HB 147

## Sponsors: Bipartisan

Greg Stumbo (D)

Sal Santoro (R)

Brian Linder (R)

Jeff Hoover (R)

Linda Belcher (D)

## Bill

KRS 121.180 to create a single threshold of $3,000 for campaign finance reports; require state executive committees that establish a building fund account to make quarterly reports; change the date for executive committees and caucus campaign committees to file reports from five days after the 30th day following a primary and regular election to January 31 and July 31; amend KRS 121.150 to increase individual contribution limits to $2,000 as indexed for inflation; increase individual contribution limit to $5,000 per year to the state executive committee of a political party; allow contributions of $5,000 per year in the aggregate to subdivisions and affiliates of political parties; make those contributions not applicable to the cap on contributions to the state executive committee's political party building fund account; increase the contribution limit to caucus campaign committees to $5,000, to increase the aggregate contribution amounts from permanent committees, executive committees, and caucus campaign committees to $20,000; allow married couples to make a contribution with one check that reflects the combined individual contribution limits of each individual spouse; create a new section of KRS Chapter 117 to allow minors 16 years of age or older to be appointed as student election assistants; amend KRS 116.095 to require county clerks to redact a registered voter’s Social Security number from any voter registration record that is requested by a citizen; amend KRS 117.045 and 121.230 to conform; create a new section of KRS Chapter 121 to allow the executive committee of political parties to establish building fund accounts and specify permissible and prohibited uses of funds; amend KRS 121.025 and 121.035 to specify that prohibitions on corporate contributions do not prevent a corporation from contributing to a state executive committee's political party building fund account; amend KRS 116.0452 to establish 4 p.m. local time as the deadline for voter registration applications to be deemed timely received by county clerk before voter registration books are closed; amend KRS 117.235 to allow the posting of political signs on private property that does not serve as a polling station, regardless of distance from the polling place; create a new section of KRS Chapter 160 to identify the process to be followed by a candidate to appear on an election ballot for school board member in a school district that extends across county lines; identify the process for totaling a candidate's votes and issuing a certificate of election; amend KRS 118.425 to conform; specify that certain contribution limits apply to elections after July 15, 2016

## Summary

* Allow for political parties to establish funds that will be directed towards new buildings
* Raise the contribution limits for individuals to $2,500 towards a candidate and $5,000 towards Political Parties
* Update needed areas of current election and campaign legislation

## Main Reasoning for Legislation

* Due to inflation, more money is needed to run successful campaigns
* Many politicians within Kentucky have begun to self-finance their campaigns in order to makeup for the inability to access important funds, therefore this legislation seeks to level the playing field
* Parties are in need of updating their facilities

## Concerns

* Promotes the idea that financials and money are the key to success in an election
* Inhibits Kentucky's "third party"-Libertarian- because it often does not raise the minimum funds or receive the minimum vote that is established in the legislation
* Opens the doors for large corporations to sponsor a party's building which could allow for them to have policy influence

## Media Publications

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/ky-legislature/2016/04/16/higher-political-contribution-limit-dies/83121612/

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/ky-legislature/2016/04/15/bill-increasing-political-contribution-limits-advances/83096560/

http://www.kyforward.com/legislative-briefs-campaign-contributions-could-double-under-bill-limits-for-tanning-bed-use/

http://wmskamfm.com/campaign-contribution-bill-goes-to-house-floor/

## Video

https://www.ket.org/legislature/?archive&nola=WGAOS+017178

## Final Outcome

A last minute committee meeting was held on the last night of the extended legislative session for it to be passed to the Senate floor. While it did pass to the floor, the bill was not presented due to Senate leaders blocking it because of an impending U.S. Circuit Court Case that relates to whether or not campaign finance limits are constitutional. The court case can be read about here: http://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article42622092.html