary shall provide methods (other than requiring a signature on the document being filed) for verifying the documents covered by the rule. Any document verified under any of the methods shall be treated for all purposes (including penalties for perjury) in the same manner as a document verified by signature.
(a) Notwithstanding any provision of section two-b of this article, No An officer, agent or person acting on behalf of any corporation, whether incorporated under the laws of this or any other state or of a foreign country, may not pay, give, lend or authorize to be paid, given or lent any money or other thing of value belonging to the corporation for the purpose of expressly advocating the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate for state, district, county or municipal office, to any candidate financial agent, political committee or other person or campaign for nomination or election to any statewide office or any other elective office in the state or any of its subdivisions.
No A person may not solicit or receive any payment, contribution or other thing from any corporation or from any officer, agent or other person acting on behalf of the corporation to any candidate or candidate's campaign for nomination or election to any statewide office or any other elective office in the state or any of its subdivisions.
(b)(1) The provisions of this section do not prohibit a corporation from
(A) A corporation or separate segregated fund to make a primary or other election contribution or expenditure by using money or anything of value secured: (i) By physical force, job discrimination or financial reprisal; (ii) by the threat of force, job discrimination or financial reprisal; or (iii) as a condition of employment; or (iv) in any commercial transaction;
(H) A corporation to pay, give or lend or to authorize payment, giving or lending of any moneys or other things of value belonging to the corporation to a separate segregated fund for any the purpose of making a contribution to a candidate or a candidate's committee. This provision does not prohibit a separate segregated fund from using the property, real or personal, facilities and equipment of a corporation solely to establish, administer and solicit contributions to the fund, subject to the rules of the State Election Commission as provided in subsection (d) of this section: Provided, That any such corporation shall also permit any group of its employees represented by a bona fide political action committee to use the real property of the corporation solely to establish, administer and solicit contributions to the fund of the political action committee, subject to the rules of the State Election Commission promulgated in accordance with said subsection. No corporation may use its property, real or personal, facilities, equipment, materials or services for the purpose of expressly advocating the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate for state, district, county or municipal office.
(c) Any person or corporation violating any provision of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, on upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $10,000. No A corporation may not reimburse any person the amount of any fine imposed pursuant to this section.
(h) Any person who discloses the fact of any complaint, investigation or report or any part thereof, or any proceedings thereon, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $1,000, nor more than $5,000, and shall be imprisoned confined in jail not less than six months nor more than one year.
(i) The amendments to this section enacted during the second extraordinary session of 2008 are intended to conform to the existing proscription to constitutionally permissible limits and not to create a new offense or offenses.
(j) The effective date of the amendments to this section enacted during the second extraordinary legislative session of 2008 shall be is October 1, 2008.
(a) No A person may not publish, issue or circulate, or cause to be published, issued or circulated, any anonymous letter, circular, placard, radio or television advertisement or other publication supporting or aiding the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate.
(b) No An owner, publisher, editor or employee of a newspaper or other periodical may not insert, either in its advertising or reading columns, any matter, paid for or to be paid for, which tends to influence the voting at any election, unless directly designating it as a paid advertisement and stating the name of the person authorizing its publication and the candidate in whose behalf it is published.
(c) No A person may not, in any room or building occupied for the discharge of official duties by any officer or employee of the state or a political subdivision of the state, solicit orally or by written communication delivered within the room or building, or in any other manner, any contribution of money or other thing of value for any party or political purpose, from any postmaster or any other officer or employee of the federal government, or officer or employee of the State, or a political subdivision of the State. No An officer, agent, clerk or employee of the federal government, or of this state, or any political subdivision of the state, who may have charge or control of any building, office or room, occupied for any official purpose, may not knowingly permit any person to enter any building, office or room, occupied for any official purpose for the purpose of soliciting or receiving any political assessments from, or delivering or giving written solicitations for, or any notice of, any political assessments to, any officer or employee of the state, or a political subdivision of the state.
(d) Except as provided in section eight of this article, no a person entering into any contract with the state or its subdivisions, or any department or agency of the state, either for rendition of personal services or furnishing any material, supplies or equipment or selling any land or building to the state, or its subdivisions, or any department or agency of the state, if payment for the performance of the contract or payment for the material, supplies, equipment, land or building is to be made, in whole or in part, from public funds may not, during the period of negotiation for or performance under the contract or furnishing of materials, supplies, equipment, land or buildings, directly or indirectly, make any contribution to any political party, committee or candidate for public office or to any person for political purposes or use; nor may any person or firm solicit any contributions for any purpose during any period.
(e) No A person may not, directly or indirectly, promise any employment, position, work, compensation or other benefit provided for, or made possible, in whole or in part, by act of the Legislature, to any person as consideration, favor or reward for any political activity for the support of or opposition to any candidate, or any political party in any election.
(f) Except as provided in section eight of this article, no a person may not, directly or indirectly, make any contribution in excess of the value of $1,000 in connection with any campaign for nomination or election to or on behalf of any statewide office, in connection with any other campaign for nomination or election to or on behalf of any other elective office in the state or any of its subdivisions, or in connection with or on behalf of any person engaged in furthering, advancing, supporting or aiding the nomination or election of any candidate for any of the offices.
(g) No A political organization (as defined in Section 527(e)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) may not solicit or accept contributions until it has notified the Secretary of State of its existence and of the purposes for which it was formed. During the two-year election cycle, a political organization (as defined in Section 527 (e) (1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) may not accept contributions totaling more than $1,000 from any one person prior to the primary election and contributions totaling more than $1,000 from any one person after the primary and before the general election.
(i) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (f) of this section to the contrary, no a person may not, directly or indirectly, make contributions to a state party executive committee or state party legislative caucus committee which, in the aggregate, exceed the value of $1,000 in any calendar year.
(k) No A person may not solicit any contribution, other than contributions to a campaign for or against a county or local government ballot issue, from any nonelective salaried employee of the state government or of any of its subdivisions: Provided, That in no event shall may any person acting in a supervisory role solicit a person who is a subordinate employee for any contribution. No A person may not coerce or intimidate any nonelective salaried employee into making a contribution. No a person may not coerce or intimidate any nonsalaried employee of the state government or any of its subdivisions into engaging in any form of political activity. The provisions of this subsection may not be construed to prevent any employee from making a contribution or from engaging in political activity voluntarily without coercion, intimidation or solicitation.
(l) No A person may not solicit a contribution from any other person without informing the other person at the time of the solicitation of the amount of any commission, remuneration or other compensation that the solicitor or any other person will receive or expect to receive as a direct result of the contribution being successfully collected. Nothing in this subsection may be construed to apply to solicitations of contributions made by any person serving as an unpaid volunteer.
(m) No A person may not place any letter, circular, flyer, advertisement, election paraphernalia, solicitation material or other printed or published item tending to influence voting at any election in a roadside receptacle unless it is: (1) Approved for placement into a roadside receptacle by the business or entity owning the receptacle; and (2) contains a written acknowledgment of the approval. This subdivision does not apply to any printed material contained in a newspaper or periodical published or distributed by the owner of the receptacle. The term "roadside receptacle" means any container placed by a newspaper or periodical business or entity to facilitate home or personal delivery of a designated newspaper or periodical to its customers.
(n) Any person violating any provision of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $1,000, or confined in a regional or county jail for not more than one year, or, in the discretion of the court, be subject to both fine and confinement fined and confined.
NOTE: This bill modifies the definition of "express advocacy" to make it consistent with recent U.S. Supreme Court holdings. The bill also increases the number of persons who must receive a broadcast or nonbroadcast communication naming a clearly identified candidate before it can be considered as an electioneering communication. Finally, consistent with recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent, the bill repeals the ban on corporate independent expenditures.