Bill Text: NY A07169 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Amended

---

Bill Title: Reduces campaign contribution limits for candidates for election to a public office or party position.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-05-06 - print number 7169a [A07169 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-A07169-Amended.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         7169--A
                               2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                     April 27, 2015
                                       ___________
        Introduced by M. of A. KAVANAGH -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. THIELE
          --  read  once and referred to the Committee on Election Law -- recom-
          mitted to the Committee on Election Law in  accordance  with  Assembly
          Rule  3,  sec.  2  --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,  ordered
          reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
        AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to decreasing contribution
          limitations
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1.    Subdivision 1 of section 14-114 of the election law, as
     2  amended by chapter 79 of the laws of 1992, paragraphs a and b as amended
     3  by chapter 659 of the laws of 1994, is amended to read as follows:
     4    1. The following limitations apply to all contributions to  candidates
     5  for election to any public office or for nomination for any such office,
     6  or  for  election  to  any  party positions, and to all contributions to
     7  political committees working directly or indirectly with  any  candidate
     8  to  aid or participate in such candidate's nomination or election, other
     9  than any contributions to any party committee or constituted committee:
    10    a. In any election for a public office to be voted on by the voters of
    11  the entire state, or for nomination to any such office,  no  contributor
    12  may  make a contribution to any candidate or political committee, and no
    13  candidate or political committee may accept any  contribution  from  any
    14  contributor,  which is in the aggregate amount greater than:  (i) in the
    15  case of any nomination to public office, the product of the total number
    16  of enrolled voters in the candidate's  party  in  the  state,  excluding
    17  voters in inactive status, multiplied by $.005, but such amount shall be
    18  not  less than four thousand dollars nor more than [twelve] ten thousand
    19  dollars as increased or decreased  by  the  cost  of  living  adjustment
    20  described  in  paragraph  c of this subdivision, and (ii) in the case of
    21  any election to a public office, [twenty-five] fifteen thousand  dollars
    22  as  increased or decreased by the cost of living adjustment described in
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00970-06-6
        A. 7169--A                          2
     1  paragraph c of this subdivision[; provided  however,  that  the  maximum
     2  amount  which  may be so contributed or accepted, in the aggregate, from
     3  any candidate's child, parent, grandparent, brother and sister, and  the
     4  spouse  of  any  such persons, shall not exceed in the case of any nomi-
     5  nation to public office an amount  equivalent  to  the  product  of  the
     6  number of enrolled voters in the candidate's party in the state, exclud-
     7  ing  voters  in inactive status, multiplied by $.025, and in the case of
     8  any election for a public office, an amount equivalent to the product of
     9  the number of registered voters in the state excluding voters  in  inac-
    10  tive status, multiplied by $.025].
    11    b.  In  any  other  election  for  party position or for election to a
    12  public office or for nomination for any such office, no contributor  may
    13  make  a  contribution  to  any  candidate  or political committee and no
    14  candidate or political committee may accept any  contribution  from  any
    15  contributor,  which  is in the aggregate amount greater than: (i) in the
    16  case of any election for party position, or  for  nomination  to  public
    17  office, the product of the total number of enrolled voters in the candi-
    18  date's  party  in  the  district  in  which he is a candidate, excluding
    19  voters in inactive status, multiplied by $.05, and (ii) in the  case  of
    20  any  election  for  a  public office, the product of the total number of
    21  registered voters in the district, excluding voters in inactive  status,
    22  multiplied  by  $.05[,];  but  in no event shall any such maximum exceed
    23  three thousand dollars or be less than one thousand dollars as increased
    24  or decreased by the cost of living adjustment described in  paragraph  c
    25  of  this  subdivision;  however  in the case of a nomination or election
    26  within the city of New York for the office  of  mayor,  public  advocate
    27  [or], comptroller, borough president or member of the city council, such
    28  amount  shall  be  [not  less  than  four thousand dollars nor more than
    29  twelve thousand dollars as increased or decreased by the cost of  living
    30  adjustment  described in paragraph c of this subdivision; in the case of
    31  an election within the city of New York for the office of mayor,  public
    32  advocate  or  comptroller,  twenty-five thousand dollars as increased or
    33  decreased by the cost of living adjustment described in paragraph  c  of
    34  this  subdivision]  equal  to the contribution limits set forth in para-
    35  graph (f) of subdivision one of section 3-703 of the administrative code
    36  of the city of New York; provided however in the case of a nomination or
    37  election for state senator, such amount shall  be  [four]  six  thousand
    38  dollars  as  increased  or  decreased  by  the cost of living adjustment
    39  described in paragraph c  of  this  subdivision;  [in  the  case  of  an
    40  election  for  state  senator, six thousand two hundred fifty dollars as
    41  increased or decreased by the cost of  living  adjustment  described  in
    42  paragraph  c  of  this  subdivision;]  in the case of [an election or] a
    43  nomination or election  for  a  member  of  the  assembly,  [twenty-five
    44  hundred] three thousand dollars as increased or decreased by the cost of
    45  living  adjustment described in paragraph c of this subdivision[; but in
    46  no event shall any such maximum exceed fifty thousand dollars or be less
    47  than one thousand dollars; provided however,  that  the  maximum  amount
    48  which  may  be  so  contributed  or accepted, in the aggregate, from any
    49  candidate's child, parent, grandparent,  brother  and  sister,  and  the
    50  spouse of any such persons, shall not exceed in the case of any election
    51  for  party position or nomination for public office an amount equivalent
    52  to the number of  enrolled  voters  in  the  candidate's  party  in  the
    53  district  in  which  he  is  a  candidate,  excluding voters in inactive
    54  status, multiplied by $.25 and in the case of  any  election  to  public
    55  office,  an  amount equivalent to the number of registered voters in the
    56  district, excluding voters in inactive status, multiplied  by  $.25;  or
        A. 7169--A                          3

     1  twelve  hundred fifty dollars, whichever is greater, or in the case of a
     2  nomination or election of a  state  senator,  twenty  thousand  dollars,
     3  whichever  is  greater,  or in the case of a nomination or election of a
     4  member  of  the assembly twelve thousand five hundred dollars, whichever
     5  is greater, but in no event shall any such maximum  exceed  one  hundred
     6  thousand dollars].
     7    c.  At the beginning of each [fourth] second calendar year, commencing
     8  in [nineteen hundred ninety-five]  two  thousand  seventeen,  the  state
     9  board  shall determine the percentage of the difference between the most
    10  recent available monthly consumer price index for  all  urban  consumers
    11  published  by  the  United  States  bureau  of labor statistics and such
    12  consumer price index published for  the  same  month  [four]  two  years
    13  previously. The amount of each contribution limit fixed in this subdivi-
    14  sion  shall  be  adjusted by the amount of such percentage difference to
    15  the closest one hundred dollars by the state board which, not later than
    16  the first day of February in each such year, shall  issue  a  regulation
    17  publishing the amount of each such contribution limit. Each contribution
    18  limit  as  so adjusted shall be the contribution limit in effect for any
    19  election held before the next such adjustment.
    20    § 2. Subdivision 10 of section 14-114 of the election law, as added by
    21  chapter 79 of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows:
    22    10. a. No contributor may make a contribution to a  party  or  consti-
    23  tuted committee and no such committee may accept a contribution from any
    24  contributor  which,  in the aggregate, is greater than [sixty-two] twen-
    25  ty-five thousand [five hundred] dollars per annum.
    26    b. At the beginning of each [fourth] second calendar year,  commencing
    27  in  [nineteen  hundred  ninety-five]  two  thousand seventeen, the state
    28  board shall determine the percentage of the difference between the  most
    29  recent  available  monthly  consumer price index for all urban consumers
    30  published by the United States  bureau  of  labor  statistics  and  such
    31  consumer  price  index  published  for  the  same month [four] two years
    32  previously. The amount of such contribution limit fixed in  paragraph  a
    33  of  this  subdivision shall be adjusted by the amount of such percentage
    34  difference to the closest one hundred dollars by the state board  which,
    35  not  later than the first day of February in each such year, shall issue
    36  a regulation publishing the amount  of  such  contribution  limit.  Such
    37  contribution  limit  as  so  adjusted shall be the contribution limit in
    38  effect for any election held before the next such adjustment.
    39    § 3. Subdivision 3 of section 14-124 of the election law,  as  amended
    40  by chapter 71 of the laws of 1988, is amended to read as follows:
    41    3. The contribution and receipt limits of this article shall not apply
    42  to monies received and expenditures made by a party committee or consti-
    43  tuted committee to maintain a permanent headquarters and staff and carry
    44  on  ordinary activities which are not for the express purpose of promot-
    45  ing the candidacy of specific candidates, except that contributions made
    46  for such activities to a party committee or constituted committee  shall
    47  be  limited  to  twenty-five thousand dollars in the aggregate from each
    48  contributor in each year.
    49    § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    50  it shall  have  become  a  law;  provided,  that  contributions  legally
    51  received  prior  to  the  effective date of this act may be retained and
    52  expended for lawful purposes and shall  not  provide  the  basis  for  a
    53  violation of article 14 of the election law, as amended by this act; and
    54  provided,  further,  that  the state board of elections shall notify all
    55  candidates and political committees of the applicable provisions of this
    56  act within thirty days after this act shall have become a law.