Bill Text: MI SB0704 | 2019-2020 | 100th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Campaign finance: contributions and expenditures; acceptance of certain contributions by judge or justice; prohibit. Amends 1976 PA 388 (MCL 169.201 - 169.282) by adding sec. 30a.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - Referred To Committee On Elections [SB0704 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2019-SB0704-Introduced.html
SENATE BILL NO. 704
January 08, 2020, Introduced by Senator MCBROOM
and referred to the Committee on Elections.
A bill to amend 1976 PA 388, entitled
"Michigan campaign finance act,"
(MCL 169.201 to 169.282) by adding section 30a.
the people of the state of michigan enact:
Sec. 30a. (1) A person shall not make a contribution to a committee of a judge or supreme court justice if that person is a party to an action or other legal matter pending before that judge or justice.
(2) An independent committee or a political committee shall not make a contribution to a committee of a judge or supreme court justice if that independent committee or political committee is primarily funded by members of a limited liability company and either of the following is true:
(a) The limited liability company is a party to an action or other legal matter pending before that judge or justice.
(b) An officer, director, or manager of the limited liability company is a party to an action or other legal matter pending before that judge or justice that relates in any way to that party's conduct as an officer, director, or manager of that limited liability company.
(3) For purposes of this section, an independent committee or political committee is primarily funded by members of a limited liability company if members of the limited liability company contributed 50% or more of the total amount of contributions to the independent committee or political committee during the 1-year period before the date of a contribution prohibited by this section.
(4) An independent committee or political committee shall include with a contribution to a committee of a judge or supreme court justice a written statement indicating whether that contributing committee is primarily funded by members of a limited liability company. If the contributing committee is primarily funded by members of a limited liability company, the contributing committee shall disclose in the written statement the name and address of the limited liability company.
(5) A committee of an incumbent judge or supreme court justice shall not accept a contribution from any of the following:
(a) A person prohibited from making a contribution under subsection (1).
(b) An independent or political committee prohibited from making a contribution under subsection (2).
(c) An independent or political committee without a written statement required under subsection (4).
(6) A person who violates subsection (1) is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than 3 times the amount of the prohibited contribution or imprisonment for not more than 1 year, or both.
(7) A person who authorizes a contribution by an independent or political committee prohibited by subsection (2) is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than 3 times the amount of the prohibited contribution or imprisonment for not more than 1 year, or both.
(8) An incumbent judge or supreme court justice whose committee accepts a contribution prohibited by this section is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than 3 times the amount of the prohibited contribution or imprisonment for not more than 1 year, or both. A committee is considered to have accepted a contribution prohibited by this section if the committee does not return the prohibited contribution to the contributor within 7 days after receiving the contribution.
(9) The treasurer of a committee of an incumbent judge or supreme court justice who accepts a contribution in violation of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than 3 times the amount of the prohibited contribution or imprisonment for not more than 1 year, or both. A committee is considered to have accepted a contribution prohibited by this section if the committee does not return the prohibited contribution to the contributor within 7 days after receiving the contribution.
