2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 1 - ELECTIONS (§§ 1-1-101 — 1-46-106) › ELECTION CAMPAIGN REGULATIONS (§§ 1-45-101 — 1-46-106) › Article 45 - FAIR CAMPAIGN PRACTICES ACT (§§ 1-45-101 — 1-45-118) › Section 1-45-111.5 - Duties of the secretary of state - enforcement - sanctions -definitions

(1)
The secretary of state shall promulgate such rules, in accordance with article
4
of title
24
, C.R.S., as may be necessary to enforce and administer any provision of this article.
(1.5)
(a)
Any person who believes that a violation of article XXVIII of the state constitution, the secretary of state's rules concerning campaign and political finance, or this article 45 has occurred may file a written complaint with the secretary of state in accordance with section
1-45-111.7
.
(b)
Any person who commits a violation of either the secretary of state's rules concerning campaign and political finance or this article that is not specifically listed in article XXVIII of the state constitution shall be subject to any of the sanctions specified in section 10 of article XXVIII of the state constitution or in this section.
(c)
In addition to any other penalty authorized by article XXVIII of the state constitution or this article 45, a hearing officer may impose a civil penalty of fifty dollars per day for each day that a report, statement, or other document required to be filed under this article 45 that is not specifically listed in article XXVIII of the state constitution is not filed by the close of business on the day due. Any person who fails to file three or more successive committee registration reports or reports concerning contributions, expenditures, or donations in accordance with the requirements of section
1-45-107.5
shall be subject to a civil penalty of up to five hundred dollars for each day that a report, statement, or other document required to be filed by an independent expenditure committee is not filed by the close of business on the day due. Any person who knowingly and intentionally fails to file three or more reports due under section
1-45-107.5
shall be subject to a civil penalty of up to one thousand dollars per day for each day that the report, statement, or other document is not filed by the close of business on the day due. Imposition of any penalty under this subsection (1.5)(c) shall be subject to all applicable requirements specified in section 10 of article XXVIII of the state constitution governing the imposition of penalties.
(c.5)
In addition to and without prejudice to any other penalty authorized under this article 45, a hearing officer shall impose a civil penalty as follows:
(I)
At least one hundred dollars for each violation that is a failure to include a disclosure statement in accordance with section 1-46-103 (2), if the violation does not involve any paid advertising or other spending to promote or attract attention to a communication prohibited by section 1-46-103 (1), or such other higher amount that, based on the degree of distribution and public exposure to the unlawful communication, the hearing officer deems appropriate to deter future violations of section 1-46-103; and
(II)
At least ten percent of the amount paid or spent to advertise, promote, or attract attention to a communication prohibited by section 1-46-103 (1) that does not include a disclosure statement in accordance with section 1-46-103 (2), or such other higher amount that, based on the degree of distribution and public exposure to the unlawful communication, the hearing officer deems appropriate to deter future violations of section 1-46-103.
(d)
In connection with a complaint brought to enforce any requirement of article XXVIII of the state constitution or this article 45, a hearing officer may order disclosure of the source and amount of any undisclosed donations or expenditures.
(e)
In connection with any action brought to enforce any provision of article XXVIII of the state constitution or this article 45, the membership lists of a membership organization, a labor organization or, in the case of a publicly held corporation, a list of the shareholders of the corporation, shall not be disclosed by means of discovery or by any other manner.
(f)
Any person who is fined up to one thousand dollars per day for a knowing and intentional failure to file under paragraph (c) of this subsection (1.5) shall, if the person has shareholders or members, notify such shareholders or members of the penalty and the adjudicated violations on its publicly accessible website in a prominent manner for not less than one hundred eighty days after the final adjudication. A copy of this notice, with the website address used, shall be filed with the secretary of state and shall be a public record.
(g)
The secretary of state has, as a matter of right, the right to intervene in any action pending before the office of administrative courts or the court of appeals that is brought to enforce the provisions of article XXVIII of the state constitution or this article.
(2)
A party in any action brought to enforce the provisions of article XXVIII of the state constitution or of this article 45 is entitled to the recovery of the party's reasonable attorney fees and costs from any attorney or party who has brought or defended the action, either in whole or in part, upon a determination by the hearing officer that the action, or any part thereof, lacked substantial justification or that the action, or any part thereof, was commenced for delay or harassment or if it finds that an attorney or party unnecessarily expanded the proceeding by other improper conduct, including abuses of discovery procedures available under the Colorado rules of civil procedure. Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection (2), no attorney fees may be awarded under this subsection (2) unless the court or hearing officer, as applicable, has first considered and issued written findings regarding the provisions of section
13-17-102 (5) and (6)
. Either party in an action in which the hearing officer awarded attorney fees and costs may apply to a district court to convert an award of attorney fees and costs into a district court judgment. Promptly upon the conversion of the award of attorney fees and costs into a district court judgment, the clerk of the district court shall mail notice of the filing of the judgment to the judgment debtor at the address given and shall make a note of the mailing in the docket. The notice must include the name and post-office address of the judgment creditor and the judgment creditor's lawyer, if any, in this state. In addition, the judgment creditor may mail a notice of the filing of the judgment to the judgment debtor and may file proof of mailing with the clerk. Lack of mailing notice of filing by the clerk shall not affect the enforcement proceedings if proof of mailing by the judgment creditor has been filed. For purposes of this subsection (2), "lacked substantial justification" means substantially frivolous, substantially groundless, or substantially vexatious.
(3)
Upon a determination by the hearing officer that an issue committee failed to file a report required pursuant to section
1-45-108
, the hearing officer shall direct the issue committee to file any such report within ten days containing all required disclosure of any previously unreported contributions or expenditures and may, in addition to any other penalty, impose a penalty not to exceed twenty dollars for each contribution received and expenditure made by the issue committee that was not timely reported.
(4)
(a)
Upon failure of a witness or party to comply with an administrative subpoena issued in relation to an alleged campaign finance violation pursuant to article XXVIII of the state constitution or this article, the party that requested the administrative subpoena or the issuing agency may petition the district court ex parte with a copy of the petition sent to the subpoenaed witness or party and the administrative law judge by regular mail, for an order directing the witness or party to comply with the administrative subpoena.
(b)
If the petition required by paragraph (a) of this subsection (4) shows to the district court's satisfaction that the administrative subpoena was properly served pursuant to rule 4 of the Colorado rules of civil procedure, the district court shall order the subpoenaed witness or party to appear before the district court and show cause why the witness or party should not be ordered to comply with the administrative subpoena. A copy of the petition and the court order shall be served, pursuant to rule 5 of the Colorado rules of civil procedure, on the witness or party at least fifteen days before the date designated for the witness or party to appear before the district court.
(c)
At a show cause hearing ordered by the district court pursuant to paragraph (b) of this subsection (4), the court shall review the administrative subpoena and any evidence presented by the parties to determine compliance with the Colorado rules of civil procedure. The subpoenaed witness or party shall bear the burden of showing good cause as to why he or she should not be ordered to comply with the administrative subpoena.
(d)
If the court determines that the subpoenaed witness or party is required to comply with the administrative subpoena:
(I)
The district court shall order compliance forthwith and may impose remedial and punitive fines, including attorneys' fees and costs, for the witness's or party's failure to comply with the administrative subpoena; and
(II)
The hearing officer shall schedule a hearing on the complaint to occur on a day after the occurrence of the required deposition and such other discovery as may be warranted due to such deposition.
(e)
If the subpoenaed witness or party fails to appear at the show cause hearing, the district court may issue a bench warrant for the arrest of the subpoenaed witness or party and may impose other sanctions pursuant to the Colorado rules of civil procedure.
(5)
Repealed.
Amended by 2024 Ch. 250,§ 1, eff. 7/1/2024, app. to communications distributed on or after 7/1/2024.
Amended by 2019 Ch. 330, § 4, eff. 7/1/2019.
Amended by 2018 Ch. 155, § 7, eff. 4/23/2018.
Amended by 2016 Ch. 290, § 1, eff. 8/10/2016.
L. 2003: Entire section added, p. 2160, § 6, effective June 3. L. 2005: (2) amended, p. 852, § 4, effective June 1. L. 2008: (1.5) added and (2) amended, p. 349, § 1, effective April 10. L. 2010: (1.5)(c), (1.5)(d), (1.5)(e), and (1.5)(f) added, (SB 10-203), ch. 1236, p. 1236, § 6, effective May 25; (3) added, (HB 10-1370), ch. 1242, p. 1242, § 7, effective 1/1/2011. L. 2011: (4) added, (HB 11 -1117), ch. 97, p. 97, § 1, effective March 21. L. 2016: (5) added, (SB 16-106), ch. 1175, p. 1175, § 1, effective August 10. L. 2018: (1.5)(a) and (2) amended and (1.5)(g) added, (HB 18-1047), ch. 1095, p. 1095, § 7, effective April 23. L. 2019: (1.5)(a) to (1.5)(e), (2), (3), and (4)(d)(II) amended and (5) repealed, (SB 19-232), ch. 3066, p. 3066, § 4, effective July 1.
Section 6(1) of chapter 330 (SB 19-232), Session Laws of Colorado 2019, provides that the act changing this section applies to complaints filed with the secretary of state on or after July 1, 2019.
(1) For the legislative declaration in the 2010 act adding subsections (1.5)(c), (1.5)(d), (1.5)(e), and (1.5)(f), see section 1 of chapter 269, Session Laws of Colorado 2010. (2) For the legislative declaration in the 2010 act adding subsection (3), see section 1 of chapter 270, Session Laws of Colorado 2010.