2023 District of Columbia Code › Title 1 - Government Organization › Chapter 11A - Ethics and Government Accountability › Subchapter III - Campaign Finance › Part D - Contribution Limitations › § 1–1163.33. Contribution limitations

§ 1–1163.33. Contribution limitations.
(a) No person, including a business contributor, may make any contribution, and no person may receive any contribution from any contributor, that when aggregated with all other contributions received from that contributor relating to a campaign for nomination as a candidate or election to public office, including both the primary and general election or special elections, exceeds:
(1) In the case of a contribution in support of a candidate for Mayor or for the recall of the Mayor, $2,000;
(2) In the case of a contribution in support of a candidate for Attorney General or for the recall of the Attorney General, $1,500;
(3) In the case of a contribution in support of a candidate for Chairman of the Council or for the recall of the Chairman of the Council, $1,500;
(4) In the case of a contribution in support of a candidate for member of the Council elected at-large or for the recall of a member of the Council elected at-large, $1,000;
(5) In the case of a contribution in support of a candidate for member of the State Board of Education elected at-large or for member of the Council elected from a ward or for the recall of a member of the State Board of Education elected at-large or for the recall of a member of the Council elected from a ward, $500;
(6) In the case of a contribution in support of a candidate for member of the State Board of Education elected from an election ward or for the recall of a member of the State Board of Education elected from an election ward or for an official of a political party, $200; and
(7) In the case of a contribution in support of a candidate for a member of an Advisory Neighborhood Commission, $25.
(b) A business contributor shall certify for each contribution that it makes that no affiliated entities have contributed an amount that when aggregated with the business contributor's contribution would exceed the limits imposed by this chapter.
(c)(1) Repealed.
(2) All contributions to a candidate's principal political committee shall be treated as contributions to the candidate and shall be subject to the contribution limitations contained in this section.
(d) Any entity, whether or not considered distinct under Title 29 of the District of Columbia Official Code, may be an affiliated entity for purposes of this chapter.
(e)(1) No political committee or political action committee may receive in any one election, including primary and general elections, any contribution in the form of cash or money order from any one person that in the aggregate exceeds $100.
(2) No person may make any contribution in the form of cash or money order which in the aggregate exceeds $100 in any one election to any one political committee or political action committee, including primary and general elections.
(f)(1) No person may make contributions to any one political committee or political action committee in any one election that in the aggregate exceed $5,000.
(2) Contributions to a political action committee that are designated for a non-contribution account shall not be subject to the contribution limitations of this subsection.
(f-1) Limitations on contributions under this section shall apply to political action committees during nonelection years.
(g) No contributor may make a contribution or cause a contribution to be made in the name of another person, and no person may knowingly accept a contribution made by one person in the name of another person.
(h) An independent expenditure is not considered a contribution to or an expenditure by or on behalf of the candidate for the purposes of the limitations specified in this section.
(h-1) The contribution limitations in this section shall not apply to independent expenditure committees.
(i) All contributions made by a person directly or indirectly to or for the benefit of a particular candidate or that candidate's political committee that are in any way earmarked, encumbered, or otherwise directed through an intermediary or conduit to that candidate or political committee shall be treated as contributions from that person to that candidate or political committee and shall be subject to the limitations established by this chapter.
(j)(1) No candidate or member of the immediate family of a candidate may make a loan or advance from his or her personal funds for use in connection with a campaign of that candidate for nomination for election, or for election, to a public office unless a written instrument fully discloses the terms, conditions, and parts to the loan or advance. The amount of any loan or advance shall be included in computing and applying the limitations contained in this section only to the extent of the balance of the loan or advance that is unpaid at the time of determination.
(2) For the purposes of this subsection, the term “immediate family” means the candidate's spouse, domestic partner, parent, brother, sister, or child, and the spouse or domestic partner of a candidate's parent, brother, sister, or child.
(k) No contributions made to support or oppose initiative or referendum measures shall be affected by the provisions of this section.
(l) The provisions of subsections (a), (b), (d), (e)(2), (j)(2), and (m) of this section shall not apply to the Fair Elections Program established by § 1-1163.32a.
(m) A candidate may make expenditures to reimburse the candidate for the candidate's childcare expenses incurred for campaign purposes.
(Apr. 27, 2012, D.C. Law 19-124, § 333, 59 DCR 1862; Dec. 13, 2013, D.C. Law 20-60, § 302(d), 60 DCR 15487; Feb. 22, 2014, D.C. Law 20-79, § 2(q), 61 DCR 153; May 5, 2018, D.C. Law 22-94, § 2(b)(6), 65 DCR 2847; Mar. 13, 2019, D.C. Law 22-250, § 6(oo), 66 DCR 985; Nov. 13, 2021, D.C. Law 24-45, § 1022(e), 68 DCR 010163.)
Section References
This section is referenced in § 1-1162.31, § 1-1163.20, and § 1-1163.38.
Effect of Amendments
The 2013 amendment by D.C. Law 20-60 added (a)(1A); and substituted “for Chairman of the Council, each member of the Council, Mayor, Attorney General” for “for Mayor, Chairman of the Council, each member of the Council” in (b)(1).
The 2014 amendment by D.C. Law 20-79 would have rewritten this section.
Applicability
Section 7183 of D.C. Law 24-45 repealed section 10(a) of D.C. Law 22-250 removing the applicability provision impacting this section. Therefore the amendment of this section by Law 22-250 has been implemented.
Section 7183 of D.C. Act 24-159 repealed section 10(a) of D.C. Law 22-250 removing the applicability provision impacting this section. Therefore the amendment of this section by Law 22-250 has been implemented.
Applicability of D.C. Law 22-250: § 10 of D.C. Law 22-250 provided that the change made to this section by § 6(oo) of D.C. Law 22-250 is subject to the inclusion of the law’s fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan. Therefore that amendment has not been implemented.
Section 7009 of D.C. Law 21-160 repealed § 3 of D.C. Law 20-79. Therefore the changes made to this section by D.C. Law 20-79 have been given effect.
Emergency Legislation
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 1022(e)(2) of Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Support Emergency Act of 2021 (D.C. Act 24-159, Aug. 23, 2021, 68 DCR 008602).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(d) of Fair Elections Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2021 (D.C. Act 24-129, July 29, 2021, 68 DCR 007672).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(b) of Campaign Finance Reform and Transparency Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2018 (D.C. Act 22-491, Oct. 25, 2018, 65 DCR 12064).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(b) of Campaign Finance Reform and Transparency Emergency Amendment Act of 2018 (D.C. Act 22-405, July 17, 2018, 65 DCR 7525).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(b) of Campaign Finance Reform and Transparency Emergency Amendment Act of 2017 (D.C. Act 22-166, Oct. 24, 2017, 64 DCR 10800).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(b) of Campaign Finance Reform and Transparency Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2017 (D.C. Act 22-34, Mar. 28, 2017, 64 DCR 3101).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(b) of Campaign Finance Reform and Transparency Emergency Amendment Act of 2016 (D.C. Act 21-584, Dec. 24, 2016, 63 DCR 16043).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 3(d) of the Election Code Conforming Emergency Act of 2013 (D.C. Act 20-143, July 31, 2013, 60 DCR 11799, 20 DCSTAT 1990).
Temporary Legislation
For temporary (225 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(d) of Fair Elections Clarification Temporary Amendment Act of 2021 (D.C. Law 24-32, Sept. 22, 2021, 68 DCR 007983).
For temporary (225 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(b) of Campaign Finance Reform and Transparency Temporary Amendment Act of 2018 (D.C. Law 22-178, Oct. 30, 2018, 65 DCR 9567).
For temporary (225 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(b) of Campaign Finance Reform and Transparency Temporary Amendment Act of 2017 (D.C. Law 22-42, Jan. 17, 2018, 64 DCR 12308).
For temporary (225 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(b) of Campaign Finance Reform and Transparency Temporary Amendment Act of 2016 (D.C. Law 21-235, Apr. 1, 2017, 64 DCR 885).
Editor's Notes
Applicability of D.C. Law 20-60: Section 401(b) of 20-60 provided that § 302 of the act shall apply as of December 13, 2013.
Applicability of D.C. Law 20-79: Section 3 of D.C. Law 20-79 provided that the act shall apply upon the latest of: (1) The inclusion of the fiscal effect of the act in an approved budget and financial plan, as certified by the Chief Financial Officer to the Budget Director of the Council in a certification published by the Council in the District of Columbia Register; or (2) January 31, 2015.
A certification dated February 4, 2015, that the fiscal effect of the Campaign Finance Reform and Transparency Amendment Act of 2013, D.C. Law 20-79, has been included in an approved budget and financial plan was published in the D.C. Register on March 13, 2015 (62 DCR 2988).